The sea has long been a place of intrigue. A beautiful place where countless men have taken to the open water on sailing vessels and nobel crafts in search of brave new worlds.

But most of the time, it’s not this interesting.

“Sailing is 90 percent sheer boredom and 10 percent sheer terror,” said Seattle resident Captain Andy Reay-Ellers. Reay-Ellers was the sailing master for the film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” starring Russell Crowe.

On March 13, he will also be a big part of the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts “Master and Commander” concert and multimedia show.

Reay-Ellers has two decades of sailing experience with educational vessels. His initial job on the film was solely to deliver the vessel HMS Rose, but when he arrived, Fox Studios kept him on the project and soon gave him extensive input and responsibilities as one of six technical advisors. His main duties were to manage and advise on the sailing of the ships used in the film, and the training of the cast and extras. He also worked with the camera crew, the costumers, on the dialogue of the script, and on other fine details to ensure sailing authenticity.

“Peter Weir (the film’s director) told me at one point that I should interrupt him and the shooting if I saw anything wrong,” he said.

Slides and discussion of his experience with movie making will be included in the “Master and Commander” concert.

The concert will feature music and songs from composers Amadeus Mozart, Arcangelo Correlli, J.S. Bach, Luigi Boccherini, Thomas Tallis and R. Vaughn Williams, played by the Saratoga Chamber Players. Soloists will include Ron and Roxanne Patterson, Buell Neidlinger, Virginia Dziekonski and Margaret Storer. Chris Harshman will conduct.

Traditional fiddle music will be provided by No Band is an Island with percussion by the South Whidbey high School drum line. The Shifty Sailors will be on board to bring their voices to the songs, “Spanish Ladies,” “O’Sullivans March,” and “Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmates.

On concert night, the Edgecliff Restaurant will offer a special “Master and Commander” dinner with a menu created from the book “Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: A Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturine Novels”.

The concert will be filled with songs that drove the movie “Master and Commander” and that drove men to cross oceans.

“Music was pretty much all sailors had out there,” Reay-Ellers said.

Saratoga Chamber player Paula Pugh hadn’t read the books when she and her husband Jim Pugh attended the motion picture.

“I thought great, another action movie,” she said.

But the classically trained musician was soon enchanted by the movie’s music. The day after she saw the movie, she gathered with Saratoga chamber player Michael Nutt and fellow players to begin playing some of the pieces in the movie.

“I fell in love with the power of this music,” she said.

In “Master and Commander” music allows the ship’s captain, “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and his confidant, the ship’s doctor Stephen Maturin, to share quiet time in counsel. Music is also the drive behind battles and life on the sea.

“It wouldn’t have the same feeling if it wasn’t for this music,” she said. “It crosses over from the adventure of the sea and the soldier, rough and tumble side of these guys to also bring in their refined side.”

To organize a concert that will take audience members to the far side of the world it took a group almost as big as the Queen’s Navy. Musicians collaborated, sailors deliberated and Patrick O’Brian devotees clamored to toss in their two cents.

Devotees to Patrick O’Brian, author of “Master and Commander and the rest of the Aubrey/Maturine series of books, are also scratching at the boat decks. Whidbey residents including Rolf Seitle, John and Inge Roberts and Jim Pugh are among the O’Brian followers who have been scouring the books for musical references in the books.

John Roberts points his interest to O’Brian’s ability to combine well-written action with historical actuality.

“Every battle encountered was one in which the Royal Navy actually participated,’ the Langley resident said.

And the sometimes drastic measures of these sailors to keep musical entertainment on their ships is also well-documented.

“The crew often brought their own instruments and one captain shipped a piano on board. He couldn’t keep it in tune but it was at least there,” he said.

INFO BOX

‘Master & Commander’ in concert

7:30 p.m. March 13 at WICA

Music from the motion picture “Master & Commander”, performed by the Saratoga Chamber Players, No Band is and Island, the Shifty Sailors and guests. Guest speaker Capt. Andy Reay-Ellers with illustrations from the creation of the film, and narration by Robin Adams.

Tickets are $15 all seats. Call 221-8268 or 800-638-7631.