Deep Water Page #2

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a tranatlantic route is the southern...

All he needed was someone

to put up the money,

and he carried along

an entrepreneur, caravan-dealer...

Stanley Best.

It really was

an exciting adventure,

and I'm not an adventurous person,

so far as I'm concerned.

But it was interesting,

compelling, to join in.

Kerr:
The... the paddles of

sponsorship are enormous.

Stanley Best knew

nothing about sailing,

but as a hard-headed

businessman

he wanted a contract.

Simon:
Stanley Best made my father

sign an agreement.

If he dropped out

before the race began

or dropped out

early on in the race,

he would be forced

to buy the boat back.

In effect, my father

would be bankrupt.

The house we lived in

would have to be sold.

He was gambling

everything.

He had staked everything

on being successful

in the race.

Everything

depended on it.

Swinton:

As the construction of Crowhurst's

revolutionary boat began,

his rivals, one by one,

were setting sail.

With the prize

for the fastest voyage

as well as

the first man home,

the men were free

to leave at any time,

so long as they sailed

by the race deadline...

October the 31st.

Knox-Johnston:
I think there were

some similarities between us

and astronauts.

People were just beginning

to go round the moon

at that time, in fact the first trip

around the moon.

There was a lot of interest

in what happened to people

when they're suddenly

shoved up clear of the earth.

And I suppose they looked

upon us the same way.

You know, we're basically

in a small capsule,

we're setting off to go round the world.

It's extremely dangerous.

Anyone who goes to sea

and says they don't

feel fear is a liar.

Of course

you're frightened.

Bernard Moitessier:

When I left Plymouth,

Franoise was onboard

the launch following me.

She was not very happy

with that.

It's always a case of having

to sacrifice one thing for another.

You have to choose between

your life and a woman,

and it's got to be

your own life, hasn't it?

Without hesitation.

Bernard:

Around the world without stopping,

single-handed...

it's an enormous challenge.

It's incredibly demanding.

No one had

done it before.

Anyone who tries it

just for the money

or the prestige

is going to

break his neck.

There was this extraordinary

pretty ribbon

that I had to pull.

And it would swing

the bottle into the hull.

It had to be

smashed by hand.

And of course, that's got all sorts

of connotations in sailing circles.

But Donald wanted

this thing.

He wanted

to have a go.

I thought, "Well, if

anybody has a chance,

he has a chance

because he is so innovative

he'll do it."

Hynds:
This was a classic tale

of English derring-do

on a shoestring,

the homegrown

British hero.

There will be TV deals,

there will be newspaper deals.

I mean, it's... sort of that

feeding frenzy start.

Rodney, my boss,

was a businessman

as well as a journalist.

He was a Dickensian character...

the Artful Dodger,

perhaps even a Fagin.

He immediately

saw the potential

to make a lot of money.

Rodney Hallworth: A press agent's job

is to get hold of the package

which could be as dull

as an old tin box.

Many people who do

great things are often,

as personalities,

rather dull.

So you got to dress it up...

a bit Christmassy...

so that it

appears attractive.

Donald decided

originally

to start down

beyond Penzance.

But here in Teignmouth,

we have a fairly active publicity setup,

and we've persuaded him to

come 150 miles backwards

to start here and enjoy

the delights of Teignmouth.

All the hoteliers immediately

saw the potential,

publicitywise.

Swinton:

Crowhurst's journey to Teignmouth

was the first outing

for his revolutionary boat.

It should have taken

three days to get there.

It took two weeks.

Hynds:

It was pretty embarrassing.

We'd been promoting Crowhurst

as "the dark horse of the sea."

We initially thought

that this was a man

who had made

transatlantic voyages.

He wasn't.

He'd messed about in boats,

but he was almost

a weekend sailor.

But everyone loved the idea

of this boy's own hero.

We wanted him

to succeed.

The public,

the town of Teignmouth,

and Fleet Street

wanted this to work.

Swinton:
But Crowhurst was now

dangerously behind schedule.

All but one of the other sailors

were underway.

He'd lost any chance of winning

the trophy for first man home.

And to win

the 5,000 cash prize,

he'd have to sail

the world faster

than any of the racers

ahead of him,

through a southern ocean

that was already claiming casualties.

Kerr:

Chay Blyth and John Ridgway

had been knocked out

of the race.

Big seas

had seen them off.

It was the first inkling

that this was not

just an adventure,

but a very dangerous

undertaking.

Winspear:

Don was showing a lot of courage.

He was well aware

of the risks.

But he felt he was capable of...

of getting through it.

Kerr:
Here now was a publicity

machine at full blast.

I was there

as a journalist.

I was producing a film.

I could see that

the schedule was tight,

and when I got

to Teignmouth,

it was chaos...

total chaos.

Interviewer:

It took far longer for you

to come around

from the east coast

than you had

originally planned.

What sort of pressures has

this put on you as a result?

Well, it's a week less.

It means less time,

you know.

The schedule

is that much tighter.

Telephone!

Telephone!

Clare:
I thought, "There's chaos here,

you know, and that's worrying."

Can you bring the dinghy

around this side?

Clare:

The BBC people were watching it.

You could see that they saw that

this wasn't how it should be.

Kerr:

I told the cameraman,

"This is a voyage

that's not gonna happen.

It's not gonna

succeed.

Just film what is really happening...

film the chaos of it all."

Which he did.

With three

or four days to go,

there was so much

still to be done

by so many

different people

who got in

each other's way.

He had lost track of what

was happening on his boat.

Of course you realize I've got to have

the equipment tonight.

It won't be on the boat

if it's not put on tonight.

At that stage,

people were beginning to say to him,

"Are you sure

everything's all right?

Have you really considered

what you're doing?"

Kerr:
He was getting more

and more exhausted

and more rattled.

He was bright and cheerful

for the interviews,

but the minute

the cameras stopped

his face dropped.

Interviewer:
'Cause they sense

that it's a personal story.

And if I can ask you...

do you feel you're up against it

with the time limit?

I don't think

there are too many things

that are of any importance

that remain undone.

Um...

most of it is...

is taken care of.

And I think that...

I'm not lacking in

any great...

respects.

You know, there's nothing

essential that's missing.

Kerr:

The last day in Teignmouth,

Clare and I took him off for a walk

along the seafront.

He just sat there,

withdrawn and trembling,

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