Rock the Boat Reviews

In 1997, the biannual Trans Pacific Yacht Race took on special significance for people living with AIDS. As part of his ongoing project to change the way people think about life with HIV, former L.A. stockbroker Robert Hudson assembled an 10-man, HIV-positive crew to sail the racing sloop Survivor from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Also aboard was filmmaker Bobby Houston, a part-time crew member and full-time videographer who shot this inspiring and surprisingly exciting chronicle of a 10-day, high-speed trip into the great blue yonder. Houston catches up with Hudson as he's rounding up sponsors and trying to secure a "bad luck boat" from its money-milking owner, then tags along as Hudson and event coordinator Dulaine Ellis assemble and train their crew of semi-experienced sailors. But no sooner is the Survivor out of its slip than the squabbling starts. And once the race begins, sparks and soufflés (Hudson made sure to take along a good cook) really start to fly, as tempers flare and the waves get bigger. A 2,250-mile race is a challenge for any sailor, regardless of T-cell count. Add pitch-black, moonless nights, El Nino, a hurricane named Dolores and a skipper who suddenly turns into Captain Ahab and you're in for ten days of boat carnage and general mayhem. Exciting as the race is, Houston never allows it to overshadow the real purpose behind this remarkable event. Each crew member is given a chance to discuss the life before and after his diagnosis, speak frankly about how he contracted the virus and remember lost loves whose names are among the 3,000 casualties painted on the Survivor's hull. Win or lose, Hudson's message rings loud and clear: It's okay to live with AIDS, and it really ain't over till it's over.