Sailing Just Got Real

Virtual reality just got more real for sailors, thanks to filmmaker Alex Pearce. Just check out this video of him sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge aboard his Sausalito-based Cascade 36 LaDonna Jean. (The videos should be interactive right from your browser — Chrome preferred. Click and hold to look in any direction. Right click to put in full screen and to change the way you view it.)

In case you’re not up on everything tech, 360° video is the latest-greatest, even though it uses technology we sailors know well: GoPro cameras. A specially designed housing holds seven GoPros, then ultra-fancy software stitches all the files together to create a more-or-less seamless 360° video. Viewers use their mouse to move the view to whatever angle they prefer. The videos can also be viewed through special goggles, which make for an even more realistic — and, quite honestly, breathtaking — experience.

Pearce also keeps his Cal 2-29 Shrimp Louie in Marina del Rey. On a recent sail out to Catalina Island, he was escorted by a huge pod of dolphins, which he captured on 360. If you have landlubber friends who can’t understand what the fuss is all about, send them a link to this story. Just be ready for them to invite themselves on future cruises!