The average lifespan for the period you are describing (say, 1492-ish since we're talking about sailing) was their mid-thirties (and probably lower for the people that actually got on those boats). So I think I like our strategy better. And it's not even about "but at least they truly lived!", their lives were miserable. It's a lot easier to "face the unknown" when the "known" is itself often religious persecution, famine, or worse. I might have gotten on those boats too if where I currently was kept switching between Protestantism and Catholicism depending on who rose to the crown.

Consider that perhaps the best way to honor those "fearless" risks is to not waste the world they made possible for us by unnecessarily cutting our own lives short. I certainly hope my descendants have even longer lives than I do! But perhaps that's just my selfish genes talking.