Tailwind from Europe

Tailwind from Europe

This documentary chronicles a significant futuristic experiment being conducted to find out if it is possible in the 21st century to deliver cargo just by the power of the wind. A man whose passion is the sea takes on the challenge.

Andreas Lackner is a man with a vision. He's a sailor, a captain and an entrepreneur. His brigantine "Tres Hombres" delivers goods all along Europe's coastlines and even braves the waves of the Atlantic. But that is only the beginning. Lackner is striving to solve one of the most pressing issues of our time: the environmental catastrophe playing itself out on the earth's oceans. One billion tons of C02 are pumped annually into the atmosphere. Emissions of sulfur poison our water, toxic soot and fine particulates our air. Each year, up to 50,000 deaths in Europe alone are attributed to shipping pollution. Lackner and a group of bold sailors and engineers have set sail on their mission to rediscover wind energy for the world's freight shipping needs. Against the resistance of powerful shipping companies, they have developed an innovative hybrid ship - the sail-freighter of the 21st century.