Disney's "Morning Light" Project

Billionaire scion and avid sailor Roy E. Disney is embarking on a new documentary project called "Morning Light," in which 15 young sailors from disparate backgrounds participate in a transpacific yacht race from L.A. to Honolulu. Disney specifically sought sailors who didn't fit the rich, male, "white bread" mold typical in the sport of sailing.

Disney told the L.A. Times, ""You can't get any farther from a piece of land in the world than you are when you're halfway to Hawaii. I think the drama is about the young people coming together. This is not a story about boats. It's a story about people. Boats are really, really boring. The drama is simply inherent in the human condition."

The 15 sailors will fly to Honolulu in January to train under Olympic gold medalist Robbie Haines. The team will be whittled down to 11 in April, with four alternates, and the race will take place in July. Included among the 15 finalists (chosen from a pool of 538 applicants) is Mark Towill, a Honolulu native and Punahou Senior, who at 17, is the youngest of the bunch.

>> Disney Lands a New Sea Crew [L.A. Times, 8/15/06]
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