Historically, it has nearly always been the case that great inventions or discoveries were made by those individuals who could say “but what if?” in the face of prescribed ways of thinking and conventions. These individuals were truly extraordinary and we owe a lot to their ability to be determined in the face of doubt, ridicule, or judgment.

Fortunately, times seem to have changed and today innovation and inquisitiveness are deemed to be prized abilities. This seems to be the thought behind this short film series commission by Mazda Motor Corporation. Indeed, through this short film series, Mazda is celebrating three individuals whose ability to go against the grain led to them to create or achieve exceptional things.

You can watch this video below on the link:

Mazda Challengers – A Sea Of Dreams from Firecracker Films on Vimeo.

While all the short films in this series enable us to meet special individuals, we must say that we are particularly fascinated by the short film dedicated to yacht designer John Shuttleworth. Mr. Shuttleworth designed his first boat when he was just 12 years old and this experience ignited his lifelong passion for excellent boat design and sailing.

Efficiency is at the core of sailing boat design and because of his extensive experience in this area, Mr. Shuttleworth used the principle of efficiency for the creation of a state-of-the-art yacht.  Indeed, Mr. Shuttleworth created a yacht that features a revolutionary lightweight design that provides a superior windward performance, speed, and most importantly safety.  It is also quite significant that this vessel can travel half way around the world with just one tank of fuel.

Mr. Shuttleworth affectionately calls this boat a “Design Everest” simply because it is one of a kind and no one has ever designed something like it. The designer goes on to say, “if this boat could change attitudes, that’ll be great” and we couldn’t agree more.