Cutthroat Island 1995.

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The Monsoon season has not arrived although it is late march. The year is 1668. Our pirate ship THE REAPER is engaged in a fierce battle with THE MORNING STAR. Down below on the fighting deck the heat is stifling. It is early morning and the temperature has aready reached 38 degrees. I look along the row of cannons in the semi darkness. My pirate friends--- filthy looking, bloodied and sweating are tensed up waiting for the order to fire. I am hoping like hell we get it right this time otherwise I am not sure we will survive this battle. The air is thick with acrid smoke which can't escape becaude the gun ports are closed. My head is still reeling from the last salvo and blood mixed with sweat is trickling in to my beard from wounds on my forehead.

" STANDBY!" The order comes from further down the line. My arm muscles tense as I take the strain on the gun port ropes. I am nervous as everyone goes quiet. We know that we must get the cannons forward and firing in perfect unison. This broadside has to be good. When the order comes I give a mighty kick and the gun ports slam open with a resounding "CLACK!" The cannons are heaved forward. There is a tremendous roar as forty cannons fire simultaneously.
Thick smoke once again swirls through the deck and then we WAIT!----

Fifteen crew from the Spirit of Adventure Trust were seconded to Thailand to sail a pirate ship in a 120 million dollar film called Cutthroat island starring Gena Davis, Mathew Modine and Frank Langella. this is an account of one scene which we experienced as sailors and actors during our three months in Thailand.

It feels so incredibly real, except the blood tastes like strawberry and the smoke comes from vegetable oil. The cast of two hundred and fifty are waiting to hear from the Director Renny Harlin whether we have to repeat this scenario. Outside the ship are a host of camera crew in small boats filming the action. We are out in the Andaman sea south of Thailand amongst spectacular scenery. The heat is real and we are waiting------ "Fantastic! Lets do it again." One gun port failed to open. Six times this scene was repeated until we got it perfect

" Good morning this is your wake up call, it is six o'clock have a nice day"---
I was not sure whether the voice at the other end of the phone was real or a recording but I mumbled " Thank you." - "No time to clean your teeth," said Mathew my room-mate. "The van is waiting for us downstairs lets go."

As we approached the last bend coming in to the bay I was struck by an awesome sight. The sun was casting it's first rays of light on the water and there---- in the distance was the "REAPER" This was our first glimpse of the seventeenth century pirate ship we were expected to sail. She was moored to a barge at the end of a long wharf. The tall masts, the yards which were set at crazy un-even angles, the rigging and especially the Bowsprit which seemed to be pointing at the remaining stars in a spirit of defiance, stood out against the skyline like a ghost ship from the past. Originally she was a Indonesian coastal trader called the MORNING ROSE. The film company had her towed from Singapore. An additional deck was added, three tall masts fitted plus a bow=sprit. She was completely rigged out in the form of a 17th century pirate ship with heavy canvas sails. Everthing about her had to look 17th century right down to the last rope. Our job was to get her in a proper safe and sea- worthy condition. We had a fortnight of sea trials to accomplish this task and it was a steep learning curve for all the crew. Two hundred and fifty tons was put in the hold. This consisted of sandbags each weighing approximately thirty kilos. Local labour was used to fill the bags from the nearby beach and transport them to the ship. We then had to distribute the bags around the hold till we got an even keel. It was extremely hard work in temperatures which often reached forty degrees. There was a stack of work to do, all the ends of the running rigging had to be spliced and whipped. The sails had to be set so as to ascertain their state because they had been sitting in a container at a Singapore wharf for two months in damp conditions. The first time we went sailing four of the sails blew out around the edges, we then had to spend three days stitching. All the work was done aloft without safety harness as we were expected to be authentic pirates of the period for the film. This came as a shock to me as safety harness was standard procedure when going aloft on the Spirit of Adventure trust ships. However we soon got used to the idea and it was never a problem as long as we stayed sober.

As time grew closer to the start of filming an air of urgency was becoming apparent. Crowds of people were descending on the set. There were lighting technicians, carpenters,painters and engineers. A multitude of languages were being spoken which caused a lot of communication problems. Fifteen hour days were now being worked and we were drinking at least ten litres of Gov't approved bottled spring water to stop dehydration. I never realised water on it's own could taste so good. The whole film set comprised two massive barges complete with fuel and water tanks, sleeping accomodation for the marine crew, showers, toilets, diesel generators, a crane for loading cannons, small boats and ships equipment. This was supervised by two workaholic engineers Peter and Joe who could always be relied on to keep the beer cool and do a thousand other jobs. The ship itself was moored alongside and the whole complex was being prepared for shifting around the Andaman sea by tugs to whatever location was required for filming.

COOKIE the assistant director was the driving force behind the cast of two hundred and fifty. His job was to run around screaming at everyone in seven different languages and try to create order out of complete chaos. " Your not dead enough, act deader!" he would shriek to some poor pirate laying admidst the the wreckage with a leg blown off and a sword stuck through his guts. There were lots of explosions, sword fights and cannon firing. It was all great stuff but we had to be on continual guard against fire. Every time the special effects people set off an explosion a great ball of fire would sometimes reach as high as the to'gallent. We then had to scramble aloft and check the sails were not burning. A lot of filming was done from the barge and we often had to shift the ships position to take advantage of the sunlight. This meant slacking or hauling in the mooring lines which un-beknown to us were being dragged through raw sewage from the barge and some of the crew were going down with dysentry. When we realised what was happening strict handling precautions were put in place and thumb sucking became a history subject.

When we sailed out to sea with the cast of pirates and crew, a new dimension was added to our skills as sailors. The REAPER would only sail in one direction and that was downwind so we would motor upwind for about twenty miles and then turn the ship around and go sailing. The wind never reached above fifteen knots and the sea was often calm so we were able to set every sail possible.Our skipper Steve Gamble would order the motor cut and then the action would begin. First sails to be loosed were the main and fore Topsails, next came the highest squares the To'gallants. A lot of man power was required and the cast of pirate extras were always willing to help. To complete the sail setting the yards had to be hoisted, they were very heavy and it took about twenty people hauling on the halyards. There were no winches or any modern aids, every thing was done with sheer strength sweat and curses.

Today it is my turn to be topman, which means I have to spend the day aloft overhauling lines and checking ropes, rigging and sails. It is my birthday and I am happy. I love this part of the job as once the ship is sailing in harmony with the elements I get time to scatter my emotions.

" Up you go," roars Hamish the 2nd mate a giant of a man with a voice to match. I climb the ratlines steadily but surely, checking for worn ropes as I go. On reaching the platform just below the to'gallant yard I pause a while to let my senses take in the breath-taking panorama. I am fifty seven years old but seeing as through the eyes of a child who has discovered something wonderous. Ahead of us on the horizon a myriad of lofty islands beckon across a trnquil ocean. We have a fair wind and the sails are filled out like huge cumulus clouds. I look below and watch the frantic activity that is happening on deck. I notice the cameras and lighting equipment have been stowed. Cookie is running around putting pirates in their assigned places and shouting through a megaphone. The make up ladies are putting last minute touches of blood and scars on to the cast. It is a very busy scene. Our crew are scrambling up the rigging in great haste so I move out to the end of the yard to make room for three of my ship-mates. Grant comes up beside me and screams " Here it comes!" The noise is deafening as the helicopter roars right up beside us at eye level- the swirling blades causing havoc to the sail trim and creating whirlpools in the sea around us. I can hear Cookie's voice above the din shouting "Don't look at the chopper!" I am paralised with fear as the blades seem to be rotating only inches from my hair which is standing on end. " What if he gets caught in the rigging and cuts us all to pieces!" I shout. At last the chopper moves around to the other side of the ship to do some more filming and I start to relax a little. Beside me on the yard my white-knuckled Kiwi mates are laughing.

Thailand's beautiful province of Krabi was where we spent six weeks filming. Cutthroat productions accomodated us at a brand new hotel, which to me was pure decadent luxury. Each room had it's own private balcony with unobstructed views of the mountains. There was a massive swimming pool which had a bar in the centre. My long lost swimming skills improved immenslely in the first week.

A typical day began at 5am when a van would pick us up and transport us to the wharf where we had a choice Thai or American breakfast. We would then board one of two Catamarans ( which were capable of carrying 200 people) for the ttrip out to the film set which about an hour. On the way, the wardrobe people would dress us in pirate costume and then we would submit to the make-up people who would provide scars, blood and dirt. Arriving at the barge we would scramble aboard the Reaper and prepare for the days events. Every day was a surprise except in one respect. The heat was relentless, it never gave up and tempers often became frayed. There were times when we were not required on board so we used to seek refuge in the air conditioned Catamaran and try to re-coup lost sleep. There was a radio monitor going continuously. I can remember just dozing off nicely when I heard Cookie's voice on the Monitor. " Wake up those thirty dead pirates and send them up here we are running short." After the days filming we would stow the sails, double check the mooring lines and tidy the ship. Most evenings we would arrive back at the hotel around 8pm completely exhausted.
After filming at Krabi finished we returned to Phuket where we embarked upon the task of converting the Reaper into the Morning star, that is the Goodie pirate ship for the second part of the film. The sail configuration was altered and she was painted a different colour. It took about ten days and we were able to relax a little. Ten pin bowling with cannon balls were a favourite pastime.

The Morning star glided peacefully into the little bay searching for the perfect sunset. Fourteen days of trying to get the ship in position for the perfect sun-set shot just about sent us all loopy. Around 4pm every day we would cast off from the barge and head for this little bay. Moorings which had been put in place previously were picked up and we would position the ship so the camera people on shore could get shots of the ship with the sun going down between two islands in the background. We had to run up and down the rigging as if preparing the ship to sail off into the sun set. The sunsets were truly spectacular but my body was becoming tired and I was starting to lose interest. I missed the final sun set shot.
Eight crew members stayed behind to dismantle our pirate ship and restore it to it's original condition so it could be returned it to it's owners. I wanted no part of this.

Flying home to New Zealand with six of my shipmates, I am filled with a mixture of emotions. I have lived a dream in a strange land three hundred years in the past. I will not forget this adventure in a hurry. Five days after returning home I set sail as 2nd mate on the SPIRIT OF NEW ZEALAND for a ten day trip. I needed time out.

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