For nearly 40 years, a dream of sailing to Alaska has taken shape in Dale’s front yard in Mineral Wells, Texas. The 86-year-old began welding a 62-foot steel boat in 1987, and today the four-stateroom vessel is about three-quarters finished. Now, strangers are helping him take the next step.
Dale can no longer complete the work alone. Even moving the boat will be a major undertaking: heavy equipment is needed to carry it up a steep hill to the road and then transport it to a launch site.
The project gained new supporters after three visitors from England—Laurence Benson, Benjie, and Will—heard about it and dropped by. Dale’s enthusiasm was so infectious that he climbed a ladder to show them the deck, something he had not done in years.
“The second he started talking about the boat, you could see it. He’s as passionate now as he was 40 years ago,” Benson wrote. “His dream is to see her on the water.”
Benson and his friends started a fundraiser to help pay for the remaining work, the machinery and the journey to the water. Within days, more than 1,500 people had given over $41,000 toward a $45,000 goal. Benson estimated that getting the boat moved and launched would cost roughly $50,000, and he is working with Dale’s family to help make it happen.
After decades of steady effort, Dale’s dream has become one that others are carrying alongside him.
