LANTANA — It was more than 45 years ago that Paul Erling Johnson left his one job and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in an 18-foot vessel.
He claims it was no big feat “if you knew what you were doing,” but the solitary journey, and the diminutive dimensions of the boat attracted attention.
He found himself telling his story on Larry King’s then radio show in Miami, and eventually found himself in Lantana, a mooring for improbable people and events.
Here the legendary sailor completed his calling when he designed and built his first boat at the marina where a two-thirds empty condominium stands instead.
Johnson, boat builder, explorer, artist and mariner, has been telling his stories ever since, and so have the people who have known him. Many of those are collected in a book now, Memories from the Sea available through: agpublishers@gmail.com
What an extraordinary sailor this is. I have heard his legend for decades in the Caribbean. So happy to learn he is stlll afloat. I’m going to get the new book.