John Clark

Odyssey of a Texas Sailor John Clark

An adventurous soulWhen Dean Meeks decided he wanted to learn to fly an airplane, he took some lessons and bought himself a small Cessna - which he sometimes landed on a two-lane asphalt country road near his house and parked in the front yard. When the idea of learning to sail a boat occurred to the lifelong central Texas dairy farmer, he bought a used 21-foot sloop from an ad in the newspaper and taught himself to cruise around a nearby lake. After his youngest daughter grew up and was stationed in England with the U. S. Air Force, Meeks began to dream a much bigger dream. Daydream to reality"Why couldn't I - a self-taught, proven sailor of fresh water lakes - purchase a craft in England, sail it back to Houston, and make a handsome profit on its resale at that oil-rich port?" Meeks wrote in his journal. And that's exactly what he did. With no experience aboard an ocean-going vessel of any kind, as either a crew member or a captain, this former Texas A& M Aggie set out aboard his newly-purchased 30-foot sloop to sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean. No place like homeFollow along as Meeks recounts this incredible journey in his highly entertaining daily journal writings, along with stories from his life on the farm that helped shape an unforgettable adventurous spirit.