WATCH THE TRAILER

In the face of a crumbling planet of lunatic warlords, these young people choose to go to sea. All across the world, tall ships have become a refuge for outcasts, artists, and decent people at the end of their rope—inclusive, radical communities, sailing (sorry) literal pirate ships. Filming over several years across several vessels, crews, and captains, Scupperpunk dives into this hidden subculture, interviewing dozens of sailors across a wide spectrum of age, race, creed, and gender (truthfully, most of them are queer, but that’s tall ships for you), and invites you to consider if a life of adventure on the high seas is right for you.

Annaliese Dempsey (she/her) is an anthropologist and nautical archaeologist, the creator of Texas A&M’s Sail Training Pilot Program for the Department of Anthropology, and is in the last stages of completing her doctoral research focused on the shipwreck of Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge. She served as the Chief Mate on Hawaiian Chieftain in 2018, and has sailed nearly 10 years with Grays Harbor Historic Seaport. She is also from Utah, so this is a miracle.

Donny Knowles (they/them) is an artist and adventure videographer who specializes in tall ships, be they sailing or wrecked. Hailing from Nassau, New Providence in the Bahamas, they got their start in exploration with the Shipwreck Institute for Education and Local Development, documenting their underwater excavation of the Highbourne Cay Shipwreck in the Exumas. They have sailed two tours with Grays Harbor Historic Seaport with a third coming up in 2024, achieving the coveted rank of Senior Deckhand in 2018.