When Tomek Ciezki of Heavy Man Films was asked to meet a man who wanted to make a video of his “holiday and travel photos”, he was initially doubtful.
However, the footage took him aback – he was stunned by the quality of images captured by former Connacht rugby player Damien Browne of his rowing, mountaineering and trekking adventures.
Several years later, Ciezki found himself working with Browne and his then teammate Fergus Farrell on a documentary about their proposed transatlantic row from New York to Galway. The pair aimed to break the existing Guinness World Record and raise funds for four charities.
As Man Versus Ocean:112 Days explores, the actual row was somewhat more dramatic than any of the men had envisaged. A series of unfortunate events led to Browne spending 100 of the 112 days at sea on his own.
Farrell, who had learned to walk again after he sustained a traumatic spinal injury, had to be evacuated after 12 days for medical reasons. However, tension was already building between the pair even before they left New York, and the documentary reflects the strain put on that friendship.
A fine was levied by New York park rangers for filming on the Manhattan High Line without full authorisation, a last-minute dash to ensure satellite phones were working, customs delays, and other headaches made for as much drama on land as at sea. The documentary had to be made on a shoestring budget, with some development funding from RTÉ and a lot of goodwill and community support.
However, Ciezki is hoping that a longer version will be released to an international audience, depicting the full ordeal of five capsizes, fickle weather, and Browne’s bumpy landing off Furbo in Galway in the middle of the night. That was just hours after he had enjoyed every crumb and crust of sandwiches his mother Mary had made for him for his arrival off Inis Oírr…
Ciezki spoke to Wavelengths and the interview is below:
