VIDEOS ON MARINE ACTION AND ADVENTURE
SPICE HOLIDAY GIFT LIST
Fred Dyson – Dyson's Starboard View – Messing About in Boats
They were expendable - John Wayne – World War II PT boat movie - early 1941 in the Philippines - great pictures of early PT boats at speed. These were beautiful boats. I did not notice any technical mistakes, but nothing was mentioned in the movie about chronic problems PT boat crews had with bad fuel nor about the problems with the boats getting waterlogged and slow. Great shots of a PT up on the rocks and of local small boats.
Sand Pebbles
Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crena, Candice Bergen - Delightful story of a U.S. gunboat in China at the time of the Boxer rebellion. Accurate pictures of big steam engines and small Chinese harbor craft. Lots of nostalgia for old China hands.
Boy in Blue
Nicholas Cage - A dramatization of the life of Canadian Ned Hanlan, an ex-smuggler, who goes on to dazzle the sporting world as a champion oarsman. Cage got to be a decent sculler doing this film and there are some good shots of one-hundred-year-old boats.
Captains Courageous
Spencer Tracy - A rich brat falls overboard and ends up on a cod schooner fishing the Grand Banks. Good footage of dory fishing and working sailboats. It looks like all of the shots at sea are authentic.
Riddle of the Sands
Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Simon MacCorkindale - This is a classic sailing story of two young men on a sailing trip off the coast of Holland before World War I. They encounter German military activity and a beautiful young woman. Great navigation in a small boat in shallow water.
Dead Calm
Suspense tale of a couple sailing and dealing with a villain from another yacht. The hero-husband uses lots of ingenuity in pursuit of the villain. I did not pick up any technical errors in this one.
African Queen
Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn - This is the film for steamboat enthusiasts. A proper missionary lady must flee the German Navy in World War I Africa with a grungy alcoholic American on his old steam powered launch. I am told that local steam freaks watch this film two or three times a week and have worn out most copies in the area.
Mr. Roberts
Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, James Cagney - Hilarious, poignant tale of a supply ship crew during World War II. Second officer Fonda wants to get in the shooting war and Skipper Cagney wants to set records for hauling toilet paper.
The River Rat
Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, Brian Dennehy - A young girl tries to restore an old boat in memory of her convict father. He returns and they rebuild the boat and their lives. They look for lost loot and fight a crooked warden.
Poseidon Adventure
Gene Hackman - Passengers struggle to live and escape from the hull of an overturned sinking ocean liner.
Sea Wolves
Gregory Peck, David Niven, Roger Moore, Trevor Howard - U.S. and British agents organize some colonial Brits to steal an Indian River freighter (looks like an Alaskan landing barge) and sail it to Goa where they attack a German freighter that is spying on Allied shipping.
Moby Dick
Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab – A good story that captures Ahab's obsession, but is technically weak.
On the River
River boats in Australia. Some good boating fun. Anyone who has ever taken a Coast Guard skippers license exam will enjoy watching a bright young woman overcome bigoted bureaucrats as she becomes a riverboat captain.
Islands in the Sun
George C. Scott - A charter boat skipper re-establishes relationships with his children in the pre-World War II Caribbean. Wonderful pictures of classic wooden powerboats. The hero picks up refugees and gets cross-threaded with the Cuban Navy. Good shots of navigating reefs and rivers.
BOATING ADVICE
Men, do not, I repeat, do not take your favorite female to see the movie Cape Fear. If you do you will never even get her to the dock, let alone on any boat in the future.
LOCAL BOATING ASSOCIATIONS
Coast Guard Auxiliary - training classes, voluntary inspections, information, safety training. Contact Bill Schmidtman at 271-5935.
Knik Canoers and Kayakers - paddle sports, safety, environmental responsibility, touring, whitewater. Contact Dave Blanchet at 561-0500.
Alaska Boating Association - river boats and recreational river boat issues. Contact George Piaskowski at 337-8032.
Alaska Marine Dealers Association - Contact 561-4554.
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