Dunedin features in a recently completed documentary about O'Coineen's experience. ‘The Unsinkable Entrepreneur’ won the best international documentary award at the 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival in the United States. It has been screened at a few film festivals since in Ireland, Finland and the United States and in Stockholm, Sweden.
The film highlights O’Coineen’s life-long love of sailing and his determination to overcome challenges to become only the 71st sailor to complete a solo round the world voyage.
As O’Coineen said, more people have been to space than have completed a solo round-the-world yacht journey.
Dunedin features in the documentary as O’Coineen was towed to Port Chalmers and stayed there when he had to withdraw from the Vendee race. He returned almost a year later with a refitted yacht to complete the round-the world journey even though the race was over.
O’Coineen spoke warmly about Dunedin, his gratitude for being towed safely to land after his mishap south of New Zealand, the delightful Careys Bay pub where he stayed, and being stunned at the close interest in his adventures from across New Zealand.
He has maintained connections with New Zealand, including with the Spirit of Adventure Trust through exchange programmes between Ireland and New Zealand. He’s now working to put a 70-foot yacht, the 'Spirit of Shackleton', with 16 young sailors into a round the world race with the Atlantic Youth Trust.
The Unsinkable Entrepreneur has not reached New Zealand yet, but Taylor encouraged O’Coineen to find a way to have it screened there, including in Dunedin.
- David Taylor
