WHAT MAKES ELITE athletes tick? What is it like to live your dream, every day, in the hope of a star performance at the Olympics? These are two of the themes that “Uncharted Waters,” a documentary following athletes on the U.S. Sailing Team Sperry, will explore in the final year of their journey toward a spot on the Olympic and Paralympic teams that will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Made possible by Sunbrella®Fabrics, the leading supplier of performance fabric to the marine industry, “Uncharted Waters” shows what it takes to be a top-ranked Olympic– and Paralympic–class sailor, from grueling travel around the world for competitions to balancing college and family life with the demands of an unrelenting training schedule.

The documentary includes the story of Sarah Everhart-Skeels and Cindy Walker, for whom sailing offered freedom from lower-body paralysis. They are the only all-woman adaptive sailing team in their class, and making the U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team in 2016 is likely to be their last chance to compete in the Paralympics (sailing has been removed from the 2020 games).

Viewers can also follow the story of Paris Henken and Helena Scutt, who aim to race a new boat class for women in the 2016 Olympics: the fast, dynamic 49er FX. Henken suffered serious injuries in 2013, and the duo’s story will follow their comeback.

At www.Sunbrella.com/uncharted, viewers can watch athlete-profile videos and use an interactive map of competitions, training, and travel leading up to the races where Olympic and Paralympic athletes are selected. The site includes insider details about Olympic and Paralympic sailing, adaptive-sailing insights, and athletes’ video diaries. It will culminate in a full-length documentary, launching in spring 2016.

Gina Wicker, creative director for Sunbrella, says, “Who hasn’t felt goosebumps, watching his or her compatriots compete with the world’s best, every four years? “Uncharted Waters” takes the viewer inside the athletes’ journeys, and we hope to create a connection that educates and inspires visitors while bolstering excitement for both the athletes and the sport of sailing.”