He moved on to AMP inc., a big electronics company, now a division of Tyco Corporation where he was responsible for many of the interconnections on the General Dynamics F-l6 fighter jet and missiles for the military. John was promoted to the position of International Product Marketing manager in aerospace, for all of Europe, South America, and Asia. That was the start of a lot of traveling! John says, "The coolest thing was being this country bumpkin kid from Texas, who got to travel all over the world, and first class on the corporate expense account!" John says, "Travel truly is the best teacher. I learned so much about so many different cultures and people around the world."

This life was great for awhile, but he finally found he was getting burned out, and getting on just onemore 747 would be too much. During some R&R in Hawaii, he met his wife, Sharon, and fell in love. After a long distance romance, they married, and moved from his corporate headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Sacramento. As John puts it, "Harrisburg wasn't the end of the world, but you could see it from there."

John and Sharon moved to the Bay Area, where John finished his business career in the medical industry with Tyco, retiring two years ago. Now, he has time to do the sailing and yacht club activities he loves. John learned to sail in college, and cut his teeth on a Sunfish and O'Day sailboat on Lake Travis in Texas. When he and Sharon moved to California, they bought a Catalina 27. They only had it for 90 days when they realized boating would become a major part of their lives and wanted a boat just a little larger. Their next boat was a Catalina 36, a much better fit. They raced her on the bay and even did the South Tower and Delta Ditch races. Then they started thinking about cruising. They found their beautiful Passport 47, Warren Peace, in Marina Del Rey and brought her home to the Bay. They have sailed to San Diego and Catalina many times, done two Baja Haha's, and sailed to their vacation home in San Carlos, Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez. John has also sailed in Passport Regattas and been part of the Pacific Cup Team to Hawaii in 2002 and 2004 on Cayenne, Michael Moradzadeh's Passport 40.

Joining the Corinthian Yacht Club in l997, John has been a consistent volunteer. As he puts it, "I really love working at the club and being involved. My most rewarding involvement was with the Easter Seals Day on the Bay. I plan to continue my relationship with the club, and then Sharon and I would like to do more cruising, hopefully back to Mexico, through the canal to the Caribbean, and then on to the Med. Life is good."