. EERIE MUSIC CREAKING WIND RUMBLES CREAKING EERIE MUSIC CONTINUES RATTLING MENACING MUSIC FOREBODING MUSIC LOUD CREAKING THUD! WAVE RUMBLES RUMBLING LOUDENS CREAKING RUMBLING OBJECTS CLATTER John? What's happening. CLATTERING Oh my God. FRIGHTENING MUSIC SHOUTING, RATTLING, CRASHING MENACING MUSIC MEN GRUNT, SHOUT The rogue wave came out of nowhere. With no warning, a 44ft wall of solid water hit us like a freight train and was gone before we knew it. Copyright Able 2015 WATER SPLASHES Suddenly, we were upside down, with water flooding through the companionway. PANICKED SHOUTS MAN SCREAMS Jim! Jim! Ah! Ah! What the fuck's happening?! BANGING, THUDDING Is everyone OK? OK?! Are you fucking kidding? We're upside down, mate. We're bloody sinking. We won't sink. The water will stop rising when it equalises with the outside, OK? CRASH! THUD! We're gonna die! We're gonna die, John! Hold on. Hold on! Oh shit. Guys! Grab everything you can. The half cabin is the highest point. Come on! CANS RATTLE, CLATTER (PANTS, SOBS) MENACING MUSIC Agh! FRIGHTENING MUSIC Look, that's about as good as we can get it. (GRUNTS) Rick! Rick! What are you doing? Emergency beacon. Come on. Oh! Ow! I can't go in that. Welcome (!) SHIVERS: I can't... do... this. Get in. WATER SPLASHES, SLOSHES (SHUDDERS, WHIMPERS) (PANTS) What now? What the fuck do we do now? Here. Eat this. (GRUNTS) Mmm. We're gonna die. (PANTS) We're rooted. Shut the fuck up. She's gonna break up ` sooner or later ` a storm or a container ship. We're going down. Just keep calm, OK? That's the main thing. We'll be all right. So we just try to set it the right side up. < Can't. Impossible. Why not? Once a multihull capsizes, it stays that way. Fucked on the drawing board. Bloody death traps. Well, then we rig something up, make a mast, sail upside down. (SIGHS) She's 75% underwater, all right? Unnavigable. Hey,... we got food. We got water. I got tanks full of it. Thousands of litres. We just have to wait. We'll be OK. I want you guys to relax. The only way forward was to adapt, learn to survive. They needed to accept the situation and go with it. But all they could think about was rescue. BURRING, SAWING PANTING (PANTS) (GRUNTS) Mutilation. Yeah, of a corpse (!) We'll need to do it if you build an escape hatch. Now someone's gonna hear us, right? How long before someone picks up a signal, you reckon? Hard to say. Not too many boats out here. It has to be a plane. Well, how close do they have to be to pick up a signal? Depends on the conditions. FOREBODING MUSIC I'd missed my scheduled departure date. My original crew had dropped out at the last minute, and I needed to find replacements at short notice. Jim. Check it out. I wanted to sail before the weather changed. John Glennie. Jim. Please to meet you. Yeah. Pleased to meet you. Mm. So what's the weather like in Tonga this time of year? Oh, it's the tropics, mate. You know, sun, warm beaches. More beautiful women than you can shake your stick at. Like the sound of that. Yeah. Friendly islands. (INHALES) Could do with a cook. Got any sailing experience? Absolutely none. Some. A bit. Oh well. You know, it doesn't matter. I just need extra bodies to keep watch. How long would it take? Hmm, two weeks tops. Trade winds are pretty strong this time of year. You guys should come on down, check it out. Sure. Could be just what you need, mate. Eh? Get away for a bit, time to think, clear the air. What about you? Maybe. Seriously? Sure. Why not? Doctor phoned this morning. Gonna see her tomorrow, but, um, it looks like I'm in the clear. Latest scan says it's retreating. (CHUCKLES) Fantastic. Fantastic. Rose-Noelle leaving in two days' time. What do you reckon? (SIGHS) WOMAN: Go on, write them down. Come on, Martha. Don't do this. I mean it. Write them down. What? The people I'll have to get in contact with when you drown. For Christ's sake, have some faith. You've never been to see in your whole damn stupid landlocked life. You can barely swim. We decided to take a break to see if this is what we really want. Not that kind of break. That guy's gonna have you cooking from dawn till dusk. That is when you're not throwing up. You get seasick in a kayak! Look, I'm sorry I can't be on call for you, but I really need to do this. Not your last will and testament; just a name and phone number in the States. Don't forget that. You'll need it. I'll wait in the car. (SIGHS) HANDBRAKE CREAKS (SCOFFS, SIGHS) (SCOFFS) Knows how to pick her moments, doesn't she? Bloody hour of departure. I suppose. Oh, you know Martha. She's probably just thinking of the worst that could` Neither of us are exactly keen on this idea. But it's good you're going. It's important. No regrets, all that. (CHUCKLES) < DOOR SHUTS (GURGLES) Oh. We'll say goodbye here. Oh, you don't wanna come down? Nah. I'm not big on public farewells, and it looks like Martha's in one of her moods, so... Hey? (GRUNTS, GURGLES) (COOS) (INHALES DEEPLY) (SIGHS) (COOS) (WHIMPERS) Be careful. Don't fall overboard. (CHUCKLES) I won't. See ya in a couple of weeks. Bye-bye. FLOWING GUITAR MUSIC Bye. See ya! Love you! Oh! This is gonna be so good for him. See ya, Dad! Bye, Dad! See ya! Bye! Bye, Daddy! Bye! You guys be nice to your mum. Be good! Oh, hey. Don't be like that. Us girls, we'll look after each other. Where's your mate? Is she all right? POIGNANT GUITAR MUSIC Oh, come on, cheer up. They'll be fine. Just think of all the fun when you get him back. He'll be hot to trot. No, it's... It's not that. We're breaking up. LIGHT, OPTIMISTIC MUSIC Hey, Jim, give Phil a hand with the fenders. 'I'd waited a long time for this adventure. 'Unfortunately, I wasn't sharing the first leg of the voyage with the men I wanted. 'But at least I had a crew. Once we made landfall in Tonga, I would replace them.' LIVELY GUITAR MUSIC # Ooh-ooh ooh. # RISING, INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC This voyage was going to take me back to my old cruising haunts of the South Pacific. New beginnings, a fresh start, love and adventure. I'd invested everything I had in Rose-Noelle. She was my pride and joy. My home. My haven. What do you reckon, Jim? (LAUGHS) Jim looks a bit green around the gill. Yeah, he'll be all right. (GRUNTS) BEEPING She's all your, mate. Right. Yup, OK. RADIO: ...the wind forecast for all of NZ until the 6th of June. An intense tropical cyclone situated off the East Coast of the North Island. South-westerly gales topping at 50 knots and seas rising to 6m. For all of the East Coast... STATIC CRACKLES ...severe weather warning for all of the west coast, from... to Cape Reinga. This was music to my ears. There'd be no beating into the wind. We'd sail on a broad reach all the way to Tonga and make faster time than I'd hoped. What's he doing? I don't know. Looks like he's putting up more sails. Rain would have to be close ` within a hundred nautical miles. Come on, John. Honestly, how long before they find us? What you gonna remember of me? Of us? John. Five days. It's OK, mate. Five days and we'll be out of here. According to the oracle. (SIGHS) THUD! (SIGHS) I estimated our position to be about 140 miles of the East Coast. The EPIRB signal was well outside the reach of domestic aircraft. We'd need to pin our hopes on an international flight. TENSE MUSIC I can't breathe. It's time you took a turn, you bastard. THUD! Oh shit! Ah. Oh! Shit. Can't be much longer now, surely. Somebody's gotta hear that signal. They will. We've been pretty lucky up till now. Lucky? (PANTS) In what way have we been lucky? Well, if one of us had been on deck when that wave hit, it would've been curtains. If we cut the parachute, we would've been flying. Hey, it was your idea to put it out in the first place. Remember that. What's that supposed to mean? You knew the storm was coming. You put us out here. You risked our lives! . GENTLE MUSIC SAIL FLAPS SOFTLY GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES All right, Rick, let her go. Leaving on a journey and arriving at a destination is the best part of cruising. To be honest, I dislike blue-water sailing. It bores me to tears. The excitement of bad weather and long night watches soon wears off. For me it was all about seeing the world and taking my home with me. There's a man who knows what he's doing. TENSE MUSIC We're flying along, mate. She's got a great turn of speed. Oh, yeah. She's fast. That's how I like my women. Who've you left behind? You have someone in Australia? Nah. I'm more interested in who we could be sailing towards, mate. Hey, who's the lady in the picture down below? Well, that is the original Rose-Noelle. A Tahitian princess. Named the boat after her. Love of my life. You still love her? In spirit. We're going a bit fast, John, don't you think? We're not in that much of a bloody hurry, are we? Well, I wanna get as far as we can before nightfall. But why? The weather's changing. The weather's changing? What do you mean? What's it doing? Well,... there's a storm coming. And we're gonna catch it. It'll be on us bloody soon. And then we'll do some real sailing. (LAUGHS) UNSETTLING MUSIC 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.' (VOMITS) I don't like this. I really don't like this. Phil had limited coastal sailing experience. Maybe that's why he was so anxious. His fear was contagious. How long is this gonna last? THUNDER CRASHES What's the big surprise? If you guys heard the marine forecast, you would've known about this. This storm's gonna blow us all the way to Tonga in no time. THUNDER CRASHES You sailed us into a storm on purpose? CRASH! Oh! (PANTS) (GROANS) PANTS: This... thing... could... Get on the radio now. Fuck you! Call the coastguard. Get us a helicopter. Get us off. Hello? Is this`? Hey, hey! That radio's short range. There's no one out here to hear ya. Why? Why what? Why is it short range? Yeah. Because I don't have a licence. THUNDER CRASHES Why not? Cos... I don't believe in 'em, and I don't wanna waste the money. When you're out here, you're out here. That's the journey you're on. Fuck you, mate. We're gonna flip! We're not gonna flip. Oh! This yacht can't flip. I've sailed 40,000 miles on one of these. This is just another blow. And when was that? 20 years ago? THUNDER CRASHES I built this baby with my own hands. We've already crossed the Tasman together. You're safe, Rick. Relax. (RETCHES, COUGHS) Fuck. What about a sea anchor? You got one of those? What for? Well, to stop us bouncing around while we ride it out. Have you got one? Of course I have. Well, then let's throw it out, slow us down a bit. No way. It's brand-new. Cost me a lot of money. What?! Christ's sakes. It won't turn. It can't. < Let's take a vote. < Yeah. (LAUGHS) It's not a bloody democracy, mate. Hey, fuck you! Where is it? TENSE MUSIC WAVES CRASH, THUNDER RUMBLES WIND WHISTLES FRIGHTENING MUSIC OK. Toss the bag. Agh! (GRUNTS) Ugh. Agh. (PANTS) DRAMATIC MUSIC (PANTS) OK, I'll have the bag. Got it. WAVES ROAR Oh! Oh. DRAMATIC MUSIC Untie it. Yeah. Agh. Ready? Hyah! Agh! DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES If I made one big mistake, this was it ` allowing myself to be bulldozed by a terrified crew with no experience of blue-water sailing. The noise of waves smashing against a multihull was like gunfire. It could be terrifying if you're not used to it. LOUD CLANGING BOOM! What the`? What the hell was that? The chute must have fouled. Then we've gotta free it. No. Too dangerous. It's pulling us side-on. No. You make a mistake pulling it in, you could lose a finger or a hand. Then we cut it loose. No. Hey! The tiller's lashed. All we could do is sit tight and wait it out. We can't leave the chute like that. I'm the skipper, Rick. Remember? THUNDER RUMBLES Get some sleep. We'll sort it in the morning when conditions improve. EERIE MUSIC TABLE RATTLES THUNDER RUMBLES RECORDING: # So we just locked ourselves down in the scrum... This... will put a smile in your eye and some lead in your pencil. THUNDER CRASHES What's that? EPIRB. We can set it to send out distress signals. Any plane flying overhead'll pick it up. (LAUGHS) RECORDING: # Mick, me mate, the master farter, # put the art back into farting with his custom-tailored farts. # Mick, me mate, the master farter,... JOHN CONTINUES LAUGHING # ...broke new ground with breaking wind with his double-jointed arse. # FOREBODING MUSIC WAVES CRASH You risked our lives! What are you after, eh? Insurance money? I'm not insured. I don't believe in it. I'm insured with the gods, not the bottom feeders. Hey, you're in my space, mate! What happens if a wave flips the boat the right side up? Are we gonna be fine with all this water? It can't happen, OK? It won't happen. No, no. We've gotta cut an escape hatch. You are not cutting another hole in this bloody boat. Now, you have some respect for her, for me, for everything I've put into it. No bloody way. This is our lives we're talking about. If you won't do it, I will. SAW BURRS It was painful to watch ` like the violation of a loved one. But Rick was not a man to argue with. Once he made his mind up, that was it. EERIE MUSIC UNSETTLING MUSIC WAVES SPLASH POIGNANT MUSIC (PANTS SOFTLY) Breaking outside didn't make them feel any better. Seeing the magnitude of what we're up against, the morale sank to a new low. Any hope of a quick rescue seemed a distant prospect. UNSETTLING MUSIC CLICKS SOFTLY Rick. Rick. Wake up. The light. Wait. It` It'll come back on. That's it. . Once the EPIRB battery died, we were on our own, outside standard flight paths and shipping lanes. Wind, current and the gods were taking us for a ride. The only control we had was over ourselves. Rick, Jim, give us a hand outside, eh? We needed to put differences behind us and work as a team. SERENE MUSIC (GASPS) HOPEFUL GUITAR MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES OK. MUSIC BUILDS (GRUNTS) I got it. (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS FORCEFULLY) UPLIFTING MUSIC (BLOWS) THUD! Phil, give us a bloody hand, would you? GRUNTS: I'm busy. I don't why you're doing that anyway. No point. Why bother? Make ourselves more visible to passing ships, planes, whatever. That's why. (GRUNTS) SERENE MUSIC CANS CLATTER What else is down there? Oh Jesus! Watch what you're doing. Take it easy, mate. I didn't mean to. Screw you, Rick. Look, I'm bleeding. Oh, get over it. Jesus, you're a bloody moron. You... And we ration all food from now on. Who says? It's the smart thing to do. We don't know how long we're gonna be out here. We're gonna get hold of the sails. You're gonna dive for them tomorrow. I've told you already. We can't sail this boat upside down. And we make decisions by vote from now on. Majority rules and we stick to the rules. Used to be a cop, didn't you? Hey, let it go, Rick. Man, your emotional body is starving your neural net. Have faith in the god within. You can shove your dumb-arse religion up your skinny arse. Rick. Pass me the cabbage. Where's the knife? This one's shit. Oh. Ugh. We got tuna. There's a lemon somewhere, lying around in this leaking son of a boat. GRUNTS: There we are. # When I was a young boy, I wanted to sail around the world. # That's the life for me, living on... BOTH: # ...the sea. # Spirit of a sailor... # circumnavigates the globe. # Life` # I just spent six months in a leaky boat. BOTH LAUGH # Lucky just to be afloat. (LAUGHS) What song is that? It's a Kiwi classic, mate. No. # Aotea... # ...roa! I gotta get outta here. JOHN AND PHIL CONTINUE SINGING UNEASY GUITAR MUSIC # I just spent six months on a leaky boat! Bah, bah, bah! # BOTH LAUGH WILDLY I think Rick felt he had lost Jim to us ` like someone had stolen his girlfriend. Or maybe something else was going on inside his head. Meanwhile, back home, Jim's girlfriend, Martha, was becoming concerned. By now he should've made contact from Tonga. After three weeks adrift, no one had begun searching for us. I think it still works. We haven't used it for a while. COOS: There you go. OK. You're not gonna be able to get through anyway. What's that, Darren? What did you say? You're not gonna be able to get through. Gordon'll radio for you. He arranged a time with John. What`? What do you mean? Gordon's supposed to call him and get his position. But John's not gonna be able to call him or name the boat, because his radio's illegal. That's the deal. The deal? I heard 'em talking about it. Gordon's gonna call him and give him a weather forecast. Well, why didn't you tell us this before? Your dad wouldn't have gone if he'd known they didn't have a proper radio. I dunno. Hello? How do you drive this thing? Hello! SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC Come aboard! So,... I reckon they're out here somewhere. OK. Let's give it a go. 6128.6 That's what John and I agreed. It's... almost half past 8. He might be listening. Argo calling Rose-Noelle. Do you read me? Your position, please. Over. STATIC CRACKLES MAN: Hi there, Argo. STATIC BUZZES, CRACKLES ...28 degrees south. INDISTINCT RT TRANSMISSION Was that 28 degrees south? Please confirm or deny, Rose-Noelle. Over. I repeat, Argos, that was` STATIC BUZZES ...south. INDISTINCT RT TRANSMISSION 28 degrees south. STATIC CRACKLES I'm sure that's what he said. TENSE GUITAR MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES MEN CHATTER ABOVE TENSE MUSIC BOARD RATTLES MEN CHATTER ABOVE TENSE MUSIC BUILDS Something wasn't right. I'd filled the tanks to capacity with fresh water before we left. Where had it gone? For the first time, I had doubts about our survival. . When are you gonna check the water tanks, John? John? Checked them already. And? It's empty. What do you mean empty? There's no water? Hang on. So... all the water you` you've been talking about in the tanks ` thousands of litres ` is all gone? What happened to it? Where's all the water gone?! Well, it` It must have drained out when we capsized. Drained out? How come? There are air vents in the tanks. Why didn't you bloody well tell us? Well?! We need to stay calm. THUD! Shit! (HUFFS) You` You guys have gotta face the facts. We're gonna die. And it` (SIGHS) And there's not point about your` your stupid mast or your stupid rationing. We` We` We've all had it! Fuck the lot of ya. Phil. Oh, watch out! Jesus! SPLASH! Argh! Phil! The knife! Get the knife back, fuckwit! You drop it, you get it back! Eh. Hey, shit head. I brought a present for ya. THUD! Put these on and piss off! Eh? If we're all fucked, why don't you swim for it? Ugh. Bye-bye, Phil! Bugger off. It's not my fault there's no bloody water. Stop it. Come on, Rick. (SHOUTS) Fat useless prick! Ow! Rick! Jesus! Stop it! Rick, leave him alone! OK, I'll go down and look for the sails now. I'll do it now, all right? Is that good enough for ya? And why've you suddenly changed your tune? Because you're a dangerous man, Rick. Things go wrong, things don't go your way, you throw a wobbly. You don't trust. I'll get the sails. No, no, no. I'll do it. You? Yeah, sure (!) No, no, no. Bad idea, Phil. I should do it. I know where they are. Yeah, well, so do I. Fffuck the lot of ya. Oh Jesus. What if he doesn't make it? More of everything for the rest of us. You're out of line, Rick. You're seriously out of line. (HUFFS) (GRUNTS) Jesus! TENSE, EERIE MUSIC Fuck! Fuck! Ah! (COUGHS VIOLENTLY) Rick hated to lose control. Any setback could send him into a rage. He always needed someone to blame for his predicament. Usually it was me, but it could be anyone. It was only later I understood what was really driving him. He felt he was running out of time. UNEASY MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES OK, so as we all know, the Rose-Noelle has not yet reached its destination. Does anyone recall anything John Lennie might have said about the course to Tonga? It's more than a month since they set off. The should've arrived in Tonga by now. TENSE MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES We have arrived at... INDISTINCT DIALOGUE Hello? Rose-Noelle? INDISTINCT RT CHATTER Come in. Do you read? Hello? Rose-Noelle? UNEASY MUSIC BIRD TRILLS POIGNANT MUSIC MUSIC BUILDS ETHEREAL CHORALE MUSIC Thank God. I knew it. We're gonna make it. (GASPS) It was a sign. I knew we were being looked after. (LAUGHS, SIGHS) Oh. WATER SLOSHES SPLASH! I have told you, mate. There's no fish out here. Nothing lives this far from land. We're in a marine desert. You've gotta try. Hey, um, maybe we can have our water ration now. Nope. Still no sign of rain. (EXHALES SHARPLY) Hey, guys. Check this out. I've been thinking. When we capsized, we would've been about here. Prevailing current, it's going that way. Take us maybe 10, 20 miles a day. So... after 34 days drifting, That would put us right off the map. But there's nothing there. Nothing until South America. It's gonna take us... ...at least eight months. Possibly. Or the current could take us north along the line of the continent but well out of sight of land. And that would add another 1000 miles. 1000 miles. Yeah. Just you wait. You blokes are gonna be famous. (SNIFFLES) The fuck are you doing? You're writing your memoirs?! Haven't made my mind up yet. Might be a book, might be a love letter to my ex. Who? Rose-Noelle? Poor bitch you named this piece of crap after? Why'd she dump you anyway? She didn't dump me. She died in a plane crash. Pan Am 816 She was on her way to join me. Oh, yeah. But there's been many women since my sweet Rose-Noelle. Too many. (LAUGHS) Sure. I mean,... you're a real catch. Hmm? Sane, handsome, young, normal, sane. (ROARS) Sane! Rick, Rick. Let's just... Let's play a game. Sure, why not? Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll play the winner. Piss off. You gotta take it easy on him. I know he's annoying but` But nothing. Help me set up. SERENE MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES CLICK! LIGHT MUSIC Oh! Shit. Oh! (GASPS) TENSE MUSIC UNEASY MUSIC (SIGHS) . (SIGHS) UNEASY MUSIC Fuck. (COUGHS) Phil. Are you gonna tell them or shall I? What? You should do that outside. It's too windy. Phil lost the rod. That was the only rig we had. (INHALES DEEPLY) First the only decent bloody knife, and now the rod. (SIGHS) How bloody thick are ya? I'm sorry, OK? No. No, not OK. It's everything else about you. You're a greedy farting pig. And look at your head, mate. You look like you've been in a fight. (SOBS) When are you gonna learn how low the fucking roof is?! I just... I just wanna go home! (SOBS) Phil, it's OK. It's OK. PHIL SOBS SOFTLY TENSE MUSIC FIRE CRACKLES UNEASY MUSIC WATER TRICKLES TENTATIVE GUITAR MUSIC Hey, guys, check this out. It's something I've been working on. It's a collection system for water. These are PVC pipes. I got heaps of them in the starboard pontoon. What do you think? Uh, I don't see how you... How`? How are you gonna cut the pipes? Exactly. Look, how about...? Why don't we use... the surface of the hull as a` a catchment, and we put wood... along here... and over here,... with drain holes here... and here? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Hey, good on ya, mate. Eh? Now you're pulling your weight. Eh? Mm. Yeah. So` So have we got any wood? EERIE MUSIC INTRIGUING MUSIC Ooh. Not bad. Yeah. You can survive a long time without food, but not without water. Over the weeks, we'd reduced our rations to little more than 2oz of liquid each per day. This better bloody work. But now the precious water was almost gone, we were beyond thirst, suffering the onset of dehydration. UNSETTLING MUSIC Rick. What's that? Boat. It's a yacht. Use the beacon! Quick, get the beacon! Come on. Come on. Ah. Yeah. Ugh. Guys, guys, guys. It's too far out. They'll never see it. They'll never see it. PAPER RIPS (PANTS) Ha! Fuel! Generator fuel. Oh, good on ya, mate. Brilliant! OK, stand back. FLAMES ROAR Here, chuck it on. FLAMES CRACKLE Come on, come on, come on. Forget it. She's gone. A galley yacht like that shouldn't be out here. It's a sign. Yeah, a sign we're not as close to South America as you thought. No. It's a sign from God. We're gonna be OK. Enough! OK? No more. You give me a fucking headache. Everything in life happens for a reason. That yacht is a sign. We willed her to appear. Yeah. Just like you willed that storm to appear, eh? You fucking wanker! God only knows what you know. Don't you know that? Everything comes from within. Don't fight it. One more word. I swear, one more word and I will fucking gag you. Rick, Rick, Rick, Rick. Rick. Yeah. Thank you, God, for bringing us this far, and thank you for what is to come. RADIO: There is still no contact with the missing crew of the Rose-Noelle, which left Picton on June the 6th, with four local men on board. The trimaran was expected to arrive in Tonga by the middle of the month. It is now six weeks overdue. BABY CRIES Following an unsuccessful search by RNZAF Orion, pressure is now mounting for a second search, despite the already considerable expenditure of public mon` CLICK! TENSE GUITAR MUSIC WATER TRICKLES FOREBODING MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES That's it? BOTTLE CLATTERS . THUNDER RUMBLES EERIE MUSIC RAIN PATTERS It's raining! Water! It's raining! EXCITED MURMURS Get the bottles! THUNDER CRASHES DRAMATIC MUSIC PHIL CHORTLES THUNDER RUMBLES, CRASHES Oh. Oh! The bottles! Let's go, let's go, let's go! (PANTS) Oh, thank you. Thank you, God. 40 days in the desert. Thank you! Ah! Look at this! Ah! (LAUGHS) THUNDER BOOMS Ah! Whoo! (CHORTLES) Thank you, God! It worked! It worked! Owww! Whoo! (HOWLS) RUMBLING DREAMY MUSIC They're alive. They're on their way. Home? Does Rick have a white cable-knit jersey? No. Hmm. I see him in one. Very nice. (LAUGHS) And gumboots. On an island. > Which island? (CHUCKLES) I've asked the guides, but they won't tell me. Uh, the name is... two words. Five letters and seven letters. Rick's guide is here with us now. He's standing right behind you. He's telling us their safe. SNIPPING ECHOES Rick! Rick! Quick! Come here. Come here. Rick! Did you`? Shh-shh-shh! Shh! Down there. Fish. Oh. Oh. (GASPS) Oh! (SOFTLY) Come to papa. Oh, thanks to you there's no rod. No bloody way to catch the bastard. Come on, Harry, come on. Come on. Bugger. No, he'll be back. Yeah. Don't worry. He'll be back. (GRUNTS) I think I got something. Oh, that's perfect. Yeah. And this! (LAUGHS) OK. Excellent. We good? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're good. We're good. That's all we need. GENTLE MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES (GRUNTS) Oh. Harry's back! Quick! Shh! Shh! Gimme, gimme. Gimme. Oh. Shh! OK. TENSE MUSIC He's down there, by the table. BOARDS CREAK WATER SPLASHES COOS: Come on, Harry. Slowly, mate. Slowly. Come on, Harry, come on. Steady, Jim. Oh! He's got him! He's got him! (LAUGHS) I got him! I got him! Oh! Oh, he's`! Take him! Ha-ha! Got him, got him, got him. Ah! Shut up! Let me at him! Aaah-ha-ha! (LAUGHS) Harry! You beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... Mmmwah! Ah, yes. (GROANS HAPPILY) (CHUCKLES) Oh my God. Oh, Harry, you're a top fish. Mmm-mmm! (SIGHS) And I just hope that you have lots of mates just like you. (CHUCKLES) No fish in the sea, eh, John? There will be now. They'll be coming for the barnacles in the hull. (CHUCKLES) When are you gonna check those gas tanks, John? There's no telling how far they've corroded. One mistake could blow us all to bits. Come on. Let's just appreciate what we've got. We don't give thanks enough. Hmm. Thank you, God, for sending us Harry. And please help John find his inner what have you so that we can use the bloody gas tanks. Amen. Amen. Harry's friends had begun to appear in numbers. After two and a half months at sea, the Rose-Noelle had become a floating reef. Our menu is expanding ` barnacles, seaweed and kingfish ` plenty of kingfish. Oi. Imagine that fried. I'm not gonna give up on the gas tanks, John. You find them... or I will. And you wouldn't like that. I might hurt your precious bloody boat. All right! All right! EERIE MUSIC KNOCKING THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! (PANTS) TENSE MUSIC OK, Jim, turn it on. VALVE SQUEAKS GAS HISSES OK, it's coming. Shouldn't you be on your knees, John, praying? FLAME HISSES FLAME ROARS, MEN LAUGH SIZZLING OK. Another wait. Easy. I'm trying. One,... two,... three. You call those even? Yeah, who's gonna get the big one? They're all roughly the same size. Pig's arse. It's your birthday tomorrow. Right, Rick? You get first choice. SIZZLING Don't worry, Phil. You can have the biggest, mate. (BREATHES DEEPLY) Cheers. (GROANS) Bloody beautiful. (SIGHS) (CHUCKLES) Hollow victory, isn't it? Could've had this months ago. He knew exactly where those tanks were. We didn't have to wait all this time to have hot bloody food. We have to fight for everything. It's like we're not suffering enough for him. It's true, mate. It's true. Every idea we have, he scoffs at. He uses knowledge of the boat to wield the power over us. Rick, the most important thing is we got gas now and hot food. How good's that? You're even starting to sound like him. Bloody wanker. What the hell's wrong with you? He's the one that got this whole thing rigged up. Just... Just be thankful. Fuck you! And why are you defending him now, eh? Sad shit! Pussy little fucking Yank! Hey! Hey! Guys! Jesus! Oi! Fuck. Despite our improving situation, Rick's moods were becoming darker, more erratic. Not even Jim was safe from his fits of temper. ANTICIPATIVE MUSIC FLAGS FLAP CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! MUSIC CONTINUES Look. (SQUAWKS) (SCREECHES) EXCITING MUSIC Look at the breast meat on him. Roast chicken. Let's get him. TENSE MUSIC CLICK! CLICK! Yes! BIRD SCREECHES (GRUNTS) (LAUGHS) Oh! We got him! Come on! We got him! BIRD SCREECHES (PANTS) Come on. (LAUGHS) Albatross burritos and tomato puree. Delicious. You're a bloody artist, Jim. What's supposed to happen if you kill, uh, an albatross? The Ancient Mariner was doomed to wander the oceans forever. The Ancient Mariner didn't fry his, so I think we get a pass. So much food, we could have people over. BOTH LAUGH (GRUNTS) Happy birthday, mate. Nice one, Rick. Keep you warm on watch. # For he's a jolly good... # ...fellow. For he's a jolly good fellow. # For he's a jolly good fellow,... # and so say all of us. # Hip-hip! Hooray! Hip-hip! Hooray! What's up, man? You all right? Couldn't have had a better birthday. (CHUCKLES) It doesn't make sense to be happy out here. (CHUCKLES) POIGNANT MUSIC Most of us gathered here have sailed the South Pacific, and most of us know John Glennie. So far, our request to mount another search have been fruitless. So it may be that we have to find the money ourselves. Some $15,000 per hour of flying time. PEOPLE GASP Does anybody recall anything that he might've said about the route? Yeah. Can you tell us if you definitely heard John's voice when you took the position? The speaker never identified himself. But you clearly heard Rose-Noelle? I think so. SHOCKED MURMURS You're full of shit. Martha, please. It is only because of your lies that they searched the Kermadecs. That was John's fourth waypoint. It made sense to look for them there. Bullshit. Karen was there. She'll tell you. Uh, um... There was... uh, so much interference that we could hardly hear anything. We know nothing. That's the bloody truth. What we want... is to search from this line, 300 miles to the east. Funded by friends and family, another search has been mounted for the trimaran Rose-Noelle, missing at sea now for nearly three months. 20 minutes' flying time in this direction. We'll turn around. 130 degrees due south. BABY CRIES BABY CRIES POIGNANT MUSIC GULLS SQUAWK, CALL It had taken nearly three months, but finally we were beginning to work as a team. Each of us had a role. We had food and water. We could've gone on forever. # Farewell and adieu # to you, fine Spanish ladies. # Farewell and adieu # to you, ladies of Spain. # For we've received orders to sail for old England, # and perhaps never more shall we see you again. # Farewell and adieu,... # ...my fair Spanish ladies. # Farewell and adieu, all you ladies of Spain. # You think maybe... we'll need a bigger boat? (LAUGHS) LAUGHTER HOPEFUL MUSIC There was no point in telling the others. The ship was too far off to see us. It was better to spare them the disappointment. . (GRUNTS) ZIP SCRATCHES Rick! Rick! Get out here! What's up, mate? You tell me. EERIE MUSIC Surely... TENSE MUSIC What is it? TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES Christ, you bastards. (LAUGHS) It's` It's land! RISING MUSIC It's land! (LAUGHS) MEN LAUGH Feast your eyes, John, you son of a bitch! (LAUGHS) MUSIC SWELLS I reckon we're about 10 miles out. John. You OK? John. Look at it. Land! It's real, mate. > (CHORTLES) (PANTS) I couldn't find words to describe how I felt ` relief, elation, disappointment. I just knew it was coming to an end, whatever that meant. Perhaps that was what I was afraid of. I didn't know. HOPEFUL MUSIC The others were looking forward to lives they could return to. Smile for the camera! But my life was here ` with what was left of my ruined Rose-Noelle. I had nowhere else to go. You know, we should have the record by now. Record? What record? 119 days in an overturned boat. Could be some kind of record. Jesus, John. Who gives a toss? I told you. You blokes are gonna be famous. Let's concentrate on getting on land first. Yeah. I just wanna get back to Karen and the kids. That'll do me. No, it can't be. What? What can't be? When I was a kid, we used to go on holiday on the Great Barrier Island. Uh-huh. See that peak? Yeah. That looks like Hirakimata. The mountain on the Barrier. Well, all mountains look pretty much the same from a distance. I worked it out. It must be an island off South America. Nah. Hirakimata. Mt Hobson. I` I reckon that's it. But how could that be possible? We've drifted thousands of miles in the other direction. Cos you might be wrong? (LAUGHS) SOFT, SERENE MUSIC Making landfall is always dangerous. The ocean striking a land mass can produce a short, confused seaway. Conflicting wind and currents draw you in like a magnet. John, Christ's sake, put it on. There's no need. No more bullshit. Put the bloody thing on! TENSE MUSIC We could almost touch the land. But having no way of steering Rose-Noelle, we were in danger of being cast on to the rocks. METAL RATTLES, GROANS Ah! What was that? Must be the mast... hitting the seabed. If the mast were driven up through the hull, Rose-Noelle could break apart and throw us into the sea. We gotta get off the boat. We'll be all right, guys. We're being looked after. Fuck that. I'm gonna swim for it. METAL SCREECHES I'm with you, mate. Too dangerous, mate. Just stay with her. You'll be fine. METAL CREAKS, GROANS Rick! SPLASH! Shark! Shark! There's a shark! Swim for the boat, John! There's a shark! Come on, John! Swim! No, no, no, no. I'm OK. I'm OK. Come on, mate, swim! MENACING MUSIC (PANTS, GASPS) Come on, John! MENACING MUSIC BUILDS (VOMITS) Agh! I was done, exhausted. But apart from a blow to the head and a twisted knee, I was OK. Thanks. Thank you. In the end, after months of constant danger, enduring storm and tempest, we just drifted gently to shore. When Rose-Noelle could take us no further, we slipped into the water and waded to dry land. (GASPS, PANTS) (GROANS, PANTS) POIGNANT MUSIC (SPEAKS SOFTLY) What are you doing, John? Praying? (LAUGHS) You blokes didn't have to worry. We were always gonna make it. We should give thanks. < PHIL LAUGHS (GUFFAWS) Let's just be thankful we made it, mate, eh? That's enough. What should we do? What'd I tell ya? Dry land. Beautiful. We were never in any danger ` not once ` thanks to you. What about the sail bag? Anyone see it? POIGNANT MUSIC Let's go. John. We're off, mate. MEN PANT, HUFF John. Tell me that's not a pohutukawa tree, toi toi. We're definitely in NZ. (PANTS) GRASS SHUFFLES This way, guys. Looks like a track. EERIE MUSIC CRICKETS CHIRRUP (PANTS SOFTLY) TENSE GUITAR MUSIC My God. (GASPS) (CHUCKLES) ETHEREAL CHORAL MUSIC (LAUGHS) Hello? Hello! It's locked. What do we do? Break a window? No, no, no, no. There'd be a key. There's always a key. Ha! (LAUGHS) HAUNTING CHORAL MUSIC (SIGHS) HAUNTING MUSIC CONTINUES My God. A chair. (CHUCKLES) Fuck. Ooh! Oh. I got the peaches! (LAUGHS) Ooh! Oh! HAUNTING MUSIC PHIL LAUGHS, CANS CLATTER > Not connected. (LAUGHS, PANTS) I must've been in shock. Inside a real house after so long. Still think we're in South America, mate? PHIL TALKS WITH HIS MOUTH FULL SODA HISSES Fuck! I couldn't join the party and feeding frenzy. MEN CHATTER INDISTINCTLY All I could think of was my poor Rose-Noelle drifting helpless in the bay. I wanted to return to her. But I didn't have the strength. . Mm. Mmm. SIGHS: Fuck. Top up there, mate? Oh, thank you, mate. Cheers. SERENE MUSIC What you up to, buddy? You drop the scissors. (CHUCKLES) Need a hand? No. I'm good. I'm really good. Cheers. Cheers. GENTLE MUSIC That was a feast. (CHUCKLES) This house ` we are four bloody lucky guys. Yes, we are. Mm. A toast. Tomorrow, with any luck, we find a phone and we get off this island. It's very unlikely the four of us will ever be alone again. Well, not like this. John. I wanna thank you for getting us through this. Because of you, the Rose-Noelle was a... bountiful mother to us all. To John. Mm. GLASSES CHINK I don't know why... you were so certain that we were gonna be saved. And please... spare us any more of your crackpot theories, but... (SIGHS) although it's hard to admit, I... I guess you were right ` in the end. Cheers. (CHUCKLES) But... I loved you guys, and I hope... I hope that... after all we've been through, we can remain friends. Famous friends. They'll give us all medals. Yeah. To friends. Oh. Pudding. SERENE MUSIC (GASPS, PANTS) (VOMITS, GAGS) (BLOWS) (SIGHS) Can't sleep. How's your head? It hurts. SENTIMENTAL MUSIC BIRDSONG CAR DOOR OPENS FOREBODING MUSIC Yeah. Yeah. (SNIFFLES, GRUNTS) Can I help you blokes? Who the hell are ya? And what are you doing in Jim's house? Where are we? What do you mean? Great Barrier Island? (GASPS) (CHUCKLES) > Hey, what's going on here? Who are you? We're the crew from the Rose-Noelle. That... trimaran that went missing? < That's right. BIRDSONG Nah. You guys are supposed to be dead. (CHUCKLES) Really good to see you. (CHUCKLES) BRAKES WHINE Few hundred metres either side of that cove, I would've been filling out a report on four dead bodies. No chance. Here, mate. PHONE RINGS, BABY GURGLES Hello? Hi. Can I speak to Heather, please? Speaking. Rick? Yeah. Rick?! It's me. (CHUCKLES) Sorry, love. Didn't recognise you. GENTLE MUSIC Are you there? Oh. Oh God. Sorry. Yes! Oh darling! I don't believe it's true. It's really you! Yeah, it's me. Um... Look, we're, uh, on Great Barrier Island, heading into Auckland soon. First flight you can, eh? You and Mattie? Yes, I will. Oh, darling, I love you. I love you. Love you, love you, love you. Mattie! Mattie, it's Daddy! (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Oh darling. (SNIFFLES) Oh! See you soon, OK? Mwah! Port of departure? GENTLE MUSIC Date of capsize? (SIGHS) PHONE RINGS Hello? Martha. It's me. Are you there? Ye` Yes. Of course I am. They're flying us to Auckland. Can you please get on a plane and meet me there? Please, Martha. OK. OK. Bye. That was the first. OK, you mentioned the sightings of a freight. WOMAN SQUEALS, SHRIEKS Listen. Hey, hey. Hey. WOMAN LAUGHS, SQUEALS Hey, Snookie Pooh. It's Snuggle Bear. (LAUGHS) Oh my God! Jeez, I missed you. Love you so much! I'm so glad! Yeah, I know. I really missed you. Yeah, well, you should get a` get a plane. You get a plane to Auckland. As soon as you can. Yeah. I love you so much! Bye. Oh. (SNIFFLES) John. Your turn. Nah. POIGNANT MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES GENTLE MUSIC REPORTERS CLAMOUR Did you have any doubts that you'd make it? Not one. Why is that? Faith. Abiding faith. Mr Glennie, I presume. Uh, yeah. Ross Laing, Marine Transport Division. This is Captain McKinley. Mind if we ask you a few questions? No. Did you keep a logbook, Mr Glennie? (SCOFFS, LAUGHS) Yeah. Any idea where it is now? This was so unexpected. Look, are you serious? Christ. Can't this wait? If you want us to believe your story, Mr Glennie, you'd better cooperate. After all we'd been through. What did you do for food and water all the time you were supposed to be adrift? Hell. Rick! WOMEN LAUGH, CHATTER Rick, darling! Rick! Darling! WOMEN LAUGH I struggle to comprehend how we could've survived so much and yet be treated with such suspicion. I don't know what these men have been doing for 119 days, but they haven't been drifting on the ocean. And it was only the beginning. We had no inkling of what we were about to walk into. No one would believe us. BABY CRIES Dammit! Mattie, please! (CRIES) Shh-shh-shh. RADIO: Many people are wondering what power and spirit they had, these four men who spent July, August and September adrift. Ministry of Transport officials are to retrace the 119-day voyage of the Rose-Noelle with the use of a computer. MAN: It looked too good to be true. I mean, no salt sores, far too well-fed. What did they eat out there all that time? WOMAN (ANGRILY): Bloody drug smugglers, I reckon. They're having us on. It is all bullshit. WOMAN: I don't believe a word of it. How did they keep floating around for so long without someone seeing them? It's just impossible. MAN: OK, mate, it's just not humanly possible. I know what conditions are like that time of year. No yacht's gonna stay afloat for even half that time, mate. Amid the euphoria, relief and sheer joy at the survival of the crew, some serious questions arise. The Transport Minister has asked for a preliminary investigation into the crew members' claims of the 120-day ordeal, which has attracted widespread scepticism. So what do you say, John, in response to those who don't believe you? Is there an alternative story? You know, I... I couldn't give a stuff what anybody thinks. Jim. Check it out. John's on the telly. We were adrift all that time and survived only because we were careful, clever and looked after each other. > For the rest of my life, I'll be grateful to Phil... and Rick and Jim. In the circumstances, they were the best men I could've hoped for. That's nice. If you're watching this, guys,... I thank you. (SCOFFS) REPORTER: We needed a miracle, and we got one. Skipper John Glennie claims his yacht was capsized... Yeah, bullshit. ...three days into their voyage. WHISPERS: Hey. But now, after surviving 119 days drifting at sea, the Rose-Noelle broke up in a storm yesterday. Mr Glennie returned to the wreck by helicopter, accompanied by Marine Division investigators who are trying to piece together the final voyage of the Rose-Noelle. Empty. Bloody hell, look at that. We might've been wrong. It's perhaps NZ's most miraculous survival story ever ` how four men and an upturned boat could drift on the high seas without trace for nearly four months and live to tell the story. So remarkable was their tale of survival that some began to doubt that it ever happened. But a report released today backs up the incredible saga. This enquiry, with detailed scientific evidence supporting it has demonstrated that this is absolutely true and in fact is one of the great stories of human survival on the seas. Rose-Noelle skipper John Glennie describes the report as fair and thorough. Glennie says it answers the doubt some people had. GENTLE MUSIC Sadly, eight months after our return, Rick died of a brain tumour. Jim helped take care of him and then trained as a nurse. Phil went back to sea. He even made several voyages across the Pacific and fathered another child. But despite the ordeal we had survived so well together, after we left the island, I never saw Rick, Jim or Phil ever again. Captions by Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015