How The Dream Started

My dream started more than 25 years ago, in the spring of 1977. I was sitting at my kitchen table making plans to sail a canoe down the Yukon River. In discussing the plans with my wife she commented, "If you're going to sail a canoe, don't you think it would be a good idea that you learn to sail before you get to Alaska?"

"Good idea", I thought. "But how hard could sailing be?" I had seen young kids sailing small boats with great skill. So, I bought a book on learning to sail, read the book and went down to a local sailing club to rent a sail boat for two hours.

When I returned to the dock two hours later I had logged in one grounding, four accidental jibes, a couple of gallons of water over the gunwale and into the boat and a near collision with another boat.

When I returned home, my wife asked, how the sailing went. I told her the trip down the Yukon was off. Instead, I was going to sail around the world. She shook her head and walked out of the room laughing. Later, she commented, "Dreams are what keep us going, but you better have a good plan if you want to catch that dream."

A couple of weeks later I mentioned to Charlie Eggerman, a friend, navigator, and member of the Northern New Jersey Power Squadron, that I wanted to sail a boat around the world and proposed to pay him if he would teach me celestial navigation. Charlie replied, "I'll do better than that. I'll help you sign up to take the boating courses given by the Northern New Jersey Power Squadron. They'll teach you a lot more than just celestial navigation. They'll help you develop the knowledge and skills to pursue your dream." Charlie was right. In the process of taking the classes I started developing the knowledge and skills needed to make my dream a reality.

While attending the Power Squadron courses I met and become best friends with Dr. Philip Jasper, a fellow sailor who shared my passion for sailing. He told me he was planning to sail his 39 foot Bristol, Vee Jay III, to Bermuda in the Marion to Bermuda Race. Soon after that, Phil asked me to join his sailing team and we ultimately participated in the 1983 and 1985 Marion to Bermuda races.

In the ensuing years, I spent summers sailing my 25 foot sloop, Cloud 9, between Cape May, New Jersey and Nantucket, Massachusetts. More recently, I received my U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License and have logged almost 15,000 miles of ocean sailing while making yacht deliveries for my company, Blue Water Sailing Services.

On January 1, 2003, I decided it was time to take the final step in turning my dream into a reality. I started looking for a boat I could sail around the world. In April, I purchased a Passport 42, and named it Dream Catcher. On December 18, 2003, I departed New Jersey on the first leg of my circumnavigation.

As I start this voyage, I realize how fortunate I have been in realizing my dream - no matter how outrageous it may have seemed when I talked about it in the spring of 1977. I want to encourage you to pursue your dreams - no matter how outrageous they may appear to be at this moment. Keep your dreams alive by taking small but frequent steps toward pursuing your dreams - and never give up on believing they can become a reality.

Best wishes for success in making your dreams come true.