After more than two years of preparations, my extended ocean voyage drew near and the search for just the right name for my 33-foot sloop took centre stage.

I was contemplating a name that would be descriptive of the exploration, discovery, and learning that lay ahead. But every conversation I had about plans to sail from Ontario to British Columbia, somehow, shifted to the realm of dreams.

For those who had any sailing experience, the notion of sailing off to distant places was met with statements like "I have always dreamed of doing the same." And anyone who wasn't a sailor quickly shifted to an idea of following some dreams linked to their own familiarity.

Most conversations left me with an impression that dreams are about what lies beyond one's grasp.

And dreamers, by and large, tend to imagine more than they accomplish.

But this was not an imaginary voyage! It would actually take place.

The name Practical Dreams popped into my mind. Without much deliberation, it felt right.

So what are Practical Dreams?

Practical Dreams are the actions we take to change a dream into reality.

We talk about having practical experience. Well, this is the practicality of dreams crossing over.

The most complex ambitions really amount to the sum of the simplest components of daily lives. Consider the athlete that stands atop an Olympics podium. The podium by itself is a meaningless box on the ground. He or she who achieves the top podium has accomplished something that sets them above the rest. Talent, sure, and the setting of competition standards is a given. But mostly the athlete's celebrations are a pride about never having let go of a dream and realizing it through years and years of rudimentary training.

It's not about the goal, it's about the journey. Jackie Stewart (former Formula 1 Grand Prix World Champion) summed up his arrival at the pinnacle of his sport, during an interview - "It was quite an education to reach the top, only to find that no one ever gets there!"

Practical dreams are not just about world-class athletes or international sailing voyages. They are about everyone whom reaches for something in their life. It is quite amazing how infectious an aspiring attitude is.

I never had a conversation with someone about my intention to ocean-sail, without witnessing some sort of shift in their manor. They would either perk up in response to my ambitions or begin to describe something of importance to their own life.

I think the problem for most is what to dream in the first place. Most of our lives seem to be wrapped up in the standard machinery of the cycle of life.

I remember in high school, hanging out with friends and observing the occasional blank stare in response to the dreaded question cycled like an echo: "What do you want to do tonight? I don't know, what do you want to do tonight?" ...

I never had this problem. For me, it has always been about not having enough hours available in a day to do what I wanted to get done.

It is now June 9, 2008. I am writing this at 2:30 a.m. in the Ionian Sea as I cross the Gulf or Taranto (The arch of the boot shape off the southern tip of Italy) sailing from Palermo Sicily to Corfu.

I can't see the dolphins that accompany me in the darkness, but I can hear their breathing as they break the surface. I have sailed more than 6,000 nautical miles since July of last year. With the sunset that I watched last night and a perfect temperature to be comfortably writing this note on deck in shorts, I guess I have to consider that I'm in one of my Practical Dreams.

This is the third in a series of essays by Mr. Kennedy, a former area resident who is currently sailing around the globe, heading for British Columbia.