Disney documentary about competing in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race.

All of Hollywood’s writers combined couldn’t have written a more perfect ending for Roy E. Disney’s year-long Morning Light Project. Finishing just six minutes after dawn with a glowing sunrise as backdrop, the TP 52 Morning Light earned third place in Division 2 in the 44th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race from San Francisco to Hawaii.

But this wasn’t an ordinary Transpac campaign. With its crew of 15 averaging just less than 22 years old, Morning Light intended to be the youngest crew to ever sail the legendary race, taking the honours from the crew of Argonaut who sailed the race in 1969. And they would have been, if not for the competitors aboard the 1D 35 On The Edge Of Destiny, whose ages averaged 19.8 years old. All five of Destiny’s crew had applied and been rejected for positions on Morning Light and managed a third place of their own in Division 5.

Morning Light’s 15 crewmembers were selected from 538 applicants for both their sailing skills and diversity. After paring the group down to 30 finalists, the sailors went through a series of selection trials aboard Catalina 37s in Long Beach, California. Once cut to the final 15, the campaign started an intensive training program aboard Morning Light in Hawaii, with lessons in navigation, storm tactics and safety.

A Disney camera crew followed the young sailors throughout the process—and the race itself from a chase boat—gathering footage for a feature-length documentary, which is due out in theatres in the spring of 2008.
For more information on the Morning Light Project, visit www.morninglightproject.com .