Cabin Fever is defined as “irritability,
listlessness, and similar symptoms
resulting from long confinement or
isolation indoors during the winter.” I
was in my late teens when I first heard of
cabin fever and I had to have it explained
to me. It began with questioning the
lyrics, “This mornin’, I shot six holes in
my freezer.
I think I
got cabin
fever,” from
the Jimmy
Buffett
classic
song “Boat
Drinks.”
Next thing
I know
my roommates and I were on a cross-
country road trip to Panama City Beach
in Florida for an impromptu Spring Break
vacation. Life was a lot simpler back then,
you know, before work and grown-up
responsibilities kicked in.
I’m guessing a lot of us boaters are
experiencing some form of cabin fever
right now as major boat shows are winding
down, yet we’re still at least another
month from pulling our own boats out
of winter hibernation. While following a
bunch of Parrotheads south might cure
our cabin fever, I have a less expensive
alternative to help get us to boating
season. I’ve compiled my own list of some
classic movies that should be on every
boater’s list, especially this time of year
when hitting the summer lakes seems like
an eternity away.
Your own favorites might consist
of classics like “Moby Dick” (1965),
“African Queen” (1951) or “Mutiny On
The Bounty” (1962), but my top five list
includes more recent boating flicks, in no
particular order.
“In The Heart Of The Sea”
(2015) starring Chris Hemsworth is a
biographical drama that is a retrospective
recollection of the 1820 sinking of the
whaleboat Essex, the event that inspired
Herman Melville’s novel “Moby Dick.”
The film begins in 1850 with scenes of
Melville interviewing the last remaining
survivor of the sinking, then transformsinto a re-creation of the event itself.
“Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse
Of The Black Pearl” (2003) was the
original that led to four other “Pirates”
films staring Johnny Depp. In the film a
blacksmith teams up with notorious pirate
Jack Sparrow to save the woman he loves
from Jack’s former traitorous shipmates,
who have
come back
from the
dead. The
humor alone
helps land
this movie
on my list.
“The
Perfect
Storm”
(2000) teams up George Clooney, Mark
Wahlberg and others as a commercial
fishing vessel sets sail from Massachusetts
in search of an elusive catch. They find it,
but a malfunctioning ice machine means
they must head back pronto, risking
exposure to a forecasted storm. En route,
they are hit by the mother of all storms,
which seals their tragic fate.
“Jaws” (1975), directed by Steven
Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfuss,
is a classic from my childhood that
deserves a spot on my boating movie list.
A series of shark attacks causes a group
of locals to take to the water to hunt down
the beast, revealed to be a great white.
Full of action and suspense, at the time
it was one of the highest-grossing films of
all time.
Narrowing my movie list down to just
five was by far my biggest challenge and
I’m sure I missed a couple that deserve
consideration. My last pick would have
to be “Captain Phillips” (2003). Captain
Richard Phillips, played by Tom Hanks,
takes an American cargo ship through the
Gulf of Aden to Kenya. Concerns about
the possible pirate attacks en route are
justified when Somali pirates attack and
the captain is kidnapped. Drama builds
to an edge-of-your-seat conclusion in this
rescue film that is based on a true story.
What boating movies are on your list?
Drop me a line at [email protected]
and let me know your top choices.Captain’s
Chair
“While following
a bunch of
Parrotheads south
might cure our cabin
fever, I have a less
expensive alternative
to help get us to
boating season.”
By Brady L. Kay
A Cure For Cabin Fever
10 Pontoon^ & Deck Boat March^2018 http://www.pdbmagazine.com