Sailboat Game Based on the movie Waterworld
Starring: Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dennis Hopper and Jack Black
Have you seen the movie Waterworld? Being a sailor I sure enjoyed it. Ofcourse, I enjoy any movie that features a sailboat. :)
There were two trimarans built for the movie. The first was mostly a prop that had all the fancy stuff for the close up shots. That one is at a lake in Universal Studios Florida. The second one was a fully functional sailboat and is in private hands.
The story is that climate change melted the ice caps and the entire world is now underwater. Survivors live in various boats which all look like they are held together with duct tape and other improvised means.
The main character that Kevin Costner plays has a really neat trimaran sailboat and it is outfitted with all sorts of doo-dads and hokey controls the provide him a means to dart around on the boat adjusting stuff to make it go fast.
The Lime Tree
When sailors first started making long voyages across the ocean, they started to suffer from a disease called Scurvy. It is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. Since the plot of the movie has the earth covered in water, Costner's character carries around a small lime tree as a source of his vitamin C. So the tree is really important not to loose.
In one scene of the movie, the tree is accidentally knocked over, and Costner's character is being chased by the bad guys. He cranks some winches, swings his boat around and as he sails by, he snatches the lime tree out of the water to save it.
How You Play The Waterworld Sailboat Game
Every puddle duck has a tennis ball that is tied inside of a sock - this is your lime tree. You have to throw your lime tree forward into the water and then go pick it up. You are not allowed to carry it, you have to constantly throw it, and then retrieve it. The first one to sail around the course wins.
If someone else's ball lands in your boat, you must immdiately drop (not throw) it over the transom. You are not allowed to pickup someone else's ball.
This is also a fun game to do when you are just out sailing around with your kids. My kids like it, I tied a string to a mostly empty water bottle and flung it forward, and my kids would lean over the side and snatch it as we went by. Then I'd throw it forward again, and they would snatch it again. Hours of fun.
I am sure there are many ways to integrate this into our other sailboat games too.
Here is a picture of the functioning waterworld trimaran when spotted at Harbor Island in San Diego. I have heard she is named LoeReal.