The author was taught to sail by his father starting at age four. He graduated college as a chemical engineer. He went to work for Esso Research and Engineering Company and worked in the design of petroleum refineries. After a few years, he and his new wife moved to Mexico to study medicine, albeit in Spanish. He graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1976 and eventually specialized in orthopedic, hand, and microvascular surgery. He became interested in personal growth in the late 1980s. After experiencing a vision quest, at fifty years old, he retired from his orthopedic practice to sail around the world while also being available to provide emergency medical care to fellow sailors. His first patient at sea was himself, as he sustained a heart attack far from shore. He kept himself alive for three days until he was medevacked to safety. He has always been an avid tennis player and, in retirement, devotes his time to playing tennis, studying Covid-19 vaccines and their effects, building things, woodworking, cycling, and dabbling in cryptocurrency.
WHY AND HOW “MY LIFE’S DREAM TOOK ME TO SEA” WAS WRITTEN
In my early 40s, I thought I had accomplished almost all of my life’s goals. I was an orthopedic surgeon. I had built a wonderful practice of five orthopedists. I had a big home, a big bank account, expensive cars, a great sailboat, a wonderful wife, and a family. Something was wrong, though, and I didn't know what it was. I seemed never to be living in the moment. I seemed to be of life but not in it. My wife suggested we enroll in a program called “Life Mastery.” It was intended to teach personal enlightenment, and although I didn’t think I needed to be there…..it took me a year and several seminars before I did!
After a few years, we both decided to do a vision quest with the group. We all were separated in our own tents avoiding even eye contact with anyone else.We were not allowed any distractions. We fasted for three days and thus avoided eating and preparing food as a distraction. We were provided all the water we needed and just remained alone with out thoughts, no music, no books except a pen and our journals. We didn't know what to expect and waited for whatever might come.
For me, the first two days were torture. My mind kept going continuously and I wasn’t learning anything new. However, on the third day, everything changed. My mind went QUIET for the very first time! It was a unique experience and opportunity because one could ask yourself any question and get an answer directly from your higher self. What’s important to me? Do I love my wife? Do I love my kids? Do I love my work? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? How important is money?
A yes answer was felt with great warmth almost glowing in the heart. A no answer was absent any feeling. For a full day I asked myself every question I could dream of and wrote them down in my journal.
Those ideas were life-changing for me, and I was fortunate because only about one-third of the group had a similar experience.
I discovered, my life's dream was to sail around the world in my own boat. It took several years to build up enough courage to act on the idea but I now had a compass.
In 1998, I moved full time onto my sailboat "Always Saturday." After five years of preparation and when my first mate was willing and somewhat competent, we left Beaufort, NC, in 2003 with two other crew members. I thought having other competent sailors on board for our first 1200-mile open-water passage to the Virgin Islands would be prudent. It sure was! That decision probably
saved my life!
The two-week journey turned out to be far from ordinary! After the first week of sailing eastward towards Bermuda, the weather changed, and we encountered a gale from the north blowing us south. This would normally have been welcome as it would speed us south, but the weather off of Puerto Rico was setting a one-hundred-year record for rainfall. It might evolve into a tropical storm, putting it directly in our path. In the middle of the gale with high seas and 40 knots of wind, stressed out and desperately trying to avoid the low in Puerto Rico by getting as far east as possible, I suffered a heart attack in the middle of the night. I went into cardiac arrest in the cockpit but spontaneously converted back to normal sinus rhythm. I knew that we were 400 miles from the nearest land. To survive, I had to figure out a way to keep myself stable for three days without IV fluids, oxygen, and heart medicines. The heart attack set in motion a tale of survival where I saved my own life, I believe, three times. Unexpected events continuously challenged us, so it was never clear whether I would perish or survive. I used my laser intention to survive and overcome every obstacle. It became a spiritual experience as I had to use my medical background and my engineer’s problem-solving ability to improvise a method to stay alive. It was like playing with a deck of cards loaded with jokers ending with the biggest joker of them all.
Afterward, I wanted to share my experience with many sailors, hoping that they would learn from it should they ever encounter a heart attack at sea.
As I started writing this engaging story, the book seemed to develop its own voice. Through reliving childhood memories, I realized I had been intentionally taught some key life skills that helped me lead a challenging, adventurous, and fulfilling life. Now, as an old man, I look back on the joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction of sailing across the Pacific and recognize that I would have deep regrets if I had spent my entire life practicing medicine. I am excited about encouraging sailors and sharing that joy and adventure. I want to pass on these skills as a way of “Paying it Forward,” to help others learn to “go for the golden ring” and live their dreams. The financial aspect of the book matters less to me.
The manuscript was initially directed to blue-water sailors who might want to glean practical knowledge of surviving a heart attack at sea and learn some not-so-well-known maintenance tips from a sailor with seventy years of experience. However, it became much more of an engaging tale of self-discovery and a road map to creating whatever one wants in life. Arm chair sailors will experience vicariously the thrills and the challenges of cruising to fantasy destinations accross the Pacific Ocean.
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