“Shakedown” - The Making of Our Short Film
Early spring of this year was when many ideas began forming. I suppose it makes sense, seasonally, that after a long and boat-less winter, we’d be longing for time on the water and dreaming up ideas to get there. In January, Hannah and I delivered Zoe from the boatyard in Wilmington back to Wrightsville Beach. It was a peaceful, but very cold trip, down the Cape Fear River and up the ICW. The sun had set by the time Zoe reached her home dock, and our fingers were freezing as we reluctantly left our cozy blankets to throw fenders over and tie up dock lines.
A few weeks later, we both tested positive for COVID, along with quite a few of our friends. Seeing Zoe floating empty and unused on the dock in February, I decided that she would be a great place to quarantine for a week! And that is how Hannah, Bella (a friend, not the boat), and I came to live aboard for a week. It turned out to be arguably the best week of the semester – we didn’t have to go to class and we were living on a boat! We worked from our computers, read books, journaled each day, watched movies at night (drained my personal hotspot), and cooked meals in the little galley. Perfection.
And thus, the seed was planted: The idea of living aboard full time was now in my brain and would not leave. I don’t remember if it was before or after this little COVID week aboard, but sometime around that time, my friend Neal reached out to me. I really have Natalie to thank for this. She had run into Neal, a local photographer/filmmaker, in a coffee shop, and somehow their conversation turned to me and what I was up to. Hannah and I had recently started our little Sea Earth Sail instagram account, and Neal was interested in working together. We met him (at that same coffee shop) to chat, and began planning a shoot on Zoe.
Neal then reached out to Dunsel, which is a small company that makes bags out of recycled sails, to see if they wanted to collaborate on the project. Neal also brought on Sam Shores and Olivia Outlaw to the camera crew. It all came together and before long, we were taking Zoe out for her first sail of the season (a shakedown sail) to film a short documentary. This type of film was inspired by Patagonia’s short films, which tell stories of people while featuring glimpses of the brand.
Though Hannah and I had a bit of trouble getting used to having three cameras pointed at us, it was a great day of sailing and shooting. We sailed around, stopped at Masonboro to explore, and almost lost Neal’s drone to the choppy waves of the inlet when its battery started to die. That adrenaline inducing event made for a sketchy leap (by me) into the dinghy being towed behind Zoe, eventually resulting in a successful drone rescue!
This filming day was only the beginning of the story. We then met up several times more, to shoot an interview (in Bella’s beach house - thank you!) and finish up a couple missing shots. It was a learning experience for us all, but so rewarding. Neal worked hard on the film in the following months, in the middle of many other projects he had going on, and by the end of summer, it was ready to be shared.
We planned an outdoor viewing party at Wrightsville Beach Brewery, where we gathered a supportive group of friends and family. To Hannah and I, this showing was meant to celebrate Neal, Sam, and Olivia’s beautiful work. Standing up in front of their projector before pressing play was such a heart-filling moment for me. So many people showed up for us! It was beautiful to see. My parents even made a surprise appearance, driving down from Michigan 3 days earlier than planned! The evening was full of conversations with friends from every corner of our overlapping friend-groups. I was filled with gratitude.
And so, now you know what I think about every time I watch this video. Enjoy!
