Webb Chiles (born 1941), born Webb Tedford, is an American sailor and author noted for his offshore sailing. He has completed six circumnavigations, several of them single-handed, and is the author of seven books.

Early life

Webb Chiles was born in 1941 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

and moved to California in 1963.

Sailing

First Circumnavigation

Leaving in October 1975 from San Diego, he set the record for the fastest solo circumnavigation in his Ericson 37 ''Egregious'', with an eastwards passage around the three capes in 203 days. In this journey he also became the first American to round

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

solo.

Subsequent circumnavigations

* 1978–1984 * 1984–1990 * 1991–2003 * 2008–2009 * 2014–2019 in ''Gannet'', a Moore 24

Published works

* Chiles, Webb. ''A Single Wave: Stories of Storms and Survival''. Sheridan House, 1999. * Chiles, Webb. ''Return to the Sea''. Sheridan House, 2004. * Chiles, Webb. ''Shadows''. Amazon, 2011. * Chiles, Webb. ''Storm Passage: Alone around Cape Horn''. Times Books, 1977. * Chiles, Webb. ''THE FIFTH CIRCLE: the Passage Log''. Amazon, 2011. * Chiles, Webb. ''The Ocean Waits''. Norton, 1984. * Chiles, Webb. ''The Open Boat: Across the Pacific''. Norton, 1982.

Recognition

Cruising Club of America, Bluewater Medal 2017 Ocean Cruising Club Jester Medal 2014

Photos

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiles, Webb American sailors Circumnavigators of the globe Writers from St. Louis 1941 births Living people