For 52-year-old Fabian Fernandez, his life’s goal is to sail around the world, making him only the fourth Malaysian ever to do so.

Funded entirely on his own and aimed at covering 30 countries spanning 50,000 nautical miles (the equivalent of 92,600km), Fernandez is also the first Malaysian to have embarked on the challenge of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Born in a small town in Perak, this father of two spent his life working towards success and stability, much like others in his generation.

“I was at the peak of my career in the plantation industry, having just received a promotion,” he told FMT Lifestyle. “When I told people I was going to throw all that away and put my life savings into sailing around the world, they thought I was crazy!”

So, what sparked this aspiration? Fernandez revealed it had come about following a heart-wrenching family incident in 2017.

“My sister-in-law passed away at just 42 years old while on cruise with family. They were quite well-to-do, had everything going for them, but this tragedy shattered their lives,” he said.

That, for him, was a wake-up call: having witnessed the fragility of life, he desired to experience what life truly had to offer. And with fewer commitments now that his children were grown up and settled, he saw an opportunity to “go big or go home”.

“I wanted to get this message across to my children: that you have to step out of your bubble and do something big, even if it seems absurd to everyone else.”

Having been a marine engineer before making the transition to the plantation industry, Fernandez has always had a strong connection with the ocean.

“My uncle, who was working at a yacht club in the mid-1970s, first introduced me to sailing when I was five or six years old,” he explained.

But it was only many years later, in 2014, that he decided to learn sailing out of curiosity, never imagining that he’d one day attempt a circumnavigation.

So, after years of meticulous planning, he finally kicked off his five-year mission to sail the globe last February. He departed Malaysia from Port Klang aboard his aptly named boat, “Destiny 12”, and made his way southwest towards the Indian Ocean.

The first leg of his journey saw him stopping at various destinations including Maldives, Seychelles, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

The going, he said, was thankfully smooth, with no unexpected incidents despite the Cape of Good Hope being notorious for frequent storms and powerful currents.

Instead, with limited means of communication and few distractions, Fernandez noted that his time at sea provided plenty of opportunities for deep reflection.

“It’s a very spiritual time for me. You have all that time to sit with your thoughts and let your mind wander. Everything that we worry about on a daily basis in the city just becomes irrelevant.”

The uniqueness of his solo adventure lies not only in the open waters but in the people he has encountered along the way. Arriving at the Point Yacht Club in Durban, for example, the warm welcome and hospitality he received took him by surprise.

“A room full of people, strangers I’d just met including experienced sailors, gave me a standing ovation. That was unbelievable,” he shared. He even appeared in a local newspaper!

Fernandez stressed that while his adventure may leave fellow Malaysians in awe, the stories from other sailors he has met are even more inspiring.

“During my journey, I met a family from the US who were on the same mission – to sail across the world. While most children would be buried in their textbooks at school, these parents decided to bring their kids on the journey of a lifetime,” he remarked.

All in all, the round-trip took Fernandez 10 months, culminating in his safe return to Malaysia on Dec 7 for a well-deserved break.

Having successfully crossed the Indian Ocean, he now eagerly awaits the next leg of his journey on Jan 16.

This time around, he plans to conquer the Atlantic Ocean, his sights set on making his way to Panama after stops in Ireland, Portugal, Canary Island, and the Caribbean.

And in the years to come, he hopes to continue his mission, sailing through the Pacific Ocean covering the United States and Melanesia, before making his way back to Malaysia in 2027.

Reflecting on the first year of his adventure, Fernandez said there’s something about the vast blue expanse that transforms a person. “When you’re out in the ocean, it dawns on you how small you are in this world,” he concluded.

Follow Fabian’s journey via his website, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.