Documentary Film "The Wanderer" Produced by College of Coastal Georgia Professor to Air on GPB Tonight

In 1858, luxury yacht “Wanderer” transported captives from the Congo River to Jekyll Island, Georgia. Before its voyage, Savannah slave-owner Charlie Lamar covertly purchased the elegant schooner Wanderer, a sleek vessel known as the fastest sailing ship in the New York Yacht Club fleet. He then planned to secretly transport enslaved Africans to Georgia using the yacht as a disguise.

A television documentary entitled The Wanderer will air Tuesday, November 13 at 8 p.m. on GPB Television, sharing the story of how the famed vessel launched a story of slavery, survival, and the strength to prevail.

Experts on the Wanderer and on Georgia slavery recount the event with accuracy, through historic drawings, and photographs that mark the period as never seen before. The 30-minute documentary was filmed by College of Coastal Georgia Associate Professor of Speech Communications Tyler Bagwell, in association with Weatherford Communications.

“Viewers will learn about an important Coastal Georgia event and how it shaped our community,” said Bagwell. “Today, descendants of Wanderer captives reside on St. Simons Island, Brunswick, and Darien.”

The Wanderer departed in 1858 for Africa and upon arrival, traveled up the Congo River to purchase slaves. Young men and women were bought from slave-traders and the captives were then loaded onto the boat and tightly confined below deck. The ship sailed for Jekyll Island with 487 captives, but only 409 survived the passage over.

Discover the fate of the survivors in the documentary The Wanderer, airing tonight at 8 p.m. on GPB Television.