Atlantic Crossing

Across to St. Helena: Day 6-13

/ Kristian Beadle

This is the second post from the mid-Atlantic…

DAY 6. Swimming Across Prime Meridian!

Our goal: to SWIM across the Prime Meridian, in the middle of the ocean!! The prime meridian is the imaginary line of  0 degree Longitude, which divides Western and Eastern Hemispheres.

Haha this is admittedly a very random goal, but such things happen a week into a passage, I guess 🙂 There’s plenty of traditions about crossing the Equator, but not for the Prime Meridian… until now! 

It deserves credit….  after all, the story of Longitude is fascinating.  Longitude was a monumental problem that vexed navigators for centuries.

Where is Nesi? See our current location by satellite.

Latitude was relatively “easy” to calculate using a sextant, which measures the angle between celestial bodies (sun, stars). 

However, Longitude calculations were basically guesswork. This caused countless shipwrecks , since vessels found themselves dozens of miles from where they presumed to be.  

The invention of chronometer watches in 18th century finally gave navigators the tool to calculate Longitude reliably – by seeing the exact difference between their time and Prime Meridian time.  This requires very precise astronomical observations.  And guess who was at the forefront of this?  The Royal Greenwich Observatory in London.  

Hence it was no big surprise when delegates of 25 nations in 1884 agreed to establish the Prime Meridian as Greenwich, which had the most reliable data in the world at the time (the French disagreed and used Paris as the prime meridian until 1911 when they finally joined the rest of the world).

This supremacy in navigation technology helped the British become the largest empire the world has ever seen, and helped English surpass French as the world’s diplomatic & commercial language.

We crossed the Prime Meridian — this deeply important yet curiously arbitrary line — with our swim, in perfectly calm conditions, with Nesi adrift. And of course, followed by a cup of English black tea 🙂 

DAY 7. Mahi Mahi transcendence.

The end to an amazing day… the breeze returned, we were cruising all day under spinnaker going 6.5kts, grilled burgers & pineapple in the outdoor BBQ … then at sunset we got a double hook up of mahi mahi…! Jumping and sparkling yellow- green-golden, skittered above the waves, what fighters! What fish! What an honor to land one and make get excited about a fantastic meal.

Day 9. Arriving by Sea: St Helena Island

After 9 days of open ocean & sky it is a delight to see land. Slowly she comes closer into detail. First just rocky shapes , then colors, then trees! This slow unveiling is like a brilliant wine, savored, unhurried. There’s nothing like making landfall by sailboat. St Helena island, mid Atlantic.

Nesi

DAY 10. Jamestown, St. Helena

Known as Napoleon’s final exile & deathbed. But this large island in the middle of the Atlantic is full of surprises. 

It was protected tooth and nail by the British, as a critical reprovision station on the clipper route from Europe around Africa to India.  

The island’s perimeter is absurdly dry, but the interior valleys are  surprisingly lush. Ultra steep volcanic rock everywhere. The few landing places had massive fortifications built of stone into cliffs to ward off enemy ships. 

Like a countryside English town plopped into a tropical island. The stone buildings are stout and charming, built into the narrow slots between the steep slopes. British pounds are accepted, no credit cards or ATMs . A feeling of stepping back into time. 

DAY 11. Napoleon’s Tomb

Napoleon – the famous  Emperor who navigated France out  of the post revolution chaos, was wildly successful, then lost it all with one terrible decision – marching into the Russian winter and losing nearly 1/2 million men. 

Then he was exiled to St Helena Island, this little mid Atlantic rock we are visiting, under close British supervision until his death. 

What a story of hubris, ambition, and over reach. Amazing to walk down history lane and see his tomb and home-in-exile with our own eyes  

DAY 12. Freediving St. Helena waters

40ft down in Saint Helena island 🏝️ 🇸🇭 with a wreck of a 1911 ship that was enroute from England to Australia and caught on fire so the captain ran her aground and there she lays to this day in shallow water

DAY 13. Catching a Nice Wahoo

Wahoooooo! Final gift from St Helena. Every day here I feel a kinship to the sailors from clipper ships who used this island to provision in centuries past. We are walking in their footsteps. Provisioning with blessings from the sea, ready to embark on the next leg of the journey… to Brazil 🇧🇷 !!!

Our Expedition Letters are about to ship

Sabrina is in Brazil with the twins getting our Letters project up & running. We hear that they’re going to arrive in mailboxes next week. Support our artist Joelie and support the Green Coco video productions: $10/month for custom hand made awesome educational materials from around the globe, delivered to your home. Learn more here: www.greencoco.org/#letters

We started our Atlantic Crossing! Day 1-5

/ Kristian Beadle
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Preparation: Kids depart, Last Minute Repairs, Provisions

We had 3 weeks in Walvis Bay, Namibia to prepare for the Atlantic Crossing but it just is never enough. The girls & Sabrina said farewell to Nesi and flew back to Brasil with Grandma & sister Sammy — we had an awesome road trip which we’ll share later.

Upon my return, it was non-stop hustle to do repairs on the boat. The diesel fuel tank had a leak; major job. The starboard engine was still giving us alignment issues; major job. The new lithium battery banks needed more protection; major job. And endless minor jobs.

Our deckhand & electrician Dophaise played a key role, as he has done in the last 4 months. He has been a massive help, but we had to say good-bye as his time with us came to an end. He got a work-exchange job at a local farm near Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. His journey to find work abroad continues!

Provisioning is a HUGELY time consuming. This is a task that Sabrina does so well, and without her, our steward & first mate Ian Bacon and I would now have to figure it out. It took us multiple days to shop & pack the boat with multiple shopping carts worth of food, for 5 people aboard 33 days across the Atlantic (assuming we won’t provision in St. Helena Island, in the mid-ocean).

DAY 1: Our Atlantic Crossing begins!!!

Such a frenzy to prepare the boat this last week- repairs, provisions, documents.

Yet we managed to leave on the 13th of Jan with our co-op guests Kim and friend Shawn, plus my dad Bob and our first mate Ian.

Riding a South wind into the SE trade winds, heading to St Helena island, 1200nm (9 days) to arrival.

We’ve been FLYING ever since leaving Walvis Bay, averaging 8kts.

DAY 2: Towards the horizon

I won’t lie – heading into 3000nm of ocean is intimidating and scary… takes some trust and faith in all our hard work on the boat & experience.

I thank these dolphins for leading us into the big sea with their playful joy 🙂

We did 200nm on the first 24hrs- over 8kt average. Nesi is flying. 1000nm left for St Helena island.

Night watches were 3 hrs each. Captain K sleeping in the cockpit close at hand, as we wove between some cargo ships and fishing vessels, showing up on radar and AIS.

Full moon popped up thru the clouds to illuminate the ocean.

We are so HERE !

DAY 3: This is what trade wind dreams are made of!

Gentle downwind sailing. Perfection all around. 15kts breeze from ESE. Sailing WNW.

Yesterday was a little nuts with wind shifts and spinnaker tear; gotta pay the dues. Today repaired the small rip (caught on spreaders while furling).

I’d like to report to my land-bound wife @sabby_sirena that although our cabin is still utter mess from our departure chaos, we did clean the bathrooms and galley and are keeping a hawk’s eye on food spoiling. Make you proud honey.

We’ve already gone 1/3 of the way to St Helena— less than 800nm to go. yeww!!

Day 4: Flipping eggs!

This is how we keep 360 eggs unrefrigerated during our trip 🙂

Managing food is a major part of a passage or expedition. Try making wholesome healthy food for 5 people for 34 days without going to the grocery store! Here’s how we’re trying do it:


  • Fresh Food. In Walvis Bay Namibia, we filled 4 shopping carts worth of fruits & vegetables, meats & cheeses, dairy & eggs. Divided this into 10 baskets, 3 fridges, and 3 freezers. Produce is ideally fresh from a farmer’s market, unrefrigerated, which lasts much longer. However, the Namibian desert isn’t exactly a farmer’s paradise, a lot is imported from S. Africa, so we had an extra challenge with that.
  • Provisioning. There’s the equivalent of about 15 shopping carts of food packed into Nesi’s cupboards & bilges; these require shelves and plastic bins with labels and easy access. About 3 months worth of food. There’s stuff from every country in there: Seychelles, Madagascar, South Africa, Namibia. Try to keep track!
  • Food Management. The worst is to let food go bad. Each food category needs careful attention. Heard of the saying “one bad apple spoils the bunch”? The superstition that bananas are bad luck aboard? Nope, it’s not true, but there’s a reason for all of this!

How to deal with each of these food categories is in itself a fascinating story. Ever since our first days on Aldebaran crossing the Pacific from Galapagos to Pitcairn (21 days, 4 people, with just 1 mini fridge!) we’ve learned a lot.

In our modern world of refrigeration and ready access to groceries 24/7, we’ve lost the knowledge of food storage & preservation needed for off-grid living. We like bringing it back little by little, because it’s super cool, and hey, might be good to know someday.

Day 5… Broken Oven, Slow Spinnaker

We are going so slow its like we are walking across the ocean … it’s very relaxing haha .

3-4kt boat speed today with spinnaker just barely staying in the air. With zero wind yesterday we even stopped the motor for a quick swim which was delightful, the water is getting warmer, entering the tropics properly!!

Our power is ample with 2.5kw of solar ☀️ and new 800ah lithium batteries 🪫. This is fortunate because the gas burner in the oven is malfunctioning, so we are using the electric backup (which mows thru power. The oven thermocouple disconnected from the wire, i fixed it, not sure why it still is broken.)

No surprises here, everyday something breaks, usually small things… it almost seems like a law of boating. We are bobbing along. We had a massive egg & bacon breakfast to keep the crew morale up 🙂

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Don’t forget!

Deadline for our Expedition Letters Launch is January 20, 2025 — you’ll receive a raffle ticket for a FREE boat trip (if you’re one of the 50 first subscribers); and option to nominate a teacher to receive the letters. These our monthly delivered by snail mail to your house, ideal for families, kids, and schools.

Learn more here: www.greencoco.org/#letters

2024 Expedition Schedule: Seychelles, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa

/ Kristian Beadle / 1 Comment

The Green Coco Expedition begins this next year! Join us to kick off the adventure. We’ll be aboard our new 60ft catamaran Nesi (see photos of the boat here).

The first 2 years (’24-’25) are the Delivery Voyage from Seychelles to California. Read about the inspiration for the voyage, and our overall 15 year Expedition Proposal to sail around-the-world doing a boat school with hundreds of families.

This is a learning adventure. Aboard will be Kristian, Sabrina, the twins (age 4), an onboard teacher for kids age 3-6, and experts to teach cool workshops. There are 3 cabins for visitors.

Interested in joining? See our website for updated availability & dates. Send us an email for info, expedition@greencoco.org — and let’s go sailing in Africa !!!

Here is the overall Route Map for 2024, with specific routes for each trip shown further below.

Seychelles

Iconic granite islands, the Seychelles have endemic species like the Coco de Mer (a behemoth coconut, the world’s largest). Considered the ‘French Polynesia of the Indian Ocean’, the Seychelles have 3 main inner islands (Mahe, Praslin, La Digue) and various outer atolls (Amirantes, Cosmoledo, Aldabra). There is world-class underwater life, beautiful scenery, and amazing ecology. During the trip to Madagascar we’ll have the rare chance to visit remote atolls with pristine marine life. During the March/April period we can expect fairly calm seas and light winds. Note: due to other reasons, many sailors make the trip to Madagascar in July-September which is much more windy and rough. The pickup & dropoff location for our trips is Mahé island, city of Victoria, which has international connections to various hubs like Dubai, Addis Abbaba, and more.

photo: Kristian Beadle

Trip: Seychelles #1

–March 9-16 (7 or 12 day trip). Mahé roundtrip. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Option to either do a Green Run (easy) for 7 days in the inner islands or a Blue Run (moderate) for 12 days including overnight sailing to Amirantes.

Trip: Seychelles #2

— FULL. March 29 – April 9. Mahé rountrip (via Amirantes).

Trip: Seychelles to Madagascar

— April 20 to May 7 (18 days). Mahé, Seychelles to Nosy Be, Madagascar. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Black Diamond run with overnight to Amirantes, 2 nights to Cosmoledo, overnight to Glorieuse, overnight to Nosy Be.

Madagascar

This massive island in East Africa is famous for its incredible biodiversity. It is best-known for endemic species such as the lemurs and baobab trees. Our north Madagascar trips are centered in the lush Nosy Be area and has spectacular island-hopping, smooth sailing, fantastic underwater life, authentic culture, and very special ecology. Our south Madagascar trips are centered in Toliara and have an array of coral-fringing lagoons with reef passes featuring world-class kitesurfing, uncrowded surfing, and underwater life, in a more arid environment. We highly recommend also doing 4-7 days of overland travel in complement to the boat trip. Nosy Be has an international airport. Both Nosy Be and Toliara have domestic flights to Antananarivo, the country’s main airport, which in turn has connections from Reunion Island, Nairobi, Addis Abbaba, and other locations.

Trip: North Madagascar #1

— May 11-19 (9 days). Nosy Be roundtrip. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Green Run with sheltered waters, island hopping, snorkeling/diving.

Trip: North Madagascar #2

— FULL. May 22-31 (10 days). Nosy Be roundtrip.

Trip: North Madagascar #3

— June 6-15 (10 days). Nosy Be to Mahajanga. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Green Run with sheltered waters, island hopping, snorkeling/diving.

Passage: Madagascar North-South

— June 17-26 (10 days). Mahajanga to Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with coastal navigation, generally sheltered.

Trip: South Madagascar #1

— June 28-July 4 (7 days) Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with some exposed, rolly anchorages next to surf spots.

Trip: South Madagascar #2

— FULL. July 9-19 (10 days). Toliara roundtrip.

Trip: South Madagascar #3

— July 27-August 5 (10 days). Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with some exposed, rolly anchorages next to surf spots.

Trip: South Madagascar #4

— Aug 14-23 (10 days). Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with some exposed rolly anchorages next to surf spots.

East & South Africa

After leaving the island of Madagascar we’ll cross the Mozambique channel and visit the remarkable bays in this portuguese-speaking country. Mozambique is considered by experienced travelers one of the most underrated destinations in the world. Two Green Coco co-op members met here during Peace Corps and speak highly of the place. It has phenomenal marine and terrestrial wildlife, and has good setups for just about every ocean activity: surfing, kiteboarding, diving, etc. There are a handful of majestic bays, like the Bazaruto National Park, which is a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site. Otherwise, the remainder of the coastline has less protection from the open ocean, and hence the trip from Tofo to Durban in South Africa is considered a Passage, with discounted options for visitors keen for adventure. See more details below.

Trip: Madagascar to Mozambique

–August 30-September 12 (14 days). Toliara in Madagascar to Ile Europa mid-channel to Bazaruto and Tofo in Mozambique. Availability: 2 cabins, shared boat. 1 reserved cabin (co-op member). Black Diamond run with 3 nights crossing the channel from southern Madagascar to Mozambique, plus an overnight trip along Mozambique coastline.

Passage: Mozambique to South Africa

–September 15-28 (14 days). Tofo via Maputo to Durban. Availability: 2 cabins, shared boat. 1 reserved cabin (co-op member). Black Diamond run with 1-2 overnight trips along the Mozambique coastline with sheltered and unprotected (bumpy) anchorages along the way.

South Africa & Atlantic Crossing

Crossing the infamous Cape of Good Hope is the goal of our first passage going around South Africa, from Durban to Cape Town. We’ll allow plenty of time to wait for good weather windows to make those transits. When the wind is not ideal, we’ll do overland travel or boatwork . Once in Cape Town, we’ll prepare for our Atlantic Crossing, which is considered one of the finest in the world, with predominant downwind/broad reach conditions for weeks on end. There are also isolated islands to visit mid-Atlantic like Ascension, St. Helena, with a final destination of Fernando de Noronha, which is considered “Brazil’s Hawaii”.

Passage: South Africa

–Oct 7-Nov 29 (flexible, minimum 2 weeks). Durban to Cape Town transit.Availability: 2 cabins, shared boat, passage. 1 reserved cabin (co-op member). Black Diamond passage with 900nm (8 full sailing days), which we need to transit sometime in Oct/Nov. We’ll do so whenever the weather windows permit. When weather is no good, we’ll be doing boat work or going on inland trips, visiting game reserves etc… Please note, there is no guarantee that we will actually be sailing during any specific 2 week period. Work trade options available while boat in port. Thanksgiving in Cape Town 🙂

Passage: Atlantic Crossing

— Dec 1-January 9 (40 days, 25 days of sailing, 15 days island sight seeing). Cape Town to Fernando Noronha: Availability: By application, please request info. 2 cabins and 2 single berths, shared boat. 1 reserved cabin (co-op member). Start in Cape Town (5 day buffer for weather) then 1650nm to St Helena (12 days sailing, visit island approx 4 days) ; then 700nm to Ascension Island (5 days sailing, visit island approx 5 days, Xmas); then 1150nm to Fernando de Noronha (8 days sailing). Assuming 140 nm per day sailing 25 days sailing time. Black Diamond Run. After the initial variable region around Cape Town, we are anticipating favorable broad reach conditions the entire way. Additional Costs: Crew will be splitting any special permit costs, including those for Fernando de Noronha.

More Details:

— Want a private boat? Book 3 cabins. Want a members-only trip? Book 2 cabins minimum. Some trip dates may be flexible, please request.
— Trips vs. Passages. “Trips” are regular rates, see our price list. “Passages” are 25% off for general public, 50% off for members, free for investors (cabin fees), see our discounts.
— “Green Runs” are easy with sheltered waters, great for families and people sensitive to seasickness.
— “Blue Runs” are moderate with some exposed day sailing, potential bumpy anchorages.
— “Black Diamonds” are challenging with potential upwind rough sailing and overnight transits.
— “Double Blacks” are the toughest ones, expect the full glory of the ocean 🙂

Interested?

See our current availability on www.greencococharters.com/#expeditionschedule

Or send us an email to expedition@greencoco.org

Let’s Go! Following the Stoke…