Hurray, we have our first teacher aboard for the twins! Libby found us while she was traveling in Europe. She responded to our Teacher in Paradise post (see link in profile, greencoconutrun.com) and all the puzzle pieces aligned. She has experience with Montessori, outdoor education , working with small boats, and van life… so she fit right in.
Some background:
When Sabrina and I decided to do this, we had this idea… lets do home-schooling aboard for our girls (like the other sailing families we admire), but let’s ALSO have teachers on the boat AND continue to host other families and adventures aboard. Hmm… how to pull this off, we wondered?
We decided to raise funds for a bigger boat and bolder vision. It has been embraced by both new and existing Green Coco investors beyond our wildest expectations. Our around-the-world Expedition on the 60ft catamaran Nesi starts this March 2024 in Seychelles. There will be boat-schooling for kids and cool learning workshops for everyone. Trips are available for general public and members. Check out the route maps here and sign up.
This educational vision also motivated us to share the Green Coco model with other sailing families, as we seek new owners for our existing 46ft catamaran Selaví here in French Polynesia. We are still receiving applications, so spread the word! We are offering a really special deal: enabling a young couple to purchase a catamaran without going through a bank, and be able to earn income with co-op trips that are authentic & family-supportive. Check our business opportunity to new captains. It’s really fun to see it come to reality, and make the pie bigger for everyone.
For this next boat-schooling phase, we are covering all the costs for teachers to come aboard, including their travel expenses (depending on amount of time committed). Other families can come aboard our trips, and enjoy the boat preschool as a two week summer camp 🙂
Our first teacher, Libby, arrived in a way that is typical of boat life. Trial by fire! She left Europe and hit the ground running, meeting Sabrina, Kaiana and Naiyah in SF airport, flying together to Papeete. We had just finished a 2 month vacation in California including our couples time at Burning Man… so the boat needed a ton of work. My opinion is that leaving a boat is the toughest part about living on a boat!
The ladies arrived during a two week long flurry of maintenance work, prior to our upcoming cruise to Bora Bora. This is one of our last 3 trips on Selaví… and we were doing a big overhaul post-vacation. Taking apart an engine cylinder head (again), working daily with an electrician to recalibrate our lithium house batteries (after getting damaged while we were away), and cleaning every square inch on the boat.
Admittedly it was a challenging start, because on top of all the boat chaos, the girls got a head-cold from their California travels (uhh.. not again) and were under the weather, which makes life miserable for all sentient beings. I guess that toddlers getting sick on the first days of school is…. kind of expected? Haha not funny.
Somehow Libby weathered all these storms gracefully, and before we even left the Tahiti marina, she had proven herself to be a calm and centered presence, keeping a positive attitude and riding the daily waves of the girls’ emotions and the boat’s needs; which are usually like pretty rhythmic swells but those first weeks were stormy seas!
The reality is that sailing has an intense Yin-Yang between the moments of utter bliss when dolphins are gliding by during a sunset over a majestic island; then the madness of periods of maintenance, repairs, and the other unsavory parts of life at sea (yes, even on a comfy catamaran). We learn to live with it, thrive in it.
Sabrina and I have been training to cope with these wild up and downs for 10 years… we’ve watched with some trepidation as our nannies (now teachers) have arrived and integrated into this very unique lifestyle. More often than not, we’ve been super proud they can jump right in and walk this wild and wonderful tightrope with us. It speaks volumes about the inner work they’ve done to be steady in themselves and their sense of presence. This is one of the great attributes we found that the boat experience really brings out.
While we hustled with boat work, Libby did an awesome job juggling visits with twins to Maison D’Enfance (the local children’s public play space in Tahiti) and helping us provision and prep the boat. Our guests arrived, and we cast our lines for a three week cruise from Tahiti to Bora Bora.
Our 5 guests aboard have been utterly delightful, including Bill and Cathy, who are long time Green Coco investors and have sailed with us several other times already: including a Heiva trip in Tahiti and a memorable mid-pandemic Tuamotus trip to Tahanea and Fakarava.
As a charter trip, our galley goddess Sabrina is preparing epic meals and everyone takes turns to prep & clean up, as is the nature of our participatory Green Coco model. (In contrast, during our co-op trips, guests take turns being Chef and helping with maintenance too, which allows an affordable and even more participatory experience for those who want that.)
On the first day of our cruise, we sailed across the channel from Tahiti to Moorea with a delightful 12 knots of wind. The grandiose views of Cook’s Bay and Oponuhu Bay were our home for a few days, before we sailed overnight to Huahine.
As we’re settling into a daily rhythm, our boat-schooling is starting to find its legs.
After breakfast, Sabby and I typically help the guests snorkeling and exploring the islands we visit. Meanwhile, Libby takes the girls to “beach preschool” from around 9am-2pm ; or at times we all do a hike or excursion together with our guests.
After lunch, there is quiet time at 2pm, and the teacher enjoys a well-deserved break for a few hours to chill or explore. We set up learning activities for the girls onboard, and per usual, they bounce on the nets to blow off steam before sunset and bed time.
With 5 guests, 2 toddlers, 1 teacher, plus Sabby and I, you can imagine things start to get busy onboard. Every bed is currently used on Selaví: four cabins and three single berths. We are maxing the space on our 46ft cat, hence now you see why we motivated for a 60ft cat with more space 🙂
There you have it, it’s like we are sending our kids to preschool, while running boat trips with guests! Haha. It feels like a lot of work, but hey, it’s also a load of fun.
It is especially gratifying that our guests are loving the inter-generational feeling aboard. Whether they had kids already (or not), want to one day, or are coming aboard with their own little ones, everyone loves being around the twins and their silliness (as long as someone else is there for the rough moments!) In my opinion, this works thanks to the catamaran’s private cabins and spread-out spaces — there’s always a place for everyone to meet their needs, while we cruise from one ridiculously pretty place to another. Here’s a floor plan for you to get an idea.
Here’s a question for our community: do you know of any cool homeschooling options for kids? Or educational projects on sailboats with onboard teachers and toddlers? If so, please share in the comments. We are figuring this out as we go, and can use any help we can get!
Stay healthy out there, stay creative, and keep following the stoke! Big hugs,
Kristian & Sabrina
Interested in joining a Green Coco trip? They are designed for families, couples, and single adventurers who want authentic sailing voyages with a fun community focus, in a participatory, learning environment.
Check out our 2024 Schedule : French Polynesia trips and East Africa trips on the Expedition.
See our Cost Overview: enjoy gourmet food and guided excursions in our charter trips, or affordable options with our co-op trips.
Send us an inquiry : info@greencoco.org
Thanks!