Thu, Sep 6, 1973
A 1500 mile journey across the world's largest desert in sailboats. An eight-man team of experts spent four weeks navigating the Sahara from Algeria to the Atlantic Coast of Mauritania. The crafts are three-wheeled boats that can streak across the dunes at speeds up to 60 mph. Sahara means wilderness in Arabic and several scenes capture the feeling. Nomadic tribes of Moors, caught in a devastating drought are forced to slaughter their camels for food or free them to fend for themselves. The hazards include erratic winds, uneven terrain, long hauls between water and temperatures that rise over 100 by day and dive below freezing at night.