PURSUIT
RON MACANNAN
“I've narrowed down the things I have to take care of on the boat to a little under 500.”
- RON MACANNAN
Ron MacAnnan was a Sausalito legend and proud owner of one of the most impeccable vessels in the Sausalito Yacht Harbor–one of the last of the M Class boats–an 82′ sloop, Pursuit. A sleek wooden racing yacht built in 1929, Pursuit was truly one-of-a-kind and a showstopper for passersby on the waterfront. Ron MacAnnan and Pursuit were intertwined by time and experience. One would not be without the other. In this portrait Ron tells his story of how he acquired Pursuit, his unique part in Sausalito's history, and the wisdom earned by years of simply aiming for the horizon.
Sadly, on March 2, 2018, Ron MacAnnan fell overboard on his yacht Pursuit and drowned in Richardson Bay in Sausalito. He was 92.
The marina just isn’t the same without Ron. Rest in paradise, old salt.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Behind the Scenes
THE FIRST DOCUMENTARY IN THE SERIES
Not long after I bought my boat and got a slip in Sausalito Yacht Harbor, I was amazed by the incredible, interesting people who congregated there. The "interesting characters per capita" rate was certainly higher than in the general population. Being a filmmaker and storyteller, I quickly started thinking about filming these individuals and their stories.
I'm simplifying here, but eventually, one of the people I talked to about this—Vince Maggiora—strongly suggested that my first story should be about Ron MacAnnan.
Ron wasn't really interested in talking to me and didn't seem to give a damn that I wanted to make a film about him. But eventually, Vince, who had known Ron for a long time, convinced him to do an interview. The crucial part was that Vince was going to ask the questions. I would just run the camera. Vince knew something about interviewing from his time as a photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle, but basically, he just asked Ron to tell the stories he'd heard from him over the years.
A few times when I came to shoot on Ron's boat, I was turned away. "I don't fuck around" was his way of saying he was busy. Fortunately, he liked Kat a lot more than he liked me, and was flirtatious with her, so eventually, between Vince and Kat's help, I shot enough to put together a film.
I also somehow managed to get invited for a sail on Ron's boat, Pursuit, and Kat convinced Ron to give us a tour, which I filmed.
So that's how it started: our first film in the "Life on the Water" series. No budget, no sponsors, no donations.
We thought we might recoup some money through screenings, but this turned out to be much harder than we anticipated. We premiered the film for free at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor. Ron did not come, but a lot of people did. In fact, more and more people kept coming until the club ran out of chairs and had to turn people away. Everyone stayed until the end of the film, followed up with a great Q&A. The audience was positive and excited; we thought, "Okay, we have something here."
We screened the film at several other yacht clubs around the Bay Area, always to enthusiastic audiences. Our biggest screening was at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, coinciding with Ron's birthday. Kat called Ron's landline to invite him to attend. His wife answered, and after Kat delivered the invitation, she said, "It ain't gonna happen," then hung up! We got the message to Ron another way, and he did come to the Throckmorton screening—minus his wife. He even got on stage and gave a great speech. Kat joined Ron on stage, wheeling a huge sheet cake. the candles ablaze, while the audience sang Happy Birthday to him. Surprised and delighted, Ron later left a voicemail for Kat to thank us for the evening.
The man was a great talker with a fantastic sense of humor. One thing I remember him saying was that a lot of people think he's cheap for wearing a jacket patched up with duct tape, but he wanted everyone to know it was "the best duct tape money can buy."