Review of Captain Humphreys Project

Some time before January 2006, Eric Humphreys made a resolution to get up off his lazy bum and set sail around the world in an attempt to set a world’s record with the smallest boat at 11.5’. Joined by psychiatrist Dr. Bob O’Connor, Bob’s brother David as producer, and Glenn Herman as editor, they pitched the idea to cable network executives to no avail. So they decided to make it happen themselves. What resulted is a 140+ episode vlog of the team “preparing” for the journey (they have yet to actually set sail…or even make the boat). While it seems that the project has been dormant since around late July 2006, the forum has remained active with speculation about the project’s future.

Episodes center around the ideology behind the project, as well as production decisions about how the project will go down. Each episode is hosted by one of several wenches, er… women (or Phil McGlaston) ranging from the young and vibrant Stephanie Warren to the newscaster-like Charlene taub. About halfway through the project, they catch wind of another sailor hoping to complete the same journey in an even smaller 8’ boat. He joins the cast as Captain Nemesis, and helps bring a dramatic element to the project. Episodes last about 5-7 minutes each and they contain a good amount of commentary from each of the four-team members. Each member also kept a blog

from January through May, posting as they saw fit. In case the project ever picks up again, you can subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates, or you can show your support by purchasing Café Press merchandise with either “Sink or Swim” or “He Will Crap Over the Side” mottos.

Episode 25 takes quite a deviation from any discussion of boating or sailing, as it shows footage from an organized pillow fight in NYC’s Union Square with each team member “commenting” on their participation. Some more to-the-point episodes include one speculating on the size of the production boat that will precede Eric in his travels (and which he vehemently opposes), and an another putting tattoos into a historical context. Of course, the most appropriate episode asks the pressing question, “What if…”, wondering what will happen if Eric never sails. The team comes up with plenty of ideas for Eric, and he remains vigilant that he will one day set sail as promised.