Prologue

This is the story of a dream come true.

My dad was born on September, 1946 in Centerville, Iowa as the oldest of what would eventually be five siblings. After a difficult childhood bouncing between Iowa and Southern California he ran away from home the summer before his senior year. He would finish high school, and then spent four years in the Navy. Although he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, he was stationed in the Atlantic and in his words the most action he saw during Vietnam was “throwing rocks at Cubans”.

After his four-year tour, dad attended college and completed an undergraduate degree in Industrial Technology at California Polytechnic State University. He met and married his first wife, had what would be his only child, and went on to live his life. With a divorce, a second marriage, a second divorce, a graduate degree from the University of San Francisco, and a series of middle- and upper-management positions with various companies.

Dad would eventually settle in San Diego, California, in 1997. He choose San Diego because he wanted to finally be able in indulge in what had been a life-long dream for him – sailing. After much preparation, he retired in 2000 at the age of 54 to start cruising.

Although the start of his cruising life was a bit … rocky (see “Remembering Lazarus”) he left San Diego for Mexico and spent a year cruising in the Gulf of California. But his real target was the Caribbean. He had thought to sail down the coast and through the Panama Canal, but eventually decided to just put his boat – Vantage Point, a 38-foot Catalina – on a truck to Florida.

And it was while staying in Florida, waiting for his then-current girl-friend to pack up and be ready to leave for the Caribbean with him, than he started writing.

This is his story. In his words.

Download