With graduation from High School came the realization that I’d have to actually work – and that my work may not always allow me to be near the ocean. With that realization, a seed was planted. I would have to find a way to work as short a time as possible in order to get back to the water full-time. And what better way to spend time on the water than by living aboard your own boat -- Living aboard one of those beautiful sailboats. The dream was born.

     After three years in the Air Force, ten years of struggling to get my college degree and twelve years of working in the corporate security industry, the dream is about to become a reality. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself. I didn’t dream of doing this alone. And I could never have done it near so well, or achieved so much, without the help of a strong ‘Admiral’ and a beautiful woman – my wife Janet.

     While Janet and I dated, we spent hours talking about our careers, our feelings, and our dreams. The first time I asked her if she could live aboard a small boat and sail the world, she answered honestly. "I’ve never been sailing. Take me and we’ll see". If you know anything about me, you know that I always stack the deck in my favor, only bet on sure things, and never, never quit once I’m committed. So, I did what I had to do. I took Janet sailing in the British Virgin Islands on a fifty-foot yacht, complete with a captain and cook – at New Years! She was hooked. I never mentioned varnish, maintenance, foul weather, or any of those other distractions. I had her hooked and those things could wait.

     For those of you that think I deceived her, you’re right! But, she got even quickly. We returned from the islands in mid-January and made plans to attend the Atlantic City boat show in February. We looked at every boat, talked to every manufacturer, but kept coming back to one manufacturer’s booth – Island Packet Yachts. Island Packet Yachts were spacious, beautiful, and well built -- AND, the most expensive boats at that particular show. She said simply, "I’ll go. But, I’ll only go in one of these boats!"

     I was flat broke from a recent divorce and didn’t have an investment to my name. But, I had a willing partner and she had made it very clear what boat we were going to buy. The only thing left to do was marry this wonderful lady and get busy saving money for "The Dream". So, it was back to the salt mines for me. We started saving every penny we could. We invested heavily in our company’s 401K plans and made a goal of retiring at the age of 45. Each raise we got was invested before we even saw it. Our little portfolio started to grow and grow quickly.

     Our 401K funds performed exceedingly well. I took a new job with a small company called Cisco Systems. They offered me a nice raise and 1000 of these things called 'stock options'. I didn’t know what those "options things" were, but I knew the extra salary was going to help with "The Dream". Four years after joining Cisco, I now KNOW what those options are. They are the most miraculous form of compensation a company can bestow on an employee. They are also the fuel behind our retiring and chasing our dreams at the youthful age of 35.

     As I write this, we are less than five months away from "retiring". Yes, Janet got her boat – a brand-new Island Packet 40. I got the girl. And, we are both about to begin living "The Dream".

See you on the water!  I’m going home.