A Single Wave: Stories of Storms and Survival

by Webb Chiles

Webb Chiles first set out in 1973 in Egregious, a 37-foot cutter. His aim: a solo circumnavigation via Cape Horn. Despite frequent rigging damage and a hull cracked in a gale, he became the first American to round Cape Horn. Webb looks for new challenges and sets another record. He is the first person to cross the Pacific in an open boat, Chidiock Tichborne. On the way from Fiji to Papua New Guinea, Chidiock is pitch-poled and swamped, leaving Webb adrift for two weeks. He repairs the boat and almost completes a second circumnavigation, but the boat capsizes during a hurricane in the Canary Islands. He buys a sloop, Resurgam, in 1983, completes a third circumnavigation, and continues sailing, rounding Cape Horn. In 1992, Resurgam sinks off Ft. Lauderdale and Webb swims for 26 hours, until he's rescued by fishermen. He picks up the pieces of his life, buys a new boat, finds a new love, and is ready for new challenges. A man relentlessly driven to discover his limits, he pushes beyond them. Webb Chiles is a true adventurer who writes poignantly about his experiences.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002