PETALING JAYA: Halfway through his round-the-world journey, sailor Fabian Fernandez is hoping his voyage will serve as both a testament to the determination of Malaysians and a reminder to embrace adventure and live boldly.
Once a marine engineer and plantation manager, Fernandez left behind his corporate life to chase a lifelong dream of sailing around the world – spurred by a tragic loss.
“My sister-in-law’s passing was a reminder: life is short, and we have to live it fully,” he said.
Fernandez, 54, is on the final leg of his journey aboard Destiny 12.
His expedition will cover a final total of over 33,000 nautical miles (about 61,116km) when completed.
Having recently departed Panama, Fernandez is still 16,000 nautical miles (29,632km) away from achieving his goal.
His next stop will be the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia with his remaining route including planned stops in Tahiti, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Fernandez sees this journey as something far greater than a personal achievement.
When he completes his voyage, he will become only the fourth Malaysian to sail around the world.
But more than anything, he is grateful for the opportunity to represent Malaysia on his travels.
In many of the places he has visited, people knew little about Malaysia.
He often found himself pointing it out on a map, always taking the opportunity to highlight his homeland as the “best place in the world for food”.
“Flying the Malaysian flag and representing my country is and will be my greatest story to tell,” he said.
“I want the world to know who we are and show that we are capable of doing big things.”
Fernandez hopes that his story will encourage fellow Malaysians to be adventurous, take risk, and live boldly.
“I think this offers all Malaysians a glimpse of what can happen when we set our minds to something. That we can achieve our dreams no matter what the barriers are.
“Our time on this planet is finite. We come to this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. What we do with this one life is entirely in our hands,” he said.
Fernandez is set to close out his global adventure by the end of this year.
Originally planned as a five-year expedition, Fernandez is ahead of schedule, with the goal of returning to Port Klang in October, two years earlier than anticipated.
StarMetro previously reported on Fernandez’s story in September 2022, just before he set sail on the first leg of his journey in February 2023.
Fernandez has been documenting his expedition on his website, destinydawnsailing.com, as well as on social media.
