I am and have been a fan of Webb Chiles for decades. We have become friends, and he has been kind enough to write for me over the years, all of which i have enjoyed immensely. When the corporate owned and corporate run website that I started 26 years ago fired me, they decided to deny me access to my 26 years of emails, for no good reason at all. That’s the kind of people who run that site now…
As a consequence, I have lost contact with a lot of friends and sailors because of this, so I was extremely happy to hear from Webb today! He had to google me to find out where I am now, jesus. Here is his latest adventure! Oh, and you may contact me scot@rule69.com
When I brought GANNET into her slip Wednesday morning I was held together by Band-Aids. One on my left leg. Two on my right. Two on my right forearm. And though I could not see them, I could feel the scabs on my head. Sailing GANNET is a contact sport.
As is noted in the passage log, I googled and learned that our skin does get thinner with age, starting at about age forty, which for me is more than half a lifetime ago. Dings go with the job.
I was tired for a day or two, but went down yesterday and stowed the outboard below and returned the interior into harbor mode, during which I threw away a lot of stuff which is always satisfying. When I was finished I telephoned Carol who drove to the marina parking lot so I could haul dirty clothes, my sleeping bag, unconsumed provisions, the failed tiller pilot and more up to the condo.
The wind changed Thursday night and headed us, so I turned back Friday dawn and the Friday noon position is thirteen miles north of where we were the day before. Saturday was stormy. We lay ahull that night and made little progress. Sunday night we were becalmed, sails down, and drifted back east, being at noon Monday ten miles north of where we were Saturday. Then the wind finally filled in from the south and we had a glorious beam reach all the way back to Hilton Head Island. More here, and check out Webb’s Youtube page!
