"We'll be in the Bahamas by next year!"

That was my 2010 mantra, though there was no stimulus for such a precognitive proclamation. Many happy days had passed living in the Florida Keys, but I had begun to grow restless.

We'd moved aboard Re Metau with the intention of sailing around the world, and though we'd only meant to stop in Marathon for a short while, spending blissful days on beautiful ocean waters with best friends had bound us to this area like none other. It seemed our cruising goals were getting buried under the sands of time and I'd begun to feel the need to uproot the anchor.

Believing in the power of intention, I'd found that verbalizing an affirmative statement would turn the tides in obtaining an aspiration. With vocalization, visualization, and tenacious endeavor, all ideas become reality. To draw us away from the magnetism of Marathon, I could think of no other, more perfect destination than the beautiful azure waters and secluded islands of the paradise right next door – the Bahamas. So I tossed my thoughts around out loud, and though Don was onboard with the idea, he believed his commitments continued to be an obstacle that confined our cruising to the Florida coast.

Then, an incident occurred that – though on the onset looked despairing – severed Don's ephemeral responsibilities and bought us the freedom to cross over into foreign waters. Additionally, this life change proved to be the impetus for both a physical and an emotional journey. It provided us with the duration and dollars we'd sought to make the passage, and it provided us with the opportunity to prove both our vessel and our own capabilities in self-sufficiency and sailing savvy.

In this mariner's life, we'd met many a former dreamer with an infinite list of causes for their aborted cruising dreams; missing family, misinformation, misfortune, misadventure. But truth be told, at the root of all these scuttled aspirations were fears that proved unconquerable – fears brought on by the very real and often overwhelming risks for which one must prepare to safely make a blue-water passage. My biggest fear was that we'd also succumbed to this sort of paralysis.

Before us was a daunting pursuit; sailing away from the safety of the familiar into the undisputed vulnerability of the unknown. This was not the coastal cruising we'd known. It was crossing unfathomable waters, landing on untamed coasts, and having none but ourselves in which to rely.

In reality, the Bahamas was considered the kiddy pool for newbie Caribbean cruisers and ultimately, our journey around this island nation turned out to be tranquil and carefree. Our weather remained agreeable, Re Metau performed without fail, and most important, the voyage quelled many of our anxieties. Not only were the rewards of achieving our quest immeasurable; the experience rekindled the flame of our original desires.