you know what's out there? wind and wave and rain. endless glassy pools that'll hold a sailing ship for weeks and then spit her out into the eye of the kind of hurricane. a blow that could knock the bridge off a battleship. reefs and rocks and sandbars that'll tear the belly from her and enough fog and night to hide it all.
so look out there.  and explain to me why any man in possession of any sense at all, would take on the sea with sail?
because there's something else out there. it beckons in the wind and sings in the shrouds. voices. whispering.
they're voices of men. calling. men you don't even know. men you can't even imagine. it's a seed, a wish, that part of you and i that aches to be alive, that was banished by everything we've ever been taught or told. it's a part of us that can only be found on mountain tops and deserts, in the deepest caverns, smoking battle fields and.  across oceans.
out there, is where it all waits.
"where we go one, we go all."
good afternoon.
oh, on the contrary, the albatross is considered a very good omen. it is said they embody the spirits of sailors passed on. it's very bad luck if you kill one. and dolphins too.
i know.
you're a day late. we keep a schedule aboard ship. lives depend on it. hello, philip.
as you can see, there's a lot to do.
this is a working ship. promptness is not a luxury, it's a necessity, as is the work to maintain her. had we been ready, i can assure you we would have sailed.
happily, it all worked out.  this time. bill, take philip below and help him find a bunk.
it will be more than that, i can promise you.
we'll do our best. you're welcome to say goodbye.
he didn't get to be under secretary of the air force by being neighborly.
everyone aboard young bill?
good. let's go sailing.
come over here and take the wheel.
hold her steady into the wind. southwest by west.
gentleman, when you hear an order, sing out. i want to know that you've heard and understand. raise the mainsail.
take a turn under the pin and lead it out to the others. you guys in the rear take up the slack. heave together now.
what's wrong mr. lawford.
everyone sings aboard a wind jammer gentlemen. it lets everyone know you're in sync. it shows unity, that all thoughts are one. a crew that sings together stays together. besides, i like it. so, pipe up and be sailors.
outer.
we'll bear off to port and run down wind.
fall off to port. ease her around to a heading of northeast. sing out when you're there.
speak up boy!
unfurl the squares!
watch the tell-tales chuck. if we jibe now we'll have a lot of people in the water.
all stop on the engine.
behold gentlemen. the power of the wind!
did we lose anybody?
chart us a course for the windward side.
it's time these boys saw some real blue water.
well.  now that i have your undivided attention.  i'd like to take this opportunity to make a few points.
the first thing is i don't like people talking when i'm talking so the two of you, shut up.
second, the next one of you who doesn't jump like a bunny when mr. butler gives an order is gonna spend the rest of this trip scrubbing bilges. he's a better sailor today than any ten of you will be when this is all over.
and if i catch anybody, ever, jumping off a yard arm again i will personally break what bones are left and send you home in a wheel chair.
excellent point. as you might have noticed, being out here pretty much puts you in the moment. if you panic, if you lose your head, you die. maybe you take your mates with you. how'd you like to have to bet on terry here getting us home today? each one of you is responsible for the rest. "where we go one, we go all". if your buddy is asleep at the switch we're all fish food.
the ship beneath you is not a toy and sailing is not a game. the albatross will take us far gentlemen, but she demands constant attention. respect her, and we'll do fine. oh, and one more thing. there is nothing that goes on, on this boat that i don't know about. she speaks to me in the night. so don't test me. not even a little.
nothing like experience to put things in perspective. huh son? alright. let's go home.
you all right?
why didn't you go up there?
speak up.
what? is that true?
why wasn't i made aware of this bill?
it's your job to know. if something goes wrong up there, the other eighteen people aboard can't be wondering if he's gonna do his job or not.
swing up, son.
up you go. right now.
do you have something to say?
then keep your mouth shut.
what's it going to be?
sorry won't cut it.
survival means discipline and assimilation. there are no special cases here. now, get going. get up there.
what are you blubbering about?
one hand in front of the other son. we'll do it together.
don't look down. look in my eyes! climb! we'll do it together.
you climb damn it, or so help me i'll haul you to the foretop by your diaper and leave you there!
are you hating this?! are you!
no. hate the fear inside of you! climb like a man mister! hate it! hate it away. hate your way up one more rung!! do it right now!!
don't hate yourself. hate your weakness. all right. get down.
i'm only gonna say this one time. i'm not here to wipe noses and asses. i'm not your mother. trust funds and blue blazers don't get you a thing out here. you wanna act like babies, then get off my boat.
he can take care of himself. any other 'phobias' i need to know about?
excellent. bill, find mr. weathers a position to suit his condition.
remember something, sooner or later.  we all have to face it.
we're awfully quiet tonight.
something on your mind, george?
you do?
i need to know what i'm working with; what their boundaries are. their lives depend on it, and for that matter so does yours. we've got to bring them together. make them a crew. we're as strong as our weakest link and i don't want to find that out the hard way. so, i will challenge them and they will come together.
you know the best thing about being a skipper is the worst thing. it's all my responsibility. so i'll tell you what george, you stay off of my bridge, and i'll stay out of your galley. we'll get along that way.
come in.
well, that's all part of it.
that's part of it, too.
uh, huh.
sometimes it gets exciting out here.
barometer's dropping. the first blow'll come from the south. might get interesting.
you can't run from the wind son. you trim your sails, face the music and let the chips fall. bill, let's close her up, dog, tight.
furl the squares, reef the main, and bend on the storm jib, but keep it furled. drop everything but the inner jib. i want everybody down before we get any lightning.
george.  i want hot food in everybody. get to it.
yep.
do me a favor and tell bill once she's dogged down i want everyone to break out their slickers and make sure their gear is stowed or we'll spend the next week sorting underwear. lawford, bill, mike, john, and phil will stand the watch. everyone else hit the racks.
no. that's for sure. charlie, take his place.
take the wheel.
everyone out of the rigging now!
bill, on the wheel with chuck.
bring it down and run up the storm jib. we'll fix it later. stay out of reach of the blocks!
well, we're in it now.
hold her steady.
be careful will ya?
let's get that storm jib up.
get him in.
do it now bill.
shark. don't lose it son.
well, now you have something to write home about.
yep.
it's a good sail boys.
as you like.
hard to port! hard to port!!
start the engine. all ahead full!! scallop the square and drop the rest!!
after midterms we'll finish our run down to curacao.
i have arranged to host a good will cruise for the dutch students of the local school there.
each one of you will be responsible for one student. i'll expect you to be courteous. you represent this school and your country. we'll sail in the morning.
you're officer of the watch, george.
we're short one long boat too. come on.
i guess we know what the next acquisition for the galley is going to be.
a padlock.
spirits have a way of bringing that out.
they're in a hurry to grow up. they don't know about consequences or responsibility. that's being sixteen too. i promise you one thing.
they'll know about it in the morning.
the thing about fishing george, is you need to let 'em run some. give 'em just enough slack so they don't break the line. but at the same time you've gotta keep enough tension to wear 'em down, bring 'em in slowly so they don't really know they're hooked.
you know what a loose cannon is? 'bout the worst thing that could happen to a wooden ship. all it took was one, crashing around the deck in a storm.  it'd smash everything in its way, maybe take out a mast or punch a hole right through the hull. think about it, just one cannon not tied down, not anchored, could take a whole 'man of war' straight to the bottom.
now, if the skipper were smart, if he could see a storm building, why he'd cut loose every gun on his boat. even though it would leave him at a disadvantage in battle, he'd push 'em into the sea. better chance running for port than risk the entire ship, his crew.
people are like that sometimes. they cut loose and before you know it, they're knocking holes in everything. so you gotta ask yourself if it might not be better to just put 'em off before they sink the whole thing. i mean after all, you can always get new cannons.
i want a tight ship, everybody shaved and in clean clothes when we make curacao. if it goes well, if your mid terms are acceptable, i may reconsider my decision about the rest of the trip. that's all.
a very enthusiastic welcome.
thank you. you're all ready to sail then?
and, of course, we are.
what is it we can do for you today?
i didn't know, phil.
alright, gentlemen, we sail with the tide. twenty-three hundred. sharp. i'm not waiting. have a good time tonight but be back on time.
he would have loved this.
all his years at sea, he never stopped talking about these islands.
every hour. every minute. i wish he was here. i wish he could have sailed our girl. seen these boys.
i'd have liked to have said goodbye.
you sound so sure.
he never would have believed a woman like you existed.
guilty.
would you allow me?
bill, lower a long boat. we'll bring her up with the davit.
what do you think?
nice shot.
finish it.
you already have. now go on. do it.
what the hell is wrong with you?!
come on. you got so much fight in you; you wanna kill something? take your best shot. the first one's free.
that's what i thought. you're done. you're going home.
come.
what's on your mind?
well, spit it out.
can't do it.
close the door. sit down.
why do you think i'm sending him home?
the dolphin was a symptom.
of a fight he can't win out here.
they have every right chuck.
let me tell you something about phil's father, and your's too. how do you think you got here? you think this is all free, that they owe you something? you think they enjoy riding subways and commuter trains, driving buses or pulling lobster traps? work fifty weeks a year to keep you in tennis shoes and private school? look around at how the rest of the world lives chuck. we're the luckiest people alive, every one of us. they gave it up for you and phil, and me too my friend.
there are ground rules in families just like on this boat. if you and phil don't like it, i'm sorry. someday you'll understand that, and if you're lucky, you'll come home and find your best friend has been there all along waiting for you to forgive him for being a father. it'll be the way it used to be, when you were ten and your dad was a giant.
does phil know how you guys feel?
you should tell him. that's something he can take with him.
i'm all ears.
i can take it.
why did we begin this?
because we believed we could make an impact out here. self reliance and community through the disciplines of sailing.
phil, he's not looking inside. he's just striking out at the world.
well, he better learn to own it. actions have consequences. it's not what happens here alice, it's what they take away with them.
oh hell.
i know, phil.
they never gave up on you, you know.
i don't know.
she's cuban.
get down! everybody down!!
jesus, we're americans!!! we're americans!!!
bill drop everything. do it now!
who the hell do they think they are?
tell them we're the american school ship, albatross.
not a chance. remind them that according to the geneva convention, firing on a civilian vessel on the high sea is an act of war.
tell 'em to come aboard.
we've come a long way gentlemen. but this is no time for heroes. i know you're much more, but i need you to be boys right now. that's an order. now scatter and find your passports.
what's that?
no. bring him on deck with the others.
so is violating international law.
your cannons made a compelling argument.
he left his passport in curacao. it's being mailed to panama.
nobody aboard my ship is going anywhere.
what do you want?
take it.
now, get the hell off my ship.
las estrellas es lo unico, que un marinero verdadero se mesesita para encontrarse. verdade patron?
alright then, let's get outta here.
land ho!
claiming their place in the world.
everybody okay?
all hands keep out of the rigging and stay clear of the masts.
all right gentlemen. thor's had his fun. let's keep a keen eye.
no! stay down!!
white squall!
hard to starboard!!! hard to starboard!!!
oh please, no. not this woman.
alice, get up!! come on girl!!
get out!! get out!! jesus christ, please god, alice get out!!!
johnny, it's not good.
raise your sail, bill. north, north- east. keep a sharp look out for florida.
she's gone.  she's gone.
carry on.
north, north-east. and dick, please make a note of our final position.
i'm sorry. i'm so sorry.
thank you.
yes i do. and it's private. very private.
no, thank you.
i understand.
it wasn't hard.
the coast guard 'eagle'. she never lost a race while you were skipper.
 absolutely not.
i am accountable.
he climbed when he was ready.
yes, i was.
yes, i was.
no. i didn't.
no.
i can't be sure.
we'd come twelve thousand miles together, through every kind of seas imaginable.
they are much more than that, sir.
for killing a dolphin.
yes, that's true.
i don't think one second of this is funny, sir.
yes.
my father, was more seaman, more of a man, than you might ever hope to be.
i don't know that anything could have prevented what happened.
maybe you can't see what's happening here, but it's clear to me. i appreciate what you're trying to do tod. maybe you could live with it, but i couldn't. if you think i'm going to let a sixteen year old take responsibility, then you underestimate me. the albatross was my ship. the ocean academy was my school. her loss is mine and mine alone. i can't bring your sons back. if you want my ticket, if that will ease your loss, it's the least i can do. this.
this is easy. living with it, that'll be hard.
you tell them chuck.
that's right.