For those unfamiliar with the saga of Tracy Edwards and her quest to sail around the world with the first all-female crew, Maiden is a fairly engaging take on the subject if ultimately a bit by the numbers. Director Alex Holmes provides an adequate assemblage of images taken from low resolution video, the event transpired in 1989, allowing the viewer a peek into to the challenges that were faced on the journey. Holmes’ approach is to keep things low key and use a non-fussy style in his telling of the tale and it works for the majority of the film’s running time.
Tracy Edwards, now in her 50s, is the star of the film and she serves as something of a narrator as she relates the tale first hand in on camera interviews. Edwards was a 24 year old cook when she became obsessed with sailing around the world. She assembled a female crew and entered the Whitbread Round the World Race although no one put much stock in the crew’s chances of actually being much of a threat to the competition. The yacht ran into major trouble at one point when it began taking on water en route to Fort Lauderdale. This would cost the crew eighteen hours but, undeterred, Edwards and her comrades remained undaunted in their quest to win. Even if you know the outcome, she was awarded Britain’s Yachtsman of the Year, Maiden provides enough thrills and suspense to keep the viewer engaged through most of its run time.
Maiden opens in Charlotte this Friday.
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