Dreams are visions of how the future could be. They are how we bet on the present to multiply the promise of tomorrow. My questing spirit framed a world where infinite possibilities awaited expression. A love of nature guided my restlessness to wild and empty spaces. When youth, and a boat provided a license to wander, I did my best to follow my whims. On the threshold of a great adventure it is the very unknown that draws one forward. These pages reveal how a youthful dream to build a sailboat led me Orcas Island in 1974, and the remarkable people, adventures, and insights that followed.