Sam Taunton

Shown as part of 'Into the Depths' 2026

Sometimes life needs to be taken on the slower side, allowing yourself small moments of reflection. In Huw Wahl’s Wind, Tide & Oar, there’s nothing like gently rocking side-to-side on a sailing boat, wind in your face, for some nice, quiet contemplation. Shot on a hand-cranked 16mm Bolex camera, Wind, Tide & Oar follows several communities who continue to champion the art of engineless sailing. Harnessing the natural elements alone, sailors from the UK, Netherlands and France paint a pretty picture of letting both wind and water be your guide.

One of the film’s main subjects is Rose Ravetz (the director’s sister), who, after her motor conks out, decides to remodel her 23-foot vessel, the ‘Defiance’, as an engineless sailing boat. Traversing the rivers around Essex and beyond, Wahl’s intimate footage does a beautiful job of capturing Rose’s practice as one of your more traditional sailors. One image sees the ‘Defiance’ moor onto a beach; the evening sun cuts through the ship’s sails, casting a magical golden light over the scene. Along with some inventive sound design, notably the slow cranking of levers and knotting of ropes, it’s moments like these that mark Wind, Tide & Oar as audiovisual poetry.

Aside from her solo adventures, Rose helps organise the ‘Engineless Sailing Jolly’, a community run celebration of all-things-engineless. Groups of all ages clamber aboard a series of characterful boats, like Thames sailing barge, the ‘Blue Mermaid’, ready to brave the open waters. The wiser, more experienced sailors, sporting facial hear that would give Blackbeard a run for his money, partner with the young and aspiring, eager to pass on their skills and share tales of sailing days gone by. While boating is described in the film as the ‘ultimate tool for independence’, it’s clear to see that it is also about connecting with others, young and old, cable knits or not.

Wind, Tide & Oar is a sure testament to maritime heritage, a beautiful sensory experience that sings the praises of sustainable, engineless sailing. Even in the face of their seemingly dominant auxiliary powered counterparts, sailing boats, and the heartwarming stories and experiences shared onboard, continue to live on.