To an outsider, competitive sailing seems like a glamorous sport and a pastime for the wealthy and privileged. In the new film "Morning Light," however, Roy E. Disney shows that sailing is hard, grueling work that can take the lives of even the most experienced sailors.

Disney, an accomplished sailor and the nephew of the late Walt Disney, decided to gather a group of young, talented men and women to serve as the crew of the Morning Light, a 52-foot racing sloop. With the help of some experienced coaches, this enthusiastic group would participate in the Transpacific Yacht Race that begins in Los Angeles and ends in Hawaii.

Disney and co-producer Leslie DeMeuse first sailed in this race more than 30 years ago, which covers a fairly unforgiving 2,225 mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean. As Disney tells the group of young hopefuls in an early scene, one mistake can really put your lives at risk. Disney goes on to say that "I always tell my crews that if you fall overboard, consider it a death sentence." To keep that from happening, the 15 hopefuls go through intensive safety training along with their preparations for the Transpacific race. As the race draws near, however, four people will have to stay on shore as alternates while the other 11 try to sail for glory. Unanimously elected skipper by his peers, Jeremy Wilmot has the unenviable task of selecting the best possible crew for the Morning Light.

Watching this film is a lot like watching an episode of "Survivor," but with a very real sense of excitement and danger. You also get to see the less glamorous aspects of spending 10 days on a boat, including body odor, smelly feet and food that Wilmot says tastes like dirt near the end of the race. Since these young people are sharing living space, they have to live out of their duffel bags for the better part of two weeks.

One of the best sailing documentaries ever made, "Morning Light" is so realistic that you may even get seasick watching it.

From Johnny Weissmuller's loincloth-wearing adventures as Tarzan to Paul Hogan's Crocodile Dundee, many great outdoor characters have graced the silver screen, but none as memorable as Forrest Gump. As played by Tom Hanks, this simple, honest young man from Alabama arguably was the greatest outdoorsman and all-around athlete in movie history.

Running: Born with a crooked spine, young Forrest must wear leg braces to straighten out his back. As young toughs chase him in one memorable scene, though, Forrest hobbles along on his braces until they fall off, allowing him to "run like the wind blows." From that moment forward, no matter where he went, Forrest gets there by running. As an adult, he even runs back and forth several times across the country in little more than a t-shirt, shorts and athletic shoes.

Football: Purely by accident, Forrest's running talents earn him an athletic scholarship and a position on the University of Alabama's football team. Named to the All-American Team, Forrest gets a trip to the White House and all the free soda he can drink.

Armed Combat: During the Vietnam conflict, Forrest Gump joins the Army and serves a tour of duty in the tropical Vietnamese jungles. When his platoon is attacked by enemy forces, Forrest races into the jungle to pull as many of his friends out as he can, even after he gets "shot in the buttocks."

Ping Pong: Recovering in an Army hospital, Forrest is introduced to ping pong, a sport that, in his words, "came very natural" to him. The United States makes good use of his table tennis abilities, sending him on a tour of Army hospitals across the country as well as to China to compete against their best players.

Sailing: Honoring a promise to a deceased friend, Gump travels to Louisiana and buys a shrimp boat, even though he's never sailed much before. Though the competition is fierce, he and business partner Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) eventually survive a vicious storm and become the most successful shrimping operation in the country.

With talents for running, fighting and sailing, Forrest Gump truly ranks among the greatest outdoor heroes in movie history.