WEBB CHILES' SIXTH LAP properly reinforce the transom for the windvane was nearly as much as I paid for the boat! With my high-efficiency, lightweight, flexible solar panels and two Group 24 batteries, I have more than enough juice to power one of my four ST-1000 Tiller Pilots for as long as I need to. And if I run out of power, I'll just do more hand steering.
ALL PHOTOS RONNIE SIMPSON
"If I get myself into trouble, I don’t want people to risk their lives coming to get me."
The venerable Moore 24 design first proved its offshore ability in 1976 when hull #2 was doublehanded to Hawaii. But around Cape Horn?
WC: It does not bother me. Again, it goes back to my philosophy of adapting yourself to the boat. If I want to stand, I stand up in the companionway with full 360° visibility. If I want to get out of the sun, I sit on the floorboards facing aft with my legs stretched out. The pipe berths are comfortable and the ergonomics for sailing the Moore 24 are great. With very simple systems, water carried in jugs and a diet of freeze-dried and ready-to-eat foods, I don’t need any more space than what I have on the Moore. 38: What’s with the name Gannet? WC: When I used to have the IOR tonner Hawke of Tuonela on a mooring in Opua, New Zealand, I liked to enjoy a drink at sunset, gannets s would dive and hit the water like cannonballs to go fishing. They were simple, elegant birds; like the Moore 24. Plus it’s easy to say
and spell on the radio. (He laughs.) 38: Gannet doesn’t have a windvane hanging off the transom, and there are no wind instruments on your mast head. Are you planning to hand-steer around the world? WC: Partially. When I set to sea, I don’t go out there to sleep. I enjoy sailing and with a boat that sails as well as the Moore 24, I plan to spend very long periods of time at the helm, sailing my boat, when conditions allow. I had a windvane that I had planned to mount on the back of Gannet, but the quote that I received to
38: Where do you store the large, heavy liferaft on a tiny boat like a Moore? WC: I don’t carry a liferaft. Or an EPIRB. I believe in being self-sufficient when at sea. If I get myself into trouble, I don’t want people to risk their lives coming to get me. 38: On that note, we wish you fair winds, following seas and a safe voyage, Webb. WC: Thank you. I'll make sure to give Latitude 38 a shout before I leave, with a link to my tacker. — ronnie simpson Webb Chiles’ website and blog can be found at www.inthepresentsea.com/ the_actual_site/webbchiles.html. He has written seven books and has published more than one hundred articles. To learn more about his past adventures, download the eBook of the December 2012 Latitude interview at www.latitude38. com. A place for everything, and everything in its place. Of course if you don't live by that slogan aboard a Moore 24, life would be chaos.