Today we visited the Fajardo yacht harbor on the east end of Puerto Rico. The number of yachts or “vessels” was amazing. We talked to the harbor master, asking how many vessels were there (this is only one of many harbors). He said they count in “acres” of boats, but there are easily over 1,000 in the harbor. We walked the docks looking at the large sizes, almost all over 30 feet with many much larger. Think of the wealth on display here!
What do they do in case of a hurricane? Each owner has to submit a hurricane plan when they purchase dockage. The harbor officials take no responsibility.
The situation recalled some major memories for me, involving a vessel, which were life changing. When I left home sixty years ago, I vowed that I would have a future avoiding unattainable dreams; instead, such thoughts needed to be expanded into detailed plans to be acted upon, or else forgotten. I was a dreamer in HS and accomplished little; that life was done with.
After my US Navy service with navigation training and exposure to the world across an ocean, I had sailing classes and sailboat rentals at college in Santa Barbara. I also did an engineering research project on hull design. Looking out on the Channel Islands, I thought, “wouldn’t sailing around the world be the ultimate adventure challenge?”, and a plan began.
After marriage, Dawn & I bought a 14’ Lido daysailer for experience. Then, we bought a 27.5’, 3.5-ton Morgan ocean-going sailboat on San Francisco Bay for expanded experience. I read a book on Polynesian navigation methods and also other books about previous voyages. Is this really what we wanted to do to see the world?
At the same time, I was disappointed with my engineering career, not the challenge I had expected. Instead, my job seemed to revolve around corporate politics much more than engineering. Was I running away from career frustrations or toward this adventure? After such a voyage (taking a couple years) my engineering degree would be obsolete. What then? I realized that my future career was the more important concern. Dawn suggested I look at a career change…. and the ‘adventure’ changed.
I quit my engineering job, went back to school to fulfill some prerequisites, got a part-time job as an airline agent, signed up for the national Dental Aptitude Test, and started completing applications to dental schools. Would my application be looked on favorably? Oh.... and we took a big loss on selling that sailboat.
With successful application, we moved to the Midwest (Omaha), and I went back to school for four years. Dawn found another hospital job; we were still living the student lifestyle, and I applied for an Army scholarship. We discovered that the military lifestyle includes travel and new circumstances which appealed to us. Later came three years of post-graduate training and testing for National Board certification. There were no dreams, only plans to be pursued step-by-step.
It all worked out. I have had an interesting and successful career in dentistry. As a dentist in the US military, our entire family traveled widely. Our children were raised in South Carolina, Panama, Alabama, California, Germany, the Netherlands, and Virginia. They watched the Panama Canal be handed over to Panama by President Carter. They were in Berlin to participate in the Wall being toppled. We were in Yugoslavia just prior to the Balkan War (and again afterwards). We watched Germany be re-united and the “Iron Curtain” collapse. We joined the celebrations in Prague as freedom was regained in Eastern Europe. We were in New York, including standing atop the World Trade Center, shortly before 9/11 and then returned with our children shortly after 9/11.
In the end, we have traveled the world (60+ countries), we continue to travel, and we have had our adventure while also meeting career challenges. We simply chose a different path to get there. We didn’t sail around the world, but I did serve as navigator in bringing a 46-foot-long trawler from Miami to Colon, Panama.
A dream is simply the ephemeral product of imagination. A plan includes all the needed steps to make that thought into reality, plus the commitment to get started. Sixty years ago, at 19 years old, I made a vow to myself to live a life of plans, not sterile dreams, it has made all the difference, and we have future plans still to unfold.
Wayne & Dawn, Feb. 2025
