The lure of salt air and white canvas in RTD’s tall ships documentaries

Naval traditions are kept alive in Russia’s fleet of tall ship training vessels. The elaborately-rigged sailing ships are used to give naval cadets experience of teamwork and the rigours of life at sea over a century ago. Each year the vessels take part in the gruelling tall ships race pitting their skills against teams from other countries. Sometimes the voyage itself can be the battle, as shown in the film (Atlantic) Ocean’s Eighteen. The film charts the journey of Peter the Great’s flagship ‘Shtandart’ as she crosses the Atlantic with a crew of novices with little experience of life at sea.