Sheila in the Wind
a sailing classic by Adrian Hayter (Dad)
Adrian Hayter was the first New Zealander to solo-circumnavigate the world. His voyage in Sheila II continues to inspire and was republished by Lodestar Books, UK in 2020.
First published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1957, Sheila in the Wind returns as a nostalgic production with new photos and an introduction by Rebecca Hayter, published by Lodestar Publications.
Adrian Hayter survived on barnacles harvested from beneath Sheila's hull and water he condensed from sea water. Photographed in Western Australia, 1954.
Sheila II is an Albert Strange design, built by Dickie in Scotland in 1911. She is in Hamilton, NZ, damaged from going ashore in 1984.
Adrian Hayter, centre, grew up on D'Urville Island in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. The tough environment gave him the intense self-reliance that would sustain him on his solo voyages.
In 1970, a documentary revisited Adrian's voyage on Sheila II and he spent two happy weeks reunited with Sheila in the Hauraki Gulf.
Adrian Hayter's second book, The Second Step, covers his army years. Check out the Books for Sale to see if there's a secondhand copy in stock.
Aged 17, Adrian Hayter enrolled at Sandhurst Military College in England before joining a Gurkha Regiment in India through the 1930s and 40s.
The Aurora Sailing Club, Nelson arranged an official welcome to celebrate the first person to sail single-handed from England to New Zealand, 1956.
Adrian with his second wife,
Dr Tamsin Hayter, 1959.