Authenticity
The film is based on Junger's non-fiction book of the same title. The book itself has sometimes been accused of factual errors (e.g., misspelling of a person's name), one-sided research (e.g., initially not interviewing the skipper and owner of the yacht Satori) and bias against the fishing industry (e.g., role of drinking among fishermen); the author and, according to him, also fishermen, have defended the book. The film omits many of the book's technical details, like the prominent role of the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as contested parts about the Andrea Gail 's stability (resistance to capsizing).
The film only claims to be "based on a true story". It differs in many ways from the book, starting with the fictionalization of the material into a "story". The film also continues to narrate the story of the Andrea Gail after its last radio contact. As the boat and the bodies of the crew were never found, these final events (e.g., the decision to change course, the 180° knockdown, etc.) are entirely speculation.
Most names were not changed for the fictional film. The families of certain crew members of the Andrea Gail sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed. The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.
An exception is the portrayal of the yacht whose crew was taken off-board by the US Coast Guard. Its story is clearly based on the events surrounding the Westsail 32 Satori, which are also dealt with in Junger's book; Junger's version of the event, however, is contested by the owner and skipper of the yacht, who was not interviewed for Junger's book, but is supported by the two crewmembers on the Satori and the Coast Guard rescuers. The film highly fictionalizes the story of the Satori; it renames the boat Mistral, and leaves its crew anonymous, making no explicit claim about the "true" identity of the boat.
According to the owner's son, the Satori never made a 360° roll (a capsize), although it had two knockdowns, during which it lay on its side for about 30 seconds. The owner and skipper of the Satori, Ray Leonard, had confidence in the boat, having sailed her in difficult conditions before, whereas his two female crewmembers were in a state of panic. He allowed them to make a position report over radio, but while Leonard was out of earshot their tone became so agitated that it was misinterpreted as a Mayday. One of those crewmembers reported that she was so convinced that she was going to die that she wrote her name down and put it into a plastic bag so that her body could be identified when it was finally found, and they believed - quite erroneously - that the boat was close to breaking up. The Coast Guard declared the voyage manifestly unsafe and ordered everyone off-board - including the unwilling skipper. The Coast Guard first tried to take them on board via an inflatable boat, but after it was damaged when trying to approach the Satori they sent a helicopter, which is a much riskier approach as a rescue swimmer must jump in the dangerous seas. The Coast Guard helicopter did not try to lower rescue gear onto the yacht (as shown in the film, where it gets entangled with the mast), but rather asked the crew of the Satori to jump overboard to meet a rescue swimmer in the water. Leonard eventually complied, wanting to look after his crew in the water, and knowing he wouldn't be able to use US ports for several years if he failed to follow the orders. After they were on board the helicopter, the crew of the damaged inflatable boat were rescued. Different from the film's narrative, this helicopter was not identical to the National Guard helicopter, which later had an emergency landing on water and lost a crew member, Rick Smith.
In spite of the attempts of Leonard to locate the Satori after the storm while she was still afloat, she was found a few days later washed ashore on a Maryland beach, having sustained no damage after the crew left her. A bag of personal belongings left on deck was still there, showing that the boat suffered no further problems whilst sailing herself. Leonard paid for a 60ft fishing vessel to drag her off the beach, helped by a channel dug by Park Rangers who had been guarding the boat. He continued to sail the boat until 2000, and she remains in use today. The story is often used as an example of how yachts are frequently far more capable than their crew in extreme conditions. Leonard says the bad publicity from the accounts of the storm lost him most of his work delivering boats, and said that he is "not bitter, but I don't think the book or movie explained what sailing's all about. Bluewater sailors are sharp, self-reliant, and proud." Video footage of the real rescue is available here.
Read more about this topic: The Perfect Storm (film)