Imagine finding out that a real-world Superman had died. Thomas Simmons felt that way when he learned that his uncle, Mike Plant, had been found dead after his yacht, Coyote, disappeared in 1992.

What made Plant so revered? He was one of a handful of people to circumnavigate the earth on a yacht. He did it three times, and oh, he also did it alone.

That’s why Simmons placed his uncle on a pedestal. Though only 10 when his Uncle Mike vanished, he carried the story with him through the decades, eventually directing Coyote: The Mike Plant Story.

Both uncle and nephew grew up in Minnesota, but Plant moved to Newport, Rhode Island. His family would make excursions to see Plant. “I remember him being a man of few words, so when he spoke — especially directly to me — I listened intently,” Simmons says.

One moment seared itself into Simmons’s memory. “I was seven-years-old, aboard an old tugboat in Newport, when Mike crossed the finish line of the 1986-87 BOC Challenge victorious. That moment was larger than life for me and my family.

“I remember seeing a smile on Mike’s face that I had never seen before,” Simmons recalls. “To me, Mike was a pretty serious person. Focused. I didn’t see him step out of that mode very often, so the Newport day was especially large and a memory that will last forever.”

Plant cemented his place as a superhero figure when, soon after winning the Newport race, the sailor regaled his nephew’s Minnesota class with his tales of racing. The man he idolized was larger than life to Simmons, and he wanted to bring the hero of his youth to life again by making a film.

Creating Coyote: The Mike Plant Story was not an easy undertaking, especially since Simmons had no prior experience in film. He’d worked for seven years as an

investment banker and was leaping into new waters with unknown rules and obstacles. However, the neophyte director was determined to overcome all hurdles. “I knew in my heart I was working with a special story that was very important to me and my family — there was no giving up.”

As with many other things in life, success is at least partly about the people you surround yourself with; Simmons had that in mind when assembling the documentary’s crew. “I had a vision, but needed the right logistical guidance, know-how, and emotional support. Ryan Lynch [a producer] and his business partner, Matt Walker [also a producer], were there near the start and a big help,” Simmons recounts. “A fortunate connection to a star cinematographer, Johnny Decesare, via Ryan Lynch, completed the chemistry that made the production a success. We were a tight knit team; each of these guys believed in me and the message behind Mike’s path.”

While Simmons never got to Plant’s level of devotion to sailing, he does like the sport and spending time on a boat. Yet the nephew-turned-filmmaker did have something in common with his long-gone uncle — the difficulty both had obtaining funding. It was a whole new world for Simmons, but he remembered Plant talking about how hard it was to acquire money for sailing.

“I’m not built for raising money, but never felt like I was selling anything to anybody. Like Mike, I was communicating my dream, and I think people responded positively to that with incredible generosity.”

The story Simmons was selling was not of a boy and his hero. Plant’s tale was one of an adventure: the professional offshore sailor from the U.S. battled both the predicaments posed by sailing alone around the world and French dominance in the sport. If anyone could succeed, it was Plant, a world traveler whose previous exploits included a solo trek of South America, an encounter with Greek authorities, and time in a Portuguese prison.

Coyote: The Mike Plant Story did succeed in becoming a full-length documentary. It has been distributed digitally and at some festivals, and Simmons and crew hope for a full theatrical release.

Plant’s final creation was a radically designed sailing vessel, Coyote, but telling his uncle’s story sparked a new passion in Simmons. “I would love to make another documentary film,” he says. “I’m currently searching for another subject that makes my heart move like Mike’s story. Getting to the finish line with a project like this requires a deep connection to the story you are telling; I hope to find that next dream.”

While Simmons navigates towards the next dream, his childhood hero is on a sailboat, forever looking onto an eternal horizon.

To learn more about the documentary, visit http://www.coyotedocumentary.com/.

By Michael Griffin

 

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