THE BACKSIDE OF NORMAL: A Sailing Life of Adventure

Roger Olson was born in 1939 in the small town of Dos Palos, California. In his youth, he would drive to the coast and SCUBA dive. He spent time looking over the horizon, dreaming that one day he would find out what was on the other side.
After serving in the military, he went to college to get his master’s degree in Secondary Education. He got married and taught at La Puente High School in California for 15 years. A sudden, unexpected divorce changed his life and made him take stock of his goals and direction.
He decided that he wanted to fulfill his lifelong dream of going off over the horizon. But to do that he had to learn how to sail. While learning to sail and maintain ocean-going sailboats, he owned several sailboats. After sailing much of the Pacific Coast and Baja, Mexico he concluded that the size and speed of a vessel were not as important as strength and the ability to handle all sea conditions.
He did not want to sail around the world. He wanted to visit as many countries and islands as possible. He wanted to spend as much time as necessary so he could learn as much as he could about other cultures. He lived as cheaply as possible and found local work at some of the places he visited. He found that a great way to learn about a culture is by working with its people.
His life as a cruising sailor was marked with much wonderment, and occasional deep tragedy and loss.
After visiting many Pacific Islands and countries, he continued to Melanesia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. After many years he had to return home to look after elderly parents, but this did not change his desire to live his dream. After his parents died, he intended to return to Thailand and continue from there. But, when he reached Panama, he fell in love with that small country with its many various cultures. Considering his age, he decided to settle down but still live his dream in Panama.