Wind, Tide & Oar
Encounters with engineless sailing by Huw Wahl, Rose Ravetz & Others
Wind, Tide and Oar is a film about engineless sailing by filmmaker Huw Wahl, in collaboration with Rose May Ravetz, co-producer and sailor. It is also a book.
Huw was inspired after five days of sailing on Rose’s boat Defiance. What was initially meant as a gentle trial of Defiance’s capabilities turned into conversations of “clumsy connections between analogue filmmaking and engineless sailing”, about climate change and in defence of sailing without an engine. Five years later, here we are. The film is going on general release imminently and it’s utterly beautiful – definitely check out the trailer and see it if you can.
The companion book was released alongside the film, and I’m glad it was. The book is a collection of essays, diary and logbook entries and poetry. The writers are sailors and muse on their experiences on the water. Even the independent publisher, Elte Rauch lives on a traditional barge in the Netherlands.
The book effectively mirrors the film by exploring engineless sailing through different voices and perspectives. Huw starts by exploring analogue film and sailing, giving a great view of sailing as an outsider.
Some chapters are matter of fact, linking history to traditional methods of sailing, like Weibe Radstake describing sailing a cargo of beer to Amsterdam or Richard Titchener sailing Blue Mermaid and bringing out the sweeps. Some are autobiographical, like Emma Rault who describes working on the Tall Ships in LA or Rose Ravetz explaining how her adventurous youth led to a life on the water. Greg Powlesland’s logbook of a solo sail to Douarnenez from Helford and back in a gaff-rigged yacht is eye-opening and a realistic example of engineless sailing. Other passages are more observational, like Stevie Hunt or Jude Brickhill who, through their own experiences, explore the skill needed for engineless sailing. To commemorate the 200th year of the RNLI (2024), Arthur C. Jaschke explores the all-encompassing element of ‘hope’ – which any sailor feels, regardless of skill or engine.
“Sailing is only possible if we accept our relationship to the flow of the wind and tide, which can’t be hurried and will not adjust to our habitual notions of time”
Mike Jackson
A consistent theme is nature, our connection to it and subsequently climate change. Each passage has a description of the sea, of its sounds, colour. The poems by Jessica Taggart, Rose Ravetz and Catharina Vergeer offer beautiful descriptions too. The connection can neatly be summarised by Rose: “The truth is we are nature.” As she then reminds us, “We could not survive without the biodiversity and the climate that blesses our planet.”
Another core theme is how engineless sailing changes your relationship to time and space. Mike Jackson in his piece states that, “Sailing is only possible if we accept our relationship to the flow of the wind and tide, which can’t be hurried and will not adjust to our habitual notions of time.” This spoke to me. I remember getting stuck in a tide stream, engine on (sorry guys), watching the sea lap against the hull, but looking at the land and realising we’re not going anywhere. We actually started going backwards at one point. We couldn’t do anything apart from wait for the tide to change. It’s always a lesson in patience, acceptance and acknowledgment of stronger forces.
This book could have been heavy on sailing or filmmaking jargon. But it’s not too bad and there is a handy glossary at the back. The writers explore what engineless sailing means on a deeper, more fundamental level. You might be reading an essay from a Dutch sail cargo master, or a sail training professional in America, or the RNLI but similar themes crop up: nature, a more peaceful way of life, slowing down. You’ll come away from reading feeling part of a small, softly spoken but shining community of passionate, experienced people. You feel like you’ve seen the world in a slightly different way. The words sit with you, without pushing an agenda. They are thoughtful yet defiant.
Wind, Tide & Oar, the film, will be in cinema’s all across the UK from 25th April 2025 – find your nearest screening here. You can get your own copy of the book here.
The images in this book review for Classic Sailing were kindly provided by Huw & Rose.
Hannah Hurford
Co host of the Off Watch Podcast
P.S… If you want to hear a great conversation Classic Sailing’s Jess Clay and I had with Huw and Rose, then check out the Off Watch Podcast – we’ve done an interview! Find us wherever you get your podcasts and on social media.
