WorldWind Life

Pursue and Achieve Ambitious Goals

2012-01-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

G'day to all,

Well, for all of you who started the year with a New Year's resolution, it's day 21 - a day where no one will know if you just let it all go. I hope to encourage you to keep with the action. It takes 30 days to create a new habit so we are 3/4 of the way there. Yes, I'm struggling and although it takes 30 days to create a new habit, it takes only 5 minutes to give it all up. Let's endure together.

For those of you who didn't read my last post, I'm in training to do an Iron Man towards the end of the year. I've given the quest a name - Fat Man to Iron Man. In all honesty, I sometimes feel that I may have bitten off a bit more than I can handle.

The training schedule so far has been as follows:

January

1 - New Year's Day
2 - Rest day (oops)
3 - 2-mile run with Jessie (13 year old daughter)
4 - 2-mile run with Jessie
5 - 2-mile run with Jessie
6 - 2-mile run with Jessie
7 - Rest day
8 - Rest day
9 - 2-mile run
10 - 40 lap swim: 2 sets of 20 laps (easy because fat floats)
11 - 5- mile run (hard going)
12 - 1-mile swim: 3 sets of 22 laps (easy)
13 - Spin class (hard going)
14 - 8-mile run (hard going)
15 - Rest day
16 - 44 lap swim: 2 sets of 22
17 - 4-mile run with Jessie (hard going)
18 - Spin class morning and evening
19 - 1-mile swim: 3 sets of 22 laps
20 - 5-mile run (felt horrible - this was going to be a 10-mile run)

So there it is. Thus far if it sounds exhausting, it is. Have I have I felt like skipping my training? I have. However, sticking with it and overcoming the apathy is important not allowing the 'stinking thinking' of negativity to consume you. The hardest part of this is balancing business and family as the training is very time-consuming. The up-side is a sense of achievement, loosing weight and knowing I'm on the road to achieving an ambitious goal, something that may be lacking as we get older in life.

As I write about this, a very ambitious young lady has set out to achieve something that is almost larger than life itself. It is a quest that our family is very familiar with. Just over a year ago, after a battle with the Dutch authorities, Laura Dekker set sail in her 38 ft sail boat, Guppy, to solo circumnavigate the world and arrives today on the Dutch Caribbean Island of St Martin to become the youngest person ever to solo circumnavigate the world. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO HER for a job well done, holding the course and keeping the spirit of adventure alive. A truly remarkable young lady.

Speaking of young sailors, Zac and Abby are speaking at the Toronto Boat Show this weekend. If you happen to be in the area, duck in and say G'day!

Fat Man to Iron Man

2012-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

G'day To All!
Well, how many of you made a News Year's resolution? And how many of you are struggling, already? Hang in there. They say it takes thirty days to create a new habit. I will confess that I may have bitten off a bit more than I can handle. But you know what they say... 'a problem shared is a problem halved'. Or is that 'a problem shared is a problem doubled'?

In any case, here it is... any of my blog readers out there from planet earth to the outer reaches of the universe, are cordially invited to join me in going from being a fat man to an Iron Man. No, I'm not talking about the cartoon character. The idea is that in one year, through careful training and eating habits, I will take this 233 lb of rippling muscle and turn it into a 180lb hard body Iron Man (what was I thinking?).

For those who dare, please consult your doctor before embarking on this senseless mission. I will not take responsibility for any dizzy spells, injury or death. Husbands consult your wives, and wives consult your husbands.

Well, there it is. This is actually something that I've wanted to do before reaching my 50th birthday. Commitment is important. Any and all that are interested in participating, I will be glad to help encourage and show you the schedule that I will be following, along with health tips and goals that I have set to accomplish throughout the year to a achieve the full Iron Man in Austin, Texas on Oct 28th, 2012.

The last Triathlon I did was some 23 years ago. It was the half Triathlon which is swim 1.2 mile, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles. I remember seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and the rest was a blur (just kidding). It was very hard and took some 4 hours and change. I had a huge sense of accomplishment. It was the last of a few triathlons that I did.

The secret is commitment to the training program and staying injury free. In the ideal world, it would be nice to get a small group in the area that wanted to commit and have weekly meetings and training sessions to help hold each other accountable and encourage one another.

The distance for the Iron Man is 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. Anyone interested in joining me can contact me at info at worldwindproductions dot com.

Cheers!

Laurence

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Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

G'day to All,
A very Happy New Year to you all! What a year it has been. A good year - yes. A great year - yes. But not a year without its pit falls and down falls. It is dealing with these that develops and molds us into who we are. Not meaning to get psychological on you, but I think looking back at the year in a life of most people there is always a mixed bag; some years harder than others and I know some years some of us would like to forget altogether.

In brief, my year started with picking up the pieces of my yacht management business, Sunderlands Yacht Management & Shipwrights. Dealing with luxury goods and having recently been vilified by the mainstream media following Abby's rescue out of the Indian Ocean, getting back to business as usual was very challenging. Not to mention, the extra stress of being the sole bread-winner of a large family - you could say I was off to a disastrous start to the year.

With much uncertainty, and for one of the first times in a very long time, not having the answers to turn things around, I can only say that my faith in God grew stronger. Some will say that faith in God is just a crutch but I would disagree - it would be more like a stretcher. Through much prayer things started to change.

The first of the year also found us having a very frustrating time trying to get Abby & Zac's documentaries made with several different production companies. After much prayer, we decided to start our own production company, WorldWind Productions. I was thrown in at the deep end not ever having produced anything in the documentary film arena to producing and directing two at the same time, which I enjoyed immensely.

Producing and directing Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story and Intrepid: The Zac Sunderland Story was one thing. You do your very best and you may think its the greatest ever, but that really doesn't matter. It's the accuracy coupled with making it entertaining for those watching.

Both documentaries have been well received, winning various awards at the film festivals entered. We've also enjoyed the many great emails of people letting us know how much they have enjoyed the documentaries. This has encouraged us and we always enjoy receiving the positive feed back. If you don't have a copy yet, buy ten and give them to your friends!

What started off as a year that was difficult, quickly started to turn around. Now as we close out 2011 we are running two companies both with bright prospects for the future.

The latest festival news:
We have just arrived back from the San Diego Christian Film Festival where Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story won the Director's Choice Award. We spent a boisterous few days with friends and family in San Diego. Between screenings, workshops and a few interesting meetings at the festival, we visited friends in Coronado and Del Mar. I'm sure Marianne will write on her parenting blog, Abundant Life, about the challenging times we had. I will say that if we hadn't planned to arrive with a sense of humor, things would have gone a lot differently.

We lost a few friends this year due to tragic accidents. Romario Zeri, somewhat of a fixture in Marina Del Rey, died suddenly after his motor bike collided with an eighteen wheeler whilst he was on the Love Ride, a charity event. Steve Jobs also died after a battle with Pancreatic Cancer, a tragic disease that took my father-in-law a few years back. WorldWind Productions helps support the Hirshburg Foundation which is the leading fundraiser for research for a cure for this deadly disease.

Some of the less known sporting events that caught my attention, Roz Savage set the record of First Woman to Row Three Oceans after rowing across the Indian Ocean. She is a courageous women who must have arms of steal. More recently, Jordan Romero, the youngest man to summit mount Everest at age 13 finished his quest to climb the highest peeks on all seven continents by summiting Mt Vinson in Antarctica. A big congratulations to them both.

Ros Savage

Jordan Romero

The LA Galaxies also did an a incredible job winning the MLS Cup Final which I was able to attend with Toby, my 14 year old son, who is proving to be an up and coming soccer player himself.

This year has been a great year for me, not because of what I've achieved, more so because I realize how important it is to have a relationship with the Maker of this world and universe and to understand that without this, there really is very little or no hope. I've also learned to understand the value of having a loving and caring wife and the privilege to be called Dad, not a long title by any means, but undoubtedly the most important title a man could ever have.

God bless all who read.

Happy New Year for all in 2012!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

G'day and Merry Christmas to all!

I have been busy like the rest of you and I made an announcement that I had some exciting news to share a while back. I don't mean to drag this out but it will have to happen early in the New Year. Good news is that I've just finished what that is. Stay tuned for more info!

You can imagine the excitement at our house. With all the wonderful little kids, they can hardly contain themselves with all the excitement of Christmas morning. Lydia, Katherine and Ben are performing in a Christmas play with our church. They have performed twice already and have one performance left. The 'big one' at the Civic Arts Plaza on Thousand Oaks Blvd.

All are welcome to come to the performance which begins at 4.00pm tonight. This will be a great time. Many people have worked very hard in putting this together. Merry Christmas to all and thank you for the cards and presents, thoughts and support.

Also, everyone here wnats to send out a huge congratulations to Jordan Romero who has recently completed the last of the highest summits in the world becoming the youngest climber ever to do so! Check it out! www.jordanromero.com Our hearts and prayers are with you Jordan!!

Cheers,
Laurence
PS. Take it easy on the egg nog.
PPS. Wise men still seek Him.

TAR Finale Weekend - NYC

2011-12-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

G'day to all,
It was a busy week leading up to the weekend where we all got together for the finale party for TAR Season 19. What an incredible, well-organized time of celebrating. A big thank you to Cindy Chiang and Justin Young from the season for their organization of the events in NYC and a big congratulations to the three finalists and the winners Cindy Chiang and Ernie Halvorsen for a job well done.

Also, not to forget the hard work of Television Without Pity for a great party after the final showing. Megan and Miss Dona did an incredible job. It was much fun for all who attended. NYC was fun and a hive of activity - a little too busy for me, but I made the most of it. The fans made it a great event and to see our fellow racers again was special. Some we hadn't seen since riding elephants through a rain forest in Thailand.

Unfortunately, Zac and a few of the other racers (Andy, Tommy, Bill and Cathy, Ethan and Jenna) were unable to make it due to traveling and business plans. They were missed by all. Your TAR teammates become like a family, a bond forms between you that unites us because of the the rare experience of traveling to those obscure places around the world where we uncover, undo, eat or solve some of the most bizarre challenges one can imagine.

Of course, it was great to talk about some of the challenges and relive them in a more relaxed environment. Yes, our celebrations took us to a couple of night clubs and I found myself with a couple of moves that I didn't know that I had. It was much fun.

After a couple of days of reuniting with our fellow racers, celebrating and watching the finale, it was time to say our good byes and leave those frigid temperatures of NY and fly back to LA.

Oh yes, the greatest part about going away is coming home to my wonderful family.

Cheers,
Laurence

PS No photos of our weekend in NYC but will get those posted as soon as they are received.

TAR Finale Warm Up

2011-12-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and Sandy

G'day,
What a great time in San Fransisco! Though it was short trip it was a lot of fun. Jeremy and Sandy, my fellow racers from this season of the Amazing Race had a good turn out of there friends and race enthusiasts at their viewing party on Sunday night. It was nice to drop in and surprise them both. It was a great warm up to get us ready to continue the festivities for the conclusion of TAR Season 19 in New York City this weekend.

I think everyone was surprised and shocked to see our good friends Andy & Tommy get eliminated. They had a good race and were favored to win by many. I was also surprised to see that Jeremy & Sandy won that leg of the race. It made my surprise visit all the more worthwhile to be able to congratulate them on a job well done.

The Amazing Race - It's Good But Hard.

Cheers,
Laurence

Weekend Happenings

2011-12-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

G'day
I wanted to take the opportunity to write a quick note about the weather experienced Wednesday evening. Yes, there was a pretty good blow in Marina Del Rey. I was surprised how little wind we had in Thousand Oaks. I heard that there were strong winds in Pasadena. My mother-in-law lives in Pasadena and the following day she called letting us know just how bad it was. Toby, Ben and myself went out to Grandma's to help put her yard and blown down fence panels back together.

I was surprised at the extent of the damage, not only to her house but to many others in the area. These are the photos I took.

The tree that is blown down landed between the two houses. This could have been a different story - someone was praying.

I was shocked to learn that just a few miles away at the Henninger Flats a gust of 167mph was recorded! Let's hope we don't get nailed by another blow like this for a long time.

Another spontaneous paint job

After Toby's gallant effort at Grandma's house, we only just made it back to Thousand Oaks in time for his uniform fitting for the all star soccer team and then straight out for a camping trip with the Boy Scouts in Ojai. Rather them than me - it must have been below freezing in Ojai as it was 37 here in Thousand Oaks.

Toby's trip gave me the opportunity to bless him by painting out one of the rooms that was being used for storage, now Toby's new room . Why do these jobs always seem to take twice as long as the time I allocate for them? Fortunately, we managed to keep my little helpers out of the paint tray this time.

On top of this we had a little celebration as my beautiful daughter, Jessie, turned 13 yesterday. So after the painting and celebrating we had a little father and daughter time and I took her to see Hugo which was a treat for me as well as her.

Hugo

It would have been much easier to just have a nice evening in, but I'm glad that I made the time to take Jessie to the movies. I realize that these children grow up very quickly and as a father it is important to come along side them, love them and speak into their lives so they can come to us as parents when times get a little tough having the confidence that we will listen to them and not be too busy.

Hugo was a great movie - one I would recommend and encourage folks to go and see. Directed by Martin Scorsese, who did a great job of keeping this tale entertaining and engaging. This is based on the book The Invention Of Hugo Carbret by Brian Selznick which Jessie had recently read. She thought that the book was as good as the movie. The screen play written by John Logan was well done.

Now I will be heading out to San Fransisco to surprise a couple of friends from the Amazing Race who are putting together a party later tonight after the show airs at 8pm. I would not ordinarily afford this luxury, but I have a couple of business meetings in SF Monday. This way I get to surprise a couple of friends, have a good time and a do a little business.

Now I know all of you will be a little surprised at tonight's outcome on the Amazing Race as this season draws to a conclusion. Follow along on CBS at 8:00 pm.

The Amazing Race - It's Hard But Good!

Cheers,

Laurence

Blown Away

2011-12-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

G'day to all,

Never a dull moment! What a Wednesday for those of us that weren't blown away. I had little time to prepare for a talk at Ventura Missionary Christian School but fortunately it went down quite well. The theme was to be motivational and inspirational. I like to have an interactive audience which helps those with a narrow attention span from falling asleep or being distracting to others.

One of the interesting times of participating is when I have 2 volunteers from the audience come up on the stage where I have two offshore survival suits waiting for them and we have a little competition. After placing them in a scenario of a life and death situation they then race to put the rather cumbersome survival suits on.

I must say I am quite surprised how quickly they do this. The winner wins a DVD documentary. It's a lot of fun and the kids really enjoy it. I think we all had a great time.

Then a swift drive from Ventura to Marina Del Rey for Peter Greenburg's (from CBS Travel news) annual holiday party aboard his yacht that I have the pleasure of managing and skippering.

Hanging out with Peter Greenberg

Well, if you were in the area at all you would understand why we concurred that due to the wind warning it would be best to have the party dock side. LAX clocked 40 knots. I had to leave the party to tend to a couple of other yachts and make sure they were secure as well.

All this was topped off by a five mile run in the morning - a good full day. Oh, we are told that the wind will be back tonight.

Cheers,

Laurence

Festival News

2011-11-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

We are excited that our latest documentary Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story has been accepted into the San Diego Christian Film Festival which runs from Decmber 27-30, 2011.

There will be workshops for film makers and a family day featuring films that the whole family can enjoy together on Tuesday the 27th. Wild Eyes is tentatively scheduled to screen on Family Day with a Q & A with Abby and myself afterwards.

The festival web site is http://www.sdchristianfilmfestival.com/. Check them out for more details on locations and schedules.

I am currently working on an exciting project that is consuming a lot of my time. I can't elaborate any further at the moment but will fill you in at the appropriate time, hopefully in a few weeks.

My latest adventure is that I will be speaking on Wednesday morning to the middle school students at Ventura Missionary School. Hopefully, it will be inspirational and motivational as well as a lot of fun for all of us! Hoping they listen to me more than my own middleschoolers!

After speaking, I'll be running down to Marina del Rey to captain a client's boat for the first Christmas party of the year. Hoping that the warm weather will hold for a few more days!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

What a great day - up and at it with a 5 mile run with the dog. Returned home to those wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen enough to make one salivate with anticipation. There is sure to be a great feast later.

Lots of blessings!

I know we can all find something to be thankful for. It is just a matter of perspective. Just yesterday I awoke with a spontaneous idea of painting the kitchen and one of the bathrooms. Now I would have to say that there were a couple of times yesterday when I thought spontinaity was not such a good thing. Like when Paul, my one and a half year old, decided to slip into the kitchen unannounced to help his dad, only to dive straight into the wonderful roller pan full of paint while I was in mid flow of rolling out the kitchen ceiling. Totally taken off guard, I was thrown into the chaos of dealing with the situation. It would have been easy to get angry at this one but I decided to be thankful to God giving me an inquisitive little boy.

Paul helping me paint!

Earlier in the week, it was great to see Andy Finch from the Amazing Race while he had time during a layover at LAX. Before his flight left for Reno, we had lunch and got out on the ocean. He and his team mate from the Amazing Race, Tommy Czeschin, both retired from being pro snow boarders and have been doing extremely well on the Amazing Race. It was great to share tales of our different adventures.

Andy at the helm

Fun on the sea!

When it all comes down to it - this is a great day that has been set aside for giving thanks. Amidst all of our trials, I want to encourage you all to keep a positive outlook seeking God through all of them.

Have a great day and Happy Thanksgiving!

MLS Cup Final 2011, Los Angeles

2011-11-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to Marco Bizzarri from La Curacao who gave my son, Toby and I, VIP tickets to the game. What an outstanding game. With the Home Depot Center packed with more than enthusiastic fans, the LA Galaxy took on the Houston Dynamos in the MLS Cup Finals last night. Okay, yes, the weather turned it on as well. We could have been back in my homeland - the good old UK.

It was a fitting end to the soccer season. The day before the game, my kids' soccer season with AYSO came to an end as well. Both my daughter's U14 team that I coach and Toby's U14 team had good seasons. It was great to watch Toby put in the extra effort in training this year which paid off as he was selected for All Stars. Jessie, too, is an avid player and has been training hard, determined to improve her game.

Both of their teams tied their last games - narrowly missing the playoffs. It would have been nice to continue but, all in all, a good conclusion to the regular season.

The LA Galaxy vs Dynamos game was the icing on the cake. I was called by Marco mid week letting me know that he had 2 extra tickets to the game. What a great surprise! The LA Galaxy were in rare form dominating the play and quelching the break aways from the Dynamos. The Dynamo's goalie was kept quite busy most of the game until London Donovan in the 75th minute put the ball in the back of the net. This was the second of two goals scored, the first being disallowed by the questionable offside that was ruled by the officials. David Beckham played incredibly well having pulled his hamstring early in the week. He was a little more reserved than normal but delivered what was necessary when needed.

I hope he will be back next season. It is a rare treat to watch one of soccers all time greats in LA. The fast pace, the excitement, the supporters, the win - what a great game!

Amazing Race Recap

2011-11-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

G'day to all

Who's not busy? What a silly question. I remember way, way, way, way back in my distant past a very wise man lied to me. You may say, "Why was he wise then?" Let me explain. I was taught more in one year from this wise older man than I had learned from many others in more than twice the time. Then you may ask the question, "Why did he lie then?". Good question. It was unintentional I'm sure.

I was 10 at the time and the man, known as Mr. Howe, was my school teacher. He was one of those extremely rare gifted teachers that has probably impacted 1,000s of lives in an incredible way during the course of his career. He was not only a great educator but he had a way of captivating the whole classroom with his many tails and adventures. You could hear a pin drop as he would come to the conclusion of his stories.

Well, during one of his random teachings, he was talking about the future. He talked about phones that you would carry around and be able to call anyone anywhere. He told us they would be about the size of a cigarette packet. As usual the whole classroom was mesmerized as he embellished on his outlandish tails. He went on further to explain about the efficiency of technology and computers. And yes, with all this technology, he told us we all in the future would be working a 3-4 day week. And there you have it. My dear, old schoolteacher lied. So I'll pose the question again. Who's not busy?

You don't really need to answer it, as the answer is already known. Well, it had to happen. Laurence and Zac Sunderland where eliminated from the Amazing Race. And what a race it was! We both enjoyed the challenges and the many new experiences that we encountered. OK, most of the new experiences. We could maybe leave out the Renaissance Dancing for Zac, and I can just say that the rabbit stew I savored last at Heathrow Int. Airport at one of those English restaurants, was remembered with savored relish after our little challenge with those rabbits.

What you guys did not see was that we had gone through 4 different rabbits before we got one of those wonderful creatures to jump the course . Oh yes, your patience is tested in every way conceivable.

We met and enjoyed the company of all of the other teams. Knowing that all were going for the one prize, made it a challenge at times. All the teams were dealing with variable circumstances, heading for the same goal and quite a divers cross section of characters.

It was sad to see Ethan and Jenna go out so early in the race. As the teams got eliminated, although sad, I adopted the attitude - rather them than us. I will always remember the elephant ride up the rain forest stream as one of those great experiences that I ordinarily would have not have done.

The race was good and bad to us. No one wants to be eliminated in the first round and no one was. I think all teams were surprised to see Bill and Cathy at the Taiwan Int. Airport terminal, but that just meant that the next leg was a double elimination. That's all we needed. I remember clearly Zac being the last person to be hooked up to rappel the 200 feet into the cave. I'm not sure what he did down there but he was able to overtake 2 teams. Things were looking brighter and then more by chance than purpose, I spotted the sign on the table at the orphanage that clearly stipulated that teams needed to hand over all the money in there possession.

What a game changer that proved to be! Yes, we did make our fair share of mistakes like the buckets with the sheep. But our most memorable was getting off the 1st class bus and running 3 miles back to the bus stop during the heat of the day. I clearly remember during a briefing before the race being told no first class travel.

Oh, yes I was told that TV will make you look 10lbs heavier. That is absolutely not true. It added 30 pounds to me! Now I don't know if that was done in the editing bay or not but I'm working hard on loosing that 30 pounds but it keeps finding me.

If you think that the race looks hard and physical, it's not at all. It's very, very, very, very, ery ery ry ry yyyy............... haaaarrrrrdddddddd. Part of my preps for the race involved a 20 mile hike, 8 mile runs, 5 mile runs, and some speed training. I could have done with another 2 months of prep. This is definitely not for the faint hearted.

I've competed in triathlons and marathons (2 hours 58 minutes personal best a few years ago), but the Amazing Race will definitely put you through your paces mentally and physically.

Andy and Tommy became close friends early on in the race - helping out one another and a few times running a foot race to the mat. Having a like-faith was the main thing we had in common. Bill and Cathy, oh yes, our dear older friends... next time I see the delightful couple I will have a few words to say already rehearsed and chosen carefully. "So you chose to U turn a struggling father of eight children? " That's all I will say and I will turn to walk away leaving them just enough time to feel uncomfortable enough, before I'll break the ice and congratulate them for running that leg of the race well.

So, will I be watching the Amazing Race this Sunday? Absolutely not! You may think that that's a bit unsportsmanlike. What could be more exciting than watching the Amazing Race? Well, I was called out of the blue, two days ago by Marco, Zac's manager, who is involved with one of the major sponsors for the LA Galaxy soccer team. Marco has managed to get 2 VIP tickets for the MLS Cup Final this Sunday at 6.00pm. I am excited. Toby, my 14 year old son, and I will be at the game. I hope some of you will make it.

I will watch The Amazing Race online later. Looks like a great leg.

The Amazing Race "it's Hard but Good!!'

WorldWind Gets Busy

2011-11-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hirshberg

LA Cancer Challenge

It was great to be a part of the Hirshberg Foundation LA Cancer Challenge last weekend. Because of the Halloween weekend many people dress up and run in quite an array of costumes that made the event all the more colorful. What a bustling hive of activity that seems to gain more support every year.

This was a well-planned event where many of the participants have been personally affected by this horrific disease. Our family enjoyed the many vendors and hanging out at the kids' zone.

Lydia and Katherine

It has been a truly rewarding experience for WorldWind Productions to be involved with supporting this cause especially after losing my father-in-law to Pancreatic Cancer and more recently the passing of Patrick Swayze and Steve Jobs. We hope that any of you who have been affected by Pancreatic Cancer will join with us to raise money for research for a cure. "You can hope or you can help."

Krikorian Premier Theaters
Many of you who followed Abby's trip may know that Krikorian Premier Theaters (KPT) were a big part of making Abby's trip happen by coming on as one of her major sponsors. Our relationship with KPT is continuing with the release of the documentary Wild Eyes: The Abby Sunderland Story documentary DVD. Between November and January they will be playing the trailer for the doc during the previews at all of their theaters. If you live near one their locations, we encourage you to drop in and catch a show in support of them.

Amazing Race
What a great season of the Amazing Race! It has all of the usual fast-paced exciting and challenging tasks with the fear of elimination always hovering. The Amazing Race airs on CBS Sunday evenings at 8:00pm Pacific. Team Laurence and Zac are definitely giving the other contestants a run for their money!!

You Can Hope or You Can Help

2011-10-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

It was an ordinary day. The sun was up and we were all going about our business as usual when my wife had a very out of ordinary call from her father that stopped her dead in her tracks. It was not long before that call that Marianne, my wife, had made quite an insightful statement about her parents being great health.

It is always a concern as we watch are parents age. I had had to come to terms with my own father developing Alzheimer's at the age of 65. I had tried to come to terms with it, but it is not something that's easily done. I would have to say it's more something you learn to live with knowing it is not going to get better only gradually worse. I would miss that relationship a father has with a son as my father grew less cognitive. Al, Marianne's father would come along side me with advice and tips from time to time - the jewels of life that money can't buy. Al became one of those pillars in life that a father (then) 6 would need from time to time.

On that ordinary day back in July 2007, my wife was contacted by Al who informed her that he had been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and that the prognosis did not look good. That was our introduction to the crippling disease of pancreatic cancer. We took it upon ourselves to research the disease and what we found out troubled us. Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers and a 94% mortality rate.

This information crushed the family who were wanting answers but not finding it easy to come to terms with. I remember telling my wife that we should plan on visiting her parents as regularly as we could. There was little change at first. Al seemed his usual self and was always very happy to see us. As his course of treatment continued he deteriorated quickly.

It was a short 2.5 months from diagnosis until Al passed away and became another statistic for the disease. I was glad to have met such a man during my life; a successful man surrounded by a loving family - one of those sound men with a good moral virtue - a pillar in life where you could always find fair reasoning. Although 4 years ago now there is not a day that goes by where we don't think about Al and wish he was here. He has left a lasting impression in my mind of what it means to be a man.

Our company, WorldWind Productions LLC, has joined together to support the Hirsburg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research by giving 100 documentaries of Wild Eyes The Abby Sunderland Story and a percentage of all online sales. Abby Sunderland, Al's granddaughter was awarded the Hero Award last year at the Hirshburg Annual fun run, the LA Cancer Challenge.

Zac receiving the Hero Award - 2009

Abby became the youngest person to sail solo around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope in 2010. The year before, in 2009, Abby's brother, Zac Sunderland was awarded the Hero Award. He became the youngest person to sail solo around the world and is still the youngest American ever to do so.

If you want to take part in this years annual run or learn more about the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research visit: www.pancreatic.org.

You can hope or you can help.

Al and Carol Criqui with our daughter Lydia

Welcome to WorldWind Life

2011-10-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

G'day and welcome to the blog for WorldWind Productions,

The purpose of this blog is to encourage, inform and chat about the upcoming events, projects, and adventures both on the sea, on land and in the air. For that matter, let's throw in the whole enchilada and include below the ocean as well! We will endeavor to include the challenges faced with some of our production projects both present and past including informative ways of dealing with and overcoming them. We will also have guest writers from time to time to keep content interesting.

We have just finished production on Intrepid: The Zac Sunderland Story: Part 2. This was met with many challenges during production which delayed it's original release date of April. Although many valuable lessons were learned along the way with this project, it was tenacity that kept a dedicated team working long and hard to get the project finished. Aside from the great footage that Zac had captured from the vessel while the on board, WorldWind's crew took a trip to the very heart of Montana to interview Robin Lee Graham, legendary sailor of the Dove. Back in 1965 at the age of 16, Robin set off on a 24ft sail boat and took 5 years to sail solo around the world. National Geographic documented his trip that was later to became a book "The Boy Who Sailed Around the World Alone" and the movie The Dove. Robin's circumnavigation was a huge inspiration for Zac, who read the book as a child, to embark on his trip and an interview with the man himself was a necessary part of the documentary. It was great to meet Robin and Patti. The footage taken there was valuable testimony to the two sailing adventures; similar even although generations apart that shared a kindred spirit. I will elaborate more on the making of this documentary in a later post.

Wild Eyes The Abby Sunderland Story
This documentary was recently awarded Best Documentary Peoples Choice at the Big Bear International Film Festival and Best New Director at the Silent River Film Festival. It also was given the following endorsement by Roy Disney Jr.:

"In truth, I wish this movie was longer. I have sailed my whole life and I marvel at Abby's courage and perseverance. I wanted to watch more. It is both a gripping and gratifying story."

When shown at the Big Bear International Film Festival, Bill Bennett, ASC member and cinematographer made an interesting observation. Noting that many people were reaching for tissues and drying their eyes he stated, "This is a powerful documentary that moves people emotionally.".

Production of Wild Eyes was much fun. Not be outdone by the many challenges of a different nature that were faced whilst making this documentary. More on this in a later post...

Cheers,
Laurence