In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on a sailboat Ithaca, Adrian Magnago Live a journey that transcends geography and becomes an inner journey. Magnago, an Argentine engineer by training, left behind career stability YPF And the routine of life on land to surrender to the uncertainty and severity of the sea.
He took a bold turn in his life but this It wasn’t a ImpromptuBut as a result of a series of previous decisions Which brought him closer to water and freedom.
Today, after 18 days of continuous moving from… Mindelo, Cape Verdewith two crew members, about 580 nautical miles from MartiniqueWith docking expected on December 2: “Every day is simple and profound at the same time: hours of navigation, sail adjustments, cooking, reading, writing, meditation. The sea commands your rhythm.” Magnago calls and answers from the depths of the ocean. The ship moves only under sail, at a rate of 95 miles per day.
Magnago’s current life is defined by the routine on board the ship and the constant presence of the sea. Each day revolves around the needs of the boat and natural rhythms: “I wake up early, make coffee, and meditate on the deck. I work a few hours on my projects. Then I swim for an hour and usually reach the beach. Light lunch. I read, write, or continue working. In the afternoon I do yoga or exercise. If I’m on an island, I go watch the sunset – sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. At night we have dinner on board, with music or saxophone. Mobility, far from being mere displacement, becomes a form of presence and continuous learning.
The process that brought Magnago to this point was not sudden, but the result of a gradual transformation:There was no sudden ‘click’. It was a slow process, like a gentle curve that gradually became steeper. The decisive decision comes at a specific moment, but first comes passion, curiosity, training, and the search for an environment in which that desire can germinate.
He began his navigation technique around the age of forty Avellaneda Nautical Club in RosarioAs a recreational activity after divorce. Hence, each experience fostered a new way of life.
The helmsman’s path appeared under the sail as the first dot on the map, a way for Adrian to hear the sound of the river again. Then came the captain of the sailing ship, and with him his first crossing into Cologne, that steady line of horizon that opens up when one learns to trust the wind.
He and a friend bought a 23-foot sailboat to travel to Paraná, a small boat that taught them that distance is not measured in miles but in decisions. Later Set off as a crew member from Caracas to Los Roques He spent fifteen days on board the ship, in an archipelago that seemed to be living in another breath.
In Angra dos Reis, he rented a 34-foot boat and was a captain for the first time at sea, with his children and his partner at the time, while the water gave them new ways of living together.
He has created perimeter clinics between Rio and Florianópolis, a stretch that demands respect and leaves marks. and He spent two weeks sailing in the Balearic Islands On a friend’s boat, where the Mediterranean showed its patience and ability. Each of these scenes, spread across different seas and times, served as bricks in building the life he lives today.
The real turning point came with the pandemic: “There was an obvious reason. I think it was a turning point for a lot of people.”
During that time, working remotely allowed him to reconnect with his original career as a programmer and achieve the financial independence needed to make the leap. With savings and complicity exequilSailor’s Mate, acquired IthacaNotecat 40 Kit Palma de Mallorca.
“We bought it almost without knowing each other: 15 days of friendship and an ocean in front of us. It was risky, but it worked,” he recalls. Waiver YPF It was not without questions: “I heard several times: ‘You’re crazy,’ How would you leave an effective job at the largest company in the country?. My response was always the same: “There are things I want to do now. I wasn’t born into YPF and I can live without it.”
Life on board was profoundly transformative, both in relationship with the elements and on a personal level: “Sailing and living on board removes all masks: The sea does not allow you to disguise yourself with anything. One shows oneself as one is.”
The daily routine is accompanied by meditation practices and the search for physical and spiritual improvement. The distance of affection, especially from their children, is compensated for by a renewed appreciation for connections: “Time flows differently. There are almost no emergencies, except when the ship requests it.. And the boat always asks: maintenance, repairs and care. “It’s a living being in a sense.”
Writing has become an essential pillar in this new stage. “Ithaca: Between Waves and Silence” He was born out of hours of contemplation, the need to express feelings, and the learning that the sea brought back to him in words.
“Writing it was a way to relive those moments,” Magnago says. “I worked on it in first person and in real time, so the reader would feel like they were on my side.” The book, whose cover was painted in watercolors by a friend, is about to be published.
Additionally, he’s already working on a prologue about his childhood in a field without electricity Santa FeWith the intention of honoring his roots and parents. His literary project includes a trilogy: the outer and inner journey, the origin story, and a third part with a social nature.
The book’s paragraphs enhance the philosophical and poetic dimension of his journey. “Ithaca is not just a ship: it is the state of the soul. “An invisible land where the sea becomes a mirror and the waves, ancient voices whisper what we have forgotten on land,” Magnago writes in the introduction.
Navigation is presented as inspiration, an emotional map where coordinates are marked by silence, intuition and gratitude. “The sea does not teach theory, it teaches presence“, he emphasizes in the presentation, inviting the reader to share the experience from the deck, without contingencies or prescriptions.
“The sea taught me that no journey ends, it changes shape. I thought I was sailing towards Ithaca, but I understood.” Ithaca was not a dot on a map, but a state of the soul“The journey, far from ending in a geographical destination, is revealed as a continuous process of learning and transformation,” Magnago concludes in his book’s epilogue.
Looking to the future, Magnago plans to return to rosary After reaching Martinique To publish the book and reconnect with his close circle.
In 2026, it plans to sail towards San Blas, PanamaWith the aim of contributing to society KONA On coral restoration initiatives and development of an eco-sailboat prototype: “I’m interested in contributing something to the Kona community: coral restoration, environmental projects. I also want to work on a completely eco-sailboat prototype, with electric motor and renewable energy.”
On cover IthacaAs the Atlantic Ocean stretches without promise, Magnago embodies the search for meaning and connection with nature that resonates with those who yearn for a more authentic life. His journey, as he himself expressed it, is defined not by arriving at port, but by the desire to move forward, with the certainty that true destiny lies within.