We use cookies to help us understand how you use our site, and make your experience better. To find out more read our privacy policy.
Play

00:00

/

00:00

Full screen
Video quality

Low 0 MB

High 0 MB

HD 0 MB

Captions
Volume
Volume
Hero image for Surf Sail

Surf Sail

Short Film (Full Length) – 1978

A 1978 documentary that follows the attempt by three young people to be the first windsurfers to cross Cook Strait. Directed and narrated by Sam Neill (soon to be famous as an actor) for the National Film Unit. The skeptical Cook Strait pilot John Cataldo asks them: "do you wanna have a crack?" "Yeah, bloody oath" one of the surfers replies. They face the Strait's infamous winds, tides, swells, sharks and exhaustion. Some stunning helicopter shots include a windsurfer clipping through whitecaps with a pod of dolphins in its wake.

Acknowledgements

ARCHIVES NEW ZEALAND REFERENCE – W3335/8
Source format – 16mm motion picture film

Categories

More Information

More from The Sailing Collection...

Thumbnail image for Sir Peter Blake - The Boy From Bayswater

Sir Peter Blake - The Boy From Bayswater

This 2003 TVNZ documentary looks at the life of New...

Thumbnail image for Sailing Away

Sailing Away

In this video billowing...

Thumbnail image for 3 Men and a Boat

3 Men and a Boat

Sailing legend Peter Blake, yacht designer Bruce Farr...

Thumbnail image for Billy T James America's Cup Challenge

Billy T James America's Cup Challenge

Comedian Billy T James presents an introduction to The...

Thumbnail image for Waka Warriors - First Episode

Waka Warriors - First Episode

In this first episode of the 2015 Māori Television...

Thumbnail image for No Latitude for Error

No Latitude for Error

On 16 January 1994 Peter Blake and pioneering solo...

Thumbnail image for The Hum

The Hum

The Hum is about sailing legend Geoff Stagg,...

Thumbnail image for Holmes - Dennis Conner Interview (First Episode)

Holmes - Dennis Conner Interview (First Episode)

In this famous interview from the very first episode...

Thumbnail image for Surf Sail

Surf Sail

A 1978 documentary that follows the attempt by three...

Thumbnail image for Captain's Log
Series

Captain's Log

Thumbnail image for Black Magic - The Team New Zealand Story

Black Magic - The Team New Zealand Story

In 1995 Team New Zealand accomplished the unthinkable....

Thumbnail image for Kupe - Voyaging by the Stars

Kupe - Voyaging by the Stars

According to Māori legend Aotearoa was found by the...

Thumbnail image for The One Ton Cup 1971

The One Ton Cup 1971

In 1969 Chris Bouzaid and his yacht Rainbow...

Thumbnail image for Keeling Over

Keeling Over

This fly on the boom documentary follows a three-day...

Thumbnail image for First Hand - Mahurangi Day

First Hand - Mahurangi Day

One day each summer, some of the oldest sailing ships...

Thumbnail image for Loading Docs 2019 - He Hekenga Tūhura - A Voyage of Discovery

Loading Docs 2019 - He Hekenga Tūhura - A Voyage of Discovery

Sir Hector Busby's lifework was restoring the ancient...

Thumbnail image for Spindrift

Spindrift

Auckland is known as the City of Sails and each...

Thumbnail image for Assignment - The America's Cup

Assignment - The America's Cup

As soon as Team NZ lifted the 2000 America's Cup,...

Thumbnail image for Tagata Pasifika - Hine Moana: A Journey Home

Tagata Pasifika - Hine Moana: A Journey Home

In this 2010 Tagata Pasifika story,...

Thumbnail image for Fast Forward - New Boat, Sail of the Century

Fast Forward - New Boat, Sail of the Century

In this excerpt from TVNZ's 1980s science and...

Thumbnail image for Sporting Life - Yacht Designer Olin Stephens

Sporting Life - Yacht Designer Olin Stephens

American Olin Stephens visited New Zealand in 1974,...

Thumbnail image for A Consuming Passion - An Unofficial History of the America's Cup

A Consuming Passion - An Unofficial History of the America's Cup

In September 1983 Australia II crossed the...

Thumbnail image for Sailnz.tv - First Episode

Sailnz.tv - First Episode

After defending the America’s...

Thumbnail image for 50 Years of New Zealand Television: 4 - Winners and Losers

50 Years of New Zealand Television: 4 - Winners and Losers

This fourth episode in Prime’s series on Kiwi...

Thumbnail image for Six Months in a Leaky Boat

Six Months in a Leaky Boat

Reflecting the nautical themes found on chart-topping...

Thumbnail image for Sportsmen's Playground New Zealand

Sportsmen's Playground New Zealand

Made by feature film pioneer Roger Mirams (Broken...