This is a story about a protagonist whose concept of the bounds of reality are far beyond what would be considered normal. Born in South Africa, and later emigrating to Australia – he ended up having a midlife crisis and spent a year reflecting on a Brisbane beach.
During this time he put his mind to building a machine that sails on the snow (with all that famous Australian snow!) with a view to sailing it in Antarctica. He drew it out as a sketch. In his final visit to his dying father, he showed him the design, and his dad loved it and told him to go for it.
After the tragic loss of his dad months later, he returned to Cape Town for the funeral. Whilst returning back to Brisbane, the plane was forced to take a diversion south, due to wind conditions. The diversion took them over the Antarctic coastline which was clearly a sign for Charles to go for it.
Our film covers this story, and the adventures he had with the snowsailer called “Papa One”, meeting his future wife, Margo, and evolving the design. With all the ups and downs of becoming an adventurer, the incessant training and the ordeals of lugging the snowsailer around the globe – I found Charles Werb’s experiences as an inventor and adventurer truly inspiring.
