Yachting Monthly – March 2018

as the Teignmouth Electron leaves the port, but

other than that, the sailing in the film remains

solid and true to life. Without a doubt, it is

one of the best and most authentic sailing

films that I’ve ever seen.

If you need even more of a ringing

endorsement, one of the original Golden

Globe Race competitors, Sir Robin Knox-

Johnston – the only competitor to complete

and subsequently win the original race, in

fact – said, ‘It was a great film.’ I was even

lucky enough to sit in the same row as Sir

Robin during the screening.

A nice touch is the film’s acknowledgment

just before the end credits that Sir Robin

donated his £5,000 prize money to Crowhurst’s

family after his win.

The Mercy is released in UK cinemas on

February 9, ahead of the 50th anniversary

of the Golden Globe Race. The 2018 edition

of the race will start from Les Sables d’Olonne

on July 1 after a parade of sail in Falmouth

THE CONFLICT BETWEEN

HIS FEAR OF DYING

AT SEA OR ADMITTING

DEFEAT IS FASCINATING

The sailing in the film

was, for the most part,

convincingly authentic

Colin Firth sensitively
portrays the slow unravelling
of Crowhurst’s mental state