The Vanishing Sail, a documentary about the tradition of boat building on a small island in the West Indies is coming to the Flavel shortly.

The film is an aspect of the transmedia project that started nearly twenty years ago when the photographer, Alexis Andrews restored an old wooden fishing sloop that had been salvaged from a sinking accident in Antigua. In that year in 1997, he sailed the vessel to Carriacou to find its creator.

Vanishing Sail focusses on The Grenadines, a small group of islands in the Lesser Antillies where the traditions of boat building were once crucial to the survival of local communities making a living on the sea.

Hundreds of sailing vessels were once launched here, but today there is no more commercial trade by sail and these skills have vanished in the region.

Alwyn Enoe is one of the last boatbuilders in the village of Windward, Carricou with no more orders coming in as he approaches his 70s. In this situation he decides to build one last sailing sloop in the hope that his sons will continue the trade.

The project has expanded to represent a wide variety of research including a two volume photo essay, a unique archive of 49 interviews with some of the greatest names of West Indies sailing, the building of five 42ft traditional sailing vessels in Windward in Carriacou and an annual regatta on the island of St. Barthelemy sponsored by UNESCO.

The film has been selected by 18 film festivals in 11 countries, winning six awards. INDIEWIRE, a prominent film industry news service, described the Vanishing Sail as, “an insightful and poignant documentary.”

The aim is to build awareness and encourage more boatbuilding within communities and to inspire education programmes within coastal communities around the world.

Presented by Boatshed.com & Classic Boat, Vanishing Sail will be screened on Saturday, November 11, at 7.30pm, post-screening Q&A with producer Justin Sihera. Ticket price of £9.00 available from the Flavel Box Office on 01803 839530 or online at www.theflavel.org.uk.