Deep Water
By Steven Perdue, Blockbuster.co.uk

In 1968 The Sunday Times began the first non-stop, round the world yacht race. Amongst the professional yachtsmen, used to the particular strains and stresses of long distance, solo sailing was Donald Crowhurst. A part-time sailor at best he captured the imagination of the entire country as he set about his preparations with quintessential, eccentric English vigour. Under pressure from an increasingly pushy media circus as well as a sponsorship deal that left his house liable if he failed to finish, Crowhurst set sail with grave misgivings. Misgivings that he kept hidden from everyone except his diary and a cassette recorder taken with him to document his journey...

Deep Water is an incredible piece of pure docu-drama. Working from Crowhurst’s diaries, his own 16mm footage and the increasingly bizarre rants that he committed to his cassette recorder the filmmakers have crafted a suspenseful and deeply touching portrait of a man who got in way over his head. Beginning as a jaunty tale of derring-do by a plucky outsider the film soon heads into tragic territory as his boat begins to fall apart around him. Things head from bad to worse as the pressures of sailing coupled with the consequences if he should fail to finish take their toll on his physical, and more importantly, his mental well-being.

Like Touching The Void before it Deep Water tells a fascinating tale of the extreme edges of humanity. While Touching the Void was a redemptive yarn, Deep Water is far darker and at times downright scary. Listening to Crowhurst as he unravels, unable to cope with the loneliness and isolation is a genuinely unnerving experience and, coupled with the impeccable editing and spot on soundtrack, it manages to keep you absolutely riveted from start to finish. The film throws up its fair share of questions too hinting at the effects of the race on the other competitors. With this being primarily Crowhurst’s tale the filmmakers have wisely chosen to document the other journeys in the extra features. Thorough and incredibly well put together this is an example of what DVD extras are all about. The virtual tour of Crowhurst’s abandoned boat is a neat touch too, cramped and in disarray it manages to get across a deep sense of the claustrophobic atmosphere that must have haunted him from the outset.

In today’s world of GPS trackers and communication devices it is hard to comprehend the sheer guts of the sailors attempting to sail around the world with virtually no technical assistance at all. Deep Water highlights the bravery of these pioneers and provides a very tragic tribute to a fascinating man. Powerful and moving this is documentary at its absolute best. Get it on your list now.

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