The Mercy

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(Rachel) 'Are there horses

in the Horse Latitudes?'

(Crowhurst) 'No, sweetheart.

'Story has it that many years ago

when the Spanish sailed to the West Indies

'they brought their horses with them

to the New World

'and sometimes they ran out of wind and

then they ran out of fresh water as well.

'I can only quote the mountaineer

Sir Edmund Hillary himself:

'"Men do not decide

to become extraordinary.

'"hey decide to accomplish

extraordinary things."'

(Seagulls squawking)

(Horn whistles)

(Overlapping conversations)

(Camera shutter clicks)

Greetings. Welcome to the 25th

Annual Earls Court Boat Show,

brought to you by "The Sunday Times"

and John Courage.

Speaking of courage, without further ado,

I would like to welcome

one of our greatest heroes,

the first man to single-handedly

circumnavigate the globe,

and now a Knight of the Realm,

Sir Francis Chichester.

(Chichester) Thank you.

(Camera shutter clicks)

Thank you.

So the only thing that I can imagine

that would test a man

more than sailing around the world

in a boat alone,

stopping only once,

is not stopping at all.

And "The Sunday Times"

has asked me here today

to announce just such a challenge.

(Cheering, overlapping conversations)

(Camera shutter clicks)

There will be a cash prize

for the man who comes first,

and a prize for the man who is fastest.

And I believe the details will be

in tomorrow's edition of the newspaper.

Will you be entering, Sir Francis?

No, no, I've had my fun.

(Laughter)

Wild horses wouldn't drag me

back to the sinister Southern Ocean.

I believe a man said that the waves there

measured not in feet and inches,

but in increments of fear.

A man alone on a boat

is more alone than any man alive.

(Man) Then why would anyone go?

Well, that indeed is a fair question,

because to only do

what has been done before

is to live one's life

in the shadow of other men.

And for that reason alone,

we are blessed by the size of the sea,

and its siren call to men

seeking adventure.

Thank you.

(Crowhurst) The question that any man

who's dreamed himself beyond the horizon

must ask himself is,

"Where am I going?"

Closely followed, I assume, by,

"How in God's name do I get back?"

Precisely, and this device answers

both of those questions

because it places the latitude

and the longitude

right in the palm of your hand.

The Navicator is every sailor's

most trusted companion,

The Navicator.

Developed and manufactured

by Electron Utilisation of Teignmouth.

Built by us. In our own backyard.

- How does it work?

- It's ingeniously simple.

By comparing signal strengths

of radio beacons on land,

you can tell where you are at sea.

James, over here, is a radio beacon

at Land's End.

And Simon, over here,

is transmitting from La Rochelle.

And you just point the Navicator

and fire like so,

and, hey presto,

you have your position.

And unlike other directional finders,

it has an incorporated compass,

and it is so compact that...

(Boys) It can be operated

with just one hand.

Leaving this one free to hoist

a spinnaker in a favourable wind.

Or hoist a drink.

- The possibilities are endless.

- (Laughs)

Captain Chichester might've benefitted

from this out in the Roaring Forties.

Perhaps. It appears Sir Francis managed

to find his way around fine without it.

We can't all be Captain Chichester.

Dan...

It's very clever,

but we don't go out to sea much.

We tend to stick more

to the inland waterways.

Thank you.

What sort of vessel do you sail?

(Sighs) I was sure we very nearly

had one there, boys.

Do we need to sell all of them

before we go home?

Be nice to make Mummy happy,

wouldn't it?

Maybe that one looks better

on the stand.

(Seagulls squawking)

(James) South-southeast.

(Crowhurst) Towards the Azores.

- Gibraltar and beyond that. Africa.

- Oh, shall we go?

- I don't want to go.

- Said we'd meet the Milburns at the pub.

- I guess we'll be late.

- Can we go home instead of Africa?

Which way is home?

Due east. According to the Navicator.

- Very impressive.

- Tell your mother how it works.

The Navicator uses

coastal radio signals...

(Music over dialogue)

Is it really finished?

The latest stroke of genius

from Electron Utilisation of Teignmouth.

- And you think there's a market for it?

- Anyone who's lost.

- Hm.

- (Chuckles)

It's marvellous.

Someday I'll use the Navicator

to find an island,

or a whole new continent,

like in "Captains Courageous"

Be careful. The boy in that story

fell overboard, remember.

Be careful. Come back here.

The problem is

the entire planet's been handled.

Corners inspected, clouds perused.

Hillary had scaled the heights.

- Scott has braved the Pole.

- (Clare) Cost him his life, didn't it?

But he made it.

In his diary he said,

"All daydreams must go." Pity that.

"Dreams are the seeds of action."

We'd all do well to remember that.

Prepare to come about.

(Seagulls squawking)

(Crowhurst) Read it.

A single-handed race around the world.

- (Ian) It sounds miserable.

- It sounds profound.

Heroic. Never attempted before.

No stopping this time.

This is the highest rung.

(Woman) Anyone who enters

needs their head examined.

Examine it till your heart's content.

I've already sent in my entry form.

(Woman) Clare, did you know this?

Examine it or give it a proper thrashing?

Donald, what do you mean...?

I shall claim the prize for you, my love.

5,000 quid.

(Clare chuckles)

Alone on a boat for nine months?

You're either drunk or mad.

We should have another drink,

so that we can rule out madness.

As Chichester said, "Any damn fool

can circumnavigate the world sober.

"It takes a really good sailor

to do it drunk." Same again?

- Why not?

- Yes, please.

- Er, three quid's worth, please.

- All right, sir.

- (Crowhurst) How's business, Mr Best?

- Huh!

Er, these things seem

to sell themselves.

Everyone wants to go somewhere else,

and have somewhere to sleep

when they get there.

Brilliant product, the caravan.

Makes anywhere your home.

Yes, I suppose it does.

- How far are you going today?

- Staying locally.

- Practising for a longer haul, though.

- Really? Any place in particular?

Round the world.

Hmm.

Darling, may I point out a few things

about this particular adventure

that may prove problematic?

Well, firstly, you don't have a boat

capable of such a voyage.

(Crowhurst) Not yet,

but such matter is subject to change.

I didn't have a wife at one time.

- And now I have a beautiful one.

- (Chuckles)

Secondly, you have never been

much further than Falmouth.

I've also never walked to London,

but I imagine the same stride

I employ daily would carry me there.

Given enough time.

Sailing is no different.

Well, then there is the fact that

this man who is "striding to London"

has a wife and children,

who have come to rely on him

for this roof over their heads,

and plates of food in front of them,

three times daily.

Of course.

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