A private yacht sailing the brilliant blue seas of the Caribbean provides a fantasy for countless people looking for an alternative to humdrum lives and freezing winter temperatures. For most people, setting sail on a dream vacation proves to be just that, a dream.

But Arthur Duperrault was different. He shared the dream of the open seas, tropical blue waters and exotic island beaches. Duperrault lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and often enjoyed views of the beautiful but cold Lake Michigan. Inspired by the warm Pacific waters he encountered during World War II, Duperrault often talked of spending a year living at sea, sailing from one tropical destination to the next. Unlike others who fantasized of the sea, Duperrault was determined to make his dream a reality. He saved his money with one goal in mind: Taking his wife and three young children on the vacation he dreamed of for so long. But how did Duperrault’s tropical dreams end in a nightmare, with his young daughter found alone and nearly dead at sea?