This compelling analogue exploration of engineless sailing has to be seen to be believed. Artist-filmmaker Huw Wahl shot on 16mm analogue film using a 1960s hand-wound camera and the result is an evocative, elegant film documenting a beautiful way of life.
Wind, Tide & Oar is a compelling exploration of engineless sailing, shot on analogue film over three years. The film delves into the experiences of those who travel solely by harnessing the natural elements alone, following a diverse array of traditional boats and uncovering the unique rhythms and motivations of engineless navigation.
Journeying through rivers, coastlines, and open seas, spanning the UK, the Netherlands, and France, Wind, Tide & Oar creates a contemplative space, addressing themes of ecology, heritage, traditional skills, and maritime history. Wahl offers a poetic and intimate perspective on a millennia-old craft, upended by the invention of mechanised power.
Through the film’s reveries, sailing becomes a means to explore our interaction with and responsibility to the environment. It invites deep reflection on our relationship with nature, our understanding of and commitment to sustainability, and our care for the world around us.
