About the Project
It all began with a passion…or two…In Her Ocean Wake is the first ever mother & daughter duo to be competing in the Melbourne to Osaka Double Handed Yacht Race. In 2025, we will be sailing the 5,500 nautical miles to Japan.
Not only is the Melbourne to Osaka Australia’s longest Category 1 ocean race…But it is also one of the only South to North long distance ocean races in the world.
However, it is about more than a few ocean races. From a background of documenting sailing on YouTube, In Her Ocean Wake aims to use the opportunity of the Melbourne to Osaka Cup and all of the lead-up events/ preparation, which includes the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race to make a series of YouTube videos.
In addition to a YouTube series, we are also hoping to create a feature-length documentary to submit to internationally recognised film festivals to share the passion and spirit of women inspired to conquer oceans.
COVID-19 was a pivotal point in my life, before this abrupt change in the world I had only ever worked in hospitality. With that industry in a hiatus during lockdowns, I found myself in a rut living aboard Nakama in a marina while Simon worked an essential service job in a call centre as a “tech expert” talking customers through turning their internet on & off when it was no longer working. One afternoon Simon brought home a drone & that weekend, when lockdown restrictions permitted, we went sailing. Filming that small weekend getaway with the new drone & my old Nikon DSLR camera, then returning to the marina and stringing together this below-average videography ignited my passion for film & editing. We would continue to get odd bits of content from doing boat jobs and I once again had a sense of purpose during the week. It was like someone had breathed a new sense of life into me. I was hungry to learn more. Simon eventually had enough of the abuse from angry customers and decided to walk away from his call centre job. Since then, we have been sailing and documenting our journey. Studying a Bachelor of Digital Media was a way to expand my knowledge of this creative industry, but in combination with having a platform to regularly upload our content to, which has built us a truly loyal audience, has been my biggest way of growth with film & editing. Allowing me to immediately apply my knowledge from university, and practice practice practice to get to where I am today. YouTube has taught me so much, but it’s time I take the next leap into filmmaking. And what a perfect way to combine my passion for sailing, and taking on a new challenge with my passion for filming/editing to showcase the highs and lows this journey is bound to produce, and create a full-length documentary. It’s just my mum & I, and Fika, three ocean races, and the camera.
A word from Soph…
Sophie’s Portfolio
The Next Chapter.
The first video of a new series by Slim & Soph. A taste for what’s to come sailing down the wild West Coast of Australia.
Sailing the Roaring Forties.
A journey into the Southern Ocean as part of the Melbourne to Hobart Westcoaster. With a crew of 8, team Fika set off from Port Phillip Bay to cross Bass Strait and sail down the rugged West Coast of Tasmania eventually heading East and into the city of Hobart.
This video was Sophie’s first attempt at a long-format and documentary-style video wanting to showcase the Westcoaster Race in its entirety.
The Extra Mile.
The Extra Mile stemmed from a university assignment to create a 30-second video advertisement.
This advertisement showcases Highfields rigid inflatable boat.
In Her Ocean Wake aims to showcase the limits a mother & daughter are willing to push to pursue adventure. We hope the series & full-length film will not only entertain ocean enthusiasts and adventure lovers but stand as a pillar of inspiration for those with big dreams to get out there and give it a crack.
More…
Naturally, it’s going to take a lot to make this happen. Time and energy go into creating videos that are accessible to all and cameras slowly corrode from living on the ocean. While the YouTube videos are free, the final documentary will be pay per view, however, if you wish to support the video series on YouTube and the documentary we are inspired to create, we welcome donations that will go towards our time editing and camera gear. Alongside publishing videos, all donors will receive the ability to watch the documentary free of charge as a token of our gratitude for your pre-production support.