Olaf Crato about “Blackwaters”

Morgan Noireaux won the Aloha Classic twice (Pic: Olaf Crato)

Continentseven: Why did you decide to produce a film about Morgan Noireaux?
Olaf Crato: Morgan is one of the most progressive sailors out there – I just love to see how he combines his style with serious power surfing. I hate to see windsurfing getting so little attention in the media. Surfing has gotten so big now, major out-of-industry sponsors signing on, and that’s great, but windsurfing, and especially wave sailing has so much to show. I just wanted to start a project we hope to get into more main stream channels and raise people’s interest in the sport again. It’s a tall order, I know, but I really want to at least try.

Continentseven: When did you two meet and what’s your connection to Morgan?
Olaf Crato: I’ve known Morgan for a long time, not very well as I knew his parents better, but yeah, I’ve sailed with Morgan probably the first time when he wasn’t even ten years old yet. I grew up on Maui (part time) and met Morgan’s parents windsurfing, probably in the late 90’s.

Morgan at Jaws (Pic: Olaf Crato)

Continentseven: What’s your background in filmmaking and when did you start to produce stuff in windsurfing?
Olaf Crato: I have an extensive background in photography. I started out over 15 years ago and did lots of shoots in the snowboard sector, then later in fashion and other lifestyle areas. It all started though when I was working for Neil Pryde in Hong Kong and I shot most of their photos of their Asian Windsurfing Tour…from there on out I was hooked. In the last 5 years or so many of my photo clients also asked for clips of the shoot or ‘making of’ films so from there I started branching out. As I am currently traveling with my family for little over a year and shooting a documentary about it (What Dreamers Do…) the project with Morgan fits in really nicely.

Continentseven: You already started to film? How is it to work with Morgan?
Olaf Crato: We’re actually almost done filming. Morgan will be going traveling and so will I so we have limited time left. The way it looks though we might get one major Peahi swell before we wrap things up.Working with Morgan is actually great. He’s a very easy-going, mild mannered person. Nowadays, with all the chest thumping self marketeers out there he’s such a refreshing change. On top of that it’s nice to work with someone motivated who brings a lot of ideas into the project.

A magic moment at Lanes (Pic: Olaf Crato)

Continentseven: When will you release the film and what are your expectations?
Olaf Crato: The film will be released late June 2016. We are shooting for some of the larger distribution platforms (iTunes and the like) but are not sure if we manage to do it all in time. I’d rather release the project for free than wait until winter to get it out. The main idea of the film is to show where windsurfing and wave sailing in particular is going. I believe the imagery is quite appealing for a great many people and I really want to try and reach as big an audience as I can. The lifestyle associated with windsurfing today is by far not as alluring as it used to be…surfing took that over, but there’s really no reason it should stay that way.

Continentseven: Do you windsurf, too?
Olaf Crato: Yes I do. I’ve been sailing since the late 80’s and of course having gone to high school on Maui during the heyday of windsurfing I hardly had a choice.

©continentseven 2016, pics by Olaf Crato

• Morgan Noireaux in Olaf Crato’s “Blackwater teaser”
• Morgan Noireaux in an interview in late 2014
• Morgan windsurfing at Lobitos and Pacasmayo in Peru
• Olaf Crato’s website