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"Webb Chiles may be sailing's worst lunatic — and its best living writer." John Riise, Latitude 38


Keeping Up with


Follow the author of A Single Wave around the world as he completes his fourth circumnavigation. Read about his adventures in semi-regular missives sent from the sea, which will be included in Chiles' newest book, Return to the Sea, due Fall 2004 from Sheridan House.

2004
March 22, 2004		 2003
September 26, 2003		 2002
November 25, 2002		 2001
November 24, 2001
February 13, 2003 May 20, 2002 October 19, 2001
March 25, 2002 July 2, 2001
May 18, 2001
March 22, 2004:

After almost five months on the hard at Ashby's boat yard in New Zealand's Bay of Islands, THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is back on the water, which is absolutely wonderful. Ashby's is about as clean and convenient as any boat yard, but life lived climbing up a ladder is not satisfactory. Fortunately I was not aboard most of the time, while THE HAWKE OF TUONELA's bottom was drying out from osmosis. But I was aboard for the last month, during which workmen recovered the peeled bottom with fiberglass, vinylester resin, and fairing. When they finished, I rolled on five coats of epoxy and three of antifouling paint. The topsides also need painting, but enough is enough.

During the long haul-out I fixed, replaced and installed several things, including a new wireless, mostly solar-powered, instrument system made by Tack Tick in England, and THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is essentially back to 100% for the first time since leaving Cape Town a year and a half ago. The instrument system is pretty impressive. Being wireless, the displays are sealed, watertight and easily moved from place to place by clipping them in and out of simple brackets. They can even be stuck in a big pocket, such as the pouch on a foul weather parka, and carried around with you. Installation was easy, now I just hope they are as durable as promised.

While parts of New Zealand further south had damaging rains and floods, the Bay of Island had the best summer in many years according to locals, and the fine weather is thus far continuing into fall. Sunny, light winds, temperatures about 22¡C/72¡F. I am presently on a mooring off the two year old marina here at Opua at the south end of the bay, but just came back from being anchored off Russell a few miles north. Both are pretty spots, surrounded by New Zealand's ubiquitous green rolling hills. Russell is more exposed to westerlies, but more convenient with restaurants and grocery stores, though it lacks a source for boats for fresh water and showers ashore. I was surprised to realize in Russell that this was the first time I had been anchored since Brazil two years ago. In the past I have spent most of my time at anchor, but I was at yacht club docks in both Cape Town and Fremantle, on a mooring in Sydney, and in the marina briefly, then the boat yard and a mooring here. I am pleased to report that the anchor still works.

Carol is due to fly out for two weeks in mid-April, following which I will sail to Tahiti and then turn back west to Tonga and probably return to New Zealand in October. I'm looking forward to getting to sea again, having made only the single passage from Sydney across the Tasman in the past year. I just received an order of 100 freeze dry meals from a New Zealand firm and took an inventory and discovered that I now have 180 meals aboard. So I better sail somewhere soon. Tahiti is about 2600 miles east/northeast, and should take about three weeks. There are a few islands where I might stop during the last few hundred miles, but I don't know that I will.

I think I have enough food.