After three weeks of intense work we cast off the lines for our first sailing trip aboard Nesi, our new-to-us 60 ft catamaran.
We hustled for 3 weeks until the very last second to wrap up projects. We needed help, but struggled with the labor force… Luckily we had amazing co-op members coming: both to help us prepare the boat, and do a “shake down” of the boat with us.
Zoe was our second pre-school teacher to come aboard Green Coco — she is from Corsica (a territory of France), and recently finished her teaching credential. She wanted to experience alternative forms of education for kids. She was onboard starting in French Polynesia, and helped us fly to California and then to Seychelles, and make the transition across the world to our new boat.
Have you ever seen people so excited to make something happen, you just know they’ll be great for the job? That was Zoe. As I picked her up with the dinghy at the dock in Bora-Bora, she said, “Only seeing you now, do I believe you guys are real. I mean, teaching kids on a cruising sailboat? This is my dream.”
Continue readingAside from the jet lag — 7am in California is 7pm here! — we felt a surreal sensation to be aboard Nesi .
While sailing in the Tuamotus, one year ago, we envisioned this distant, unlikely possibility. I sent an investment proposal to our community for a 15 year sailing circumnavigation, took the chance to fly across the world to visit 2 boats in the Seychelles, leaving Sabrina in command of Selavi with the kids in Fakarava (and guests that arrived before my return!) and spent the next several months in a whirlwind: fund-raising, hosting trips, Burning “Muddy” Man, never-ending boat repairs, a complicated boat sale, growing our co-op, squeezing in a snow vacation, and finally moving across the globe with 2 kids and 18 bags.
This 12 month tornado somehow deposited us back onboard Nesi, at the dock in Mahé island where I’d last seen her, except now, with the whole family together. The whole thing felt like a strange and beautiful dream.
My greatest pleasure is that Sabrina and the kids loved the boat from the first moment, which I was wondering about! After all, Sabrina wasn’t the hugest fan of the boat (Aquatiki II in Fakarava) that inspired our hunt for this specific model around the world (a Fountaine Pajot Eleuthera 60ft catamaran). That boat was running dive charters and was quite beat up and messy. When I saw Aquatiki II, I knew she was the right model, the right foundation for our next phase. Nesi is the exact same model boat, yet she feels palatial and elegant, well-cared for and delightful in all her spaces. All the videos of the boat weren’t nearly as convincing as the moment that Sabrina stepped aboard and said, “Ok, now I get it. This is amazing!” How satisfying and relieving!
After arriving, we had 3 weeks to prepare the boat for our first Shakedown Cruise with two co-op members, our rigger Ian, and my mom. This was much too little time, yet I figured it would push us to act quickly. Push us it did!
The basic problem is that Nesi is a “marina boat”, and we need to convert her into an “off-grid cruising boat”.
To understand this task, imagine that a huge flood caused your suburban house to suddenly lose all its utilities: water, power, gas. The huge flood also caused the main hardware store to close, leaving only the mini-stores open; and all the good handy workers (electricians, carpenters, etc) simply can’t reach you, only an array of inexperienced workers. Worse yet, the mail delivery stopped, so you have no access to online purchases.
In such a huge symbolic “flood”, we suddenly must turn to complete self-reliance and independence. This is a challenging shift to make.
The good news is that Nesi is a well cared for boat and all her systems were functional; the foundation is excellent. The bad news is that Nesi is still a boat , and all her systems needed tons of attention, and major upgrades to transition her from “marina boat” to “off-grid cruising boat” status.
The first round of our journey features some non-trivial destinations: sailing to Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Africa. So the success of our quest has big implications.
First item on the agenda: figure out how to run this big 60ft boat.
In general everything is similar to our old 46ft catamaran, but massively sized, and much more complicated. The mainsail is gigantic and runs on multiple electric winches. The windlass is enormous with 14mm (unmarked) chain. There are twin 110HP turbo engines (which were misaligned), a 12kW electronic Generator, and a complex series of battery chargers and inverters. The electrical system is the most complicated & non-intuitive part of the boat, featuring both 24v and 12v, and three different 220v circuits. There is an air conditioning system with 3 compressors that cools all five cabins plus the large salon. There is a high output 65 Gallon per hour watermaker (which was not 100% well-maintained)
We also had to figure out how to live aboard the boat… how to keep food in the fridges (which were icing over and dripping wet), to cook properly (the oven needed a new burner), and store belongings (this boat strangely has less storage space our 46ft catamaran). Meanwhile we had to entertain and teach our kids, who were thriving with our onboard teacher Zoe from Corsica, who helped us in the epic journey from Tahiti.
Lest we forget, we are in East Africa. It’s easy to overlook this since Seychelles is the most affluent African country, and everything costs a fortune, so you’d hope this would translate to good quality. Alas, this was optimistic thinking.
Seychelles is a fascinating and beautiful place, but efficiency is not her forte. She has plenty of character, being a melting pot of Middle Eastern, Indian, and European cultures. Seychelles’ history is unique. When the French first claimed Seychelles in 1756, there were no permanent inhabitants, only transient Arabic sailors.
This is surprising because Seychelles are large islands with relative proximity to many populated areas. To get a sense, some of the closest places are Madagascar is 550nm SW, then Somalia is 700nm NW, then Tanzania is 900nm W. In the other direction, India is 1500nm NE.
Do you know another archipelago (near the equator) that was uninhabited when Europeans arrived, just 500nm from a continent? Galapagos. It’s probably no coincidence that the only two places on Earth with wild-roaming Giant Tortoises are Galapagos and Seychelles (as far as I know). Those species were prolific around the world, but they were exterminated by hunters, except in these two island groups that remained largely uninhabited until the mid 1700s.
Just 40 years after the French colonized Seychelles, they gave it up to the British in 1796. Unfortunately, this means the baguettes and croissants aren’t nearly as good as those in Tahiti. On the plus side, English is the lingua franca. Seychellois, the creole language spoken by all the locals, is essentially like French with an extremely heavy African-style accent, which survives from that first era of French control. We can’t understand it, but if we speak French, the locals can understand.
The Seychelles feels like a Caribbean island — with its relaxed “island time” vibe and Rasta influences — yet with African edginess. Many people are gentle and chill. Yet we are constantly caught off guard by the proud, head strong approach of many locals that can be mistaken for unfriendliness and even bitter spitefulness.
The fact that tourism is the primary economy in Seychelles causes a well-known distortion in culture. Places like Costa Rica and Mediterranean villages also reflect this issue: when flamboyantly rich visitors contrasts with a humble community, it can be a ripe breeding ground for resentment and local self-entitlement.
Like the Caribbean, the Seychelles has the added karmic load of dealing with absurdly affluent yachts. This ranges from the fleets of charter cats that rake in $20K per week, to dealing with several multi-million dollar mega-yachts owned by Arabic sultans and Russian oligarchs which flaunt their shores. An incredible number of foreign-owned mansions also dot the islands.
All these factors lead to a community of boating professional that is generally, ahem… difficult to work with. The golden goose (rich yachties) is constantly being squeezed of its fat. What’s left is a mishmash of boat workers who range from too busy, to utter incompetence. The default situation here is to over-charge wildly for mediocre work.
In fact, we’ve been struggling with these issues ever since we purchased the boat last July. The charter manager that was going to run the boat on a few ten day charters, to cover the costs of our boat sitting at the marina hemorrhaging money, failed abysmally. Not only did we not cover our costs, we lost a pile of money.
The issue of having reliable help continued in the first 3 weeks we were aboard. People were charging us for services we didn’t ask for. People were charging us steep fees for “using their own tools” ontop of their regular wages. Ridiculous stuff. Yet as a newbie just trying to get stuff done, I was stuck between a rock and hard place. Worse even than incompetence, people responded to critique with verbal attacks. I got into more fights with people in those 3 weeks than I have in 3 years. Granted, I was stressed, but I was not proud of this, nor was it conducive to my mental wellbeing.
As the weeks passed and the repair / improvement list was ticked slowly, I became increasingly anxious. Just to get a straight price or quote from anyone was like pulling teeth. To get them to show up was an exercise in incessant phone calls and perseverance. Eventually, the generator was serviced, we bought a brand new dinghy & outboard, fixed various leaks. But as we approached the start of our Shakedown cruise, the boat still felt in pieces.
A few people were redeeming forces: our boat manager & surveyor Vincent Leon is an honest, incorruptible & super helpful guy. The previous owner of the boat, Stephane is responsive to any questions and spends time so I can understand systems. The old captain of the boat Patrick is a delightful hard worker, and straight with his word. Sadly he injured his knee and had to stop working but his very presence gave me hope. Eventually he connected us with a deckhand Kenneth that had those same virtues, which I appreciated greatly, amidst the chaos of everything else.
The best money we spent was flying our friend and rigger Ian Weedman to Seychelles. He is an absolute joy to be around and a total master of his craft. His plan was to join us for a week of boatwork, the 12 day Shakedown Cruise, then 2 weeks of re-rigging Nesi with the mast laying on the ground. A huge job to do in a foreign country, and simply irreplicable, because the one rigger on the island can’t keep up with the work demand of all the charter boats. More on this essential piece of our sailing preparations later.
Finally I felt grateful and re-charged to see my mother Susie, who arrived at the end of this 3 week period. Our current teacher Zoe was departing and we had a gap of a month before the next teacher arrived. So my mom took over the duties of being with the kids, which was simply a joy to watch and be around.
During those 3 weeks, we managed to cast the dock lines twice. We spent one night each time at a nearby islet 20 minutes from the harbor, to test the battery systems. One time we managed to lose our brand new dinghy due to a pathetic slippery line, and we came way too close to the reef in our effort to recuperate the dinghy (Sabrina eventually got it back by swimming!) The second time was better, so this was re-assuring, but we still didn’t really understand how to manage the boat’s electrical system. Furthermore, one of the engines still had charging / alignment problems.
With some things going our way, and many things not, we hustled to prepare our first Shakedown Cruise with our co-op members Judy and Matt. They signed up for this knowingly, ie. the unknown of our preparations. Yet, we personally didn’t anticipate being in such a state of disarray.
Breathe, I reminded myself. It’s all gonna be ok. In this process of keeping faith, and moving forward, we remembered a simple truth: We don’t belong in the marina. Within a few days of leaving, and being offshore again, everything seemed to fall into place….
Interested? See our schedule of trips here — we only have one cruising trip still open this year (plus a few passages available).
Our family’s global migration to a new boat made me wonder: Why do some things work out so smoothly and easily, and other things are so difficult and tough?
After all, our first trip from Tahiti to California (which should be easy) was so crazy difficult; and then the next 3 legs across the world to the Seychelles (which should be super tough) was actually piece of cake.
What gives? Why are we in flow sometimes; and totally not other times? Is it luck of the draw, alignment of the stars, or some sort of skill/mindset??
I won’t lie, the coordination involved to pull this off was formidable. I mean, skiing is a gear/resource intensive activity and we are tropical sailors, on a layover with no winter weather gear. zilch! So this post helps share how we made it happen.
What motivated this whole trip was the girls’ 4th birthday: their bday present was to see the snow for the first time. So during our two week stint in California (in transit from Tahiti to Seychelles) we planned a 9 day trip to the Sierras, to the relatively unknown resort town of Bear Valley, just south of Tahoe.
There was an ominous cloud hanging over this trip. Our mission was to stay healthy, especially the girls. During our previous visits to California, they got sick. This created severe problems including cancellation of travel plans. So we isolated during this time, as there was too much on the line with the big trip to Seychelles with our mountain of luggage and pile of logistical travel coordination. We were sad to miss seeing lots of our friends during this time.
Here’s a snippet from our time in San Francisco, where we landed.
You can’t win sometimes. Despite our best efforts one of the girls still got an ear infection from the Tahiti flight. Papa had a truly miserable couple of days in San Francisco solo without mama (who was visiting our friend Heidy giving birth in San Diego..!) and without our help from Zoe, who had gotten stuck in Tahiti due to visa issues. Meanwhile managing our ~20 bags and planning complex travels ahead. We were glad to have a 2 week layover to recover from all this chaos. Having buffers like this is essential for weathering the storms that inevitably hit…
In the end, all the effort was all worth it — thanks to our unbelievable time in Bear Valley!!!
How did us tropical sailors coordinate a ski trip without any gear and somehow make it affordable? It was logistically intense, here’s how we pulled it off:
Fortunately, the weather cooperated perfectly. We got 5 days of spring-time conditions with clear skies and really warm weather; followed by 4 days of snowy powder. A perfect combination.
Here’s a video of Captain K, bringing back his old skills from college days on the slopes:
The real highlight was the place: Bear Valley was magical on SO many levels! Here are our Top 5 reasons we loved it:
We are happy to publicize this place because everyone asked us to — they want more visitors to make sure the resort can make ends meet! They had a rough patch for the last 20 years. Now that it’s under new ownership, I’m sure they’ll be successful.
Although our ski in / ski out cabin was beyond wonderful, there were also challenges.
First off, you can’t drive to the house… So you need to put all your belongings in sleds and shlep them up the hill in the snowy (hard packed) street on foot… or hire a snowmobile to take your stuff, which we elected to do on the way up the hill. Frankly, this was just like being on our sailboat, where we shlep monstrous amounts of stuff by hand/ dinghy. Very strenuous but we’re used to it 🙂
Second, there is no supermarket in Bear Valley, only 30+ minutes away. We decided to bring loads of groceries (which was a lot to carry up the hill!) There is a tiny general store in the village with basic staples, and 3 restaurants, and that’s it. So you have to be a bit self-sufficient. But hey, this was also just like home..
This makes it ideal for adventurous folks in the winter, and anyone in the summer (which is supposedly incredible in this area… we can’t wait to come back to see).
Most importantly, this trip left us feeling inspired, invigorated, and recharged. It was a much needed reset. We were ready for the Seychelles, ready for the hot tropics, ready to embark on the mission ahead, which we knew would take tons of effort.
We were lucky to get this perfect break from boat ownership and tropical sun. Coordinating all the gear and logistics was a monumental effort, but it sure was worth it.
Interested in renting Casa Sidetrack for a long weekend or week in Bear Valley, just 3 hour drive from SF? It is epic in both the winter and summer. Truly the perfect family getaway. We highly highly recommend it for adventurous folks. Write us at info at greencoco dot org .
Our very first Green Coco expedition teacher was Libby. She’s originally from Texas, has worked in Montessori school, and has been recently traveling the world.
She was aboard Selavi, our 46ft catamaran, for 3 months in French Polynesia. This was our last stretch of time aboard Selavi, before smoving onto our new 60ft Expedition catamaran, Nesi. We had been living in Polynesia for 7 years, ever since arriving here on the Green Coconut Run, our first community expedition (read more about it on Nat Geo, NPR, and Seven Seas magazine)
Libby helped us launch our boat-school program during this time. These 3 months were a preparation for our upcoming world schooling expedition which begins aboard Nesi in March 2024 in Seychelles. (read more about it in our blog posts)
Continue readingWe’ve done some crazy things over the years. Like sneaking into a prison island to surf, or that time we moved onto a new boat mid pandemic with 6month old twins to start a family-friendly charter business (!) It’s exhilarating to do risky things that can bring lots joy to us and others! We made this reel to celebrate some of these moments:
And now… we are selling Selaví to the most unlikely buyers! What makes this so crazy?
Well, we passed up on full cash offers for our boat, and instead we’re taking a much bigger risk — partnering with a family with young children who we don’t know, and who are still learning how to sail, to keep running Green Coco trips. And we’re loaning them the money ourselves!
It doesn’t make sense right? But it feels right.
Our co-op has empowered us to do things we thought were impossible. Now is our time to help this family live their dream too… and keep expanding the dream to others. That’s what this is all about.
Here’s the nuts and bolts of how we went through it.
You might remember our post in October “Business Opportunity: Seeking New Owners for a 46ft Community Catamaran” We received some super cool applications in the month that followed.
People wrote us from Caribbean, Greece, Mauritius, California, Australia, and Phillippines. We were fielding video chats on all time zones to interview candidates.
Amazing couples wrote us, with experience ranging from mega-yachts, delivery yachts, racing yachts, and all mechanical skills.
Most of these applicants were experienced sailors. Since they didn’t own a boat themselves, they recognized and appreciated the opportunity to leap frog the hurdles of bank financing, which is super tough, to gain ownership of an amazing off-grid catamaran, AND immediately have a private revenue earning potential from the co-op, which at the very least would cover their costs.
But we’re not just handing the dream on a silver platter to them.
Although the Green Coco sailing co-op provides a revenue stream, it is not guaranteed. Partners run their own business independently, and we help each other to succeed.
Our goal is to run a cooperative that empowers others to live this lifestyle — not to manage employees running boats. That’s not our approach. Green Coco needs to be run by real sailing families. This is what makes it authentic, unique, and cost effective too.
So yeah, there are risks involved in running an expensive boat. As such, many applicants felt they weren’t in a solid place financially to launch this project. They got cold feet because they were unsure they could pay their loan. Others felt they weren’t quite ready to move to French Polynesia and jump into full-time boat ownership so far from home.
Although living the dream is appealing, it is actually a bit scary once you start considering all the factors!
It takes courage and faith in ourselves to do this… luckily, we found a couple with these very qualities.
When the dust settled, only one couple had many of the prerequisites for co-op partnership.
David & Eleanor were in the Philippines looking at eco-lodges to run when they came across our opportunity for Green Coco partnership. A year before they had researched catamarans to purchase, but hadn’t seen a way to make it financially viable in the near future. Thanks to Green Coco, that far-away dream was possible, now.
They had the right timing, the right personality, a burning desire, and decent financial backing. Only one prerequisite was missing. They are learning how to sail!! Oh… details.
At first we thought that was a deal-breaker. How can you run a sailing business, live aboard the boat, without have lots of experience sailing?? Yet, once we read their remarkable resumé, we were intrigued.
Plus, we thought: isn’t this what Green Coco is all about? Make impossible dreams possible? As long as people have the right fundamentals, we believe skills are learn-able. Having the right attitude is harder to teach. These guys obviously have that:
To get around any handicap of sailing skills, David & Eleanor outlined an audacious plan: to hire captains for the first year to run the boat while they slowly began to host guests. They laid out a thoughtful approach, backed with enough resources to ride out the ups & downs. From the level of planning detail in their proposal, it was clear to us: these are people who will succeed at what they do. We are totally confident that within a year they’ll be competent sailors and great hosts. We’re honored they are entrusting the Green Coco cooperative to this phase of their livelihood and family wellbeing.
Green Coco continues to evolve as a private way to connect people who love sailing. By keeping it private, we can bypass the problems of conventional charter boat offerings — outrageous prices and inauthentic, floating hotel experience. Green Coco is about the magical lifestyle of sailing, and keeping it real so our guests can be part of it.
After a month of discussion (and lots of nail-biting I’m sure!) David & Eleanor signed a purchase agreement and put down a deposit through our maritime attorneys’ escrow. Then another month passed as the holiday whirlwind passed, dialing in questions of insurance, financing, and launch operations. A lot of heady stuff! We really appreciated their communication & openness through it all.
Then it was time to meet, shortly after the new year. Outside the ferry terminal in Moorea, it felt like a strange dream! Here we are, two families about to embark on radical life changes. They are taking over a superb catamaran in Tahiti; we are heading to Seychelles on our world schooling expedition. After all those video chats, it was uncanny to see each other in real life. In this moment we realized, whoa, this is happening!
We spent the last several days cruising around Moorea, sailing in good wind (we even hit 9 kts of boat speed!) and showed them what the Selaví can do. Theory and reality are now in alignment.
How is this all going to shake out for our co-op members and investors? Those with Green Coco credit will be able to use their credit in many ways — aboard Nesi in our world-schooling expedition, or aboard Selavi in French Poly, or Aldebaran (which has been run by Billy & Kimber). Each of us brings a special community, and together we’re able to offer more amazing experiences to more people.
Finally, it’s time to move forward and sign the papers. We welcome our new Green Coco partners: David and Eleanor, with their kids Adie (“Ay-Dee”) & Julian. It’s going to be a super fun ride — let’s go!
Check out David & Eleanor’s photos here: Instagram @designedtoexplore
Eight months ago, I took a wild chance and flew 3 nights to East Africa to look at a 60ft cataraman, motivated by an idea for a world schooling expedition.
Guess what? Our maiden voyage aboard on that new boat in the Seychelles is in less than two months, yowwzaa!! Hard to believe it is happening.
The Green Coco Sailing community rallied like a tidal wave of interest, with over 90 families signed up as investors in the voyage, helping us purchase the boat.
Last several months we’ve been keeping our “heads just barely afloat” with our transition: creating the new educational program for the expedition, a video series in the works, and you know, just figure out how to sail through East Africa safely with kids…
Throughout it, we’ve been hosting a packed schedule here in French Poly, and managing some massive pivots to deal with unforeseen issues… all while getting our existing 46ft cat Selaví ready to sell.
This has been an epic endeavor, as we neglected her for several months while launching our new program. Yeah, that ties in with my New Years intention for following intuition and doing what lights us up with the now and future in mind 😉 Lots of lessons learned the hard way.
After too many marathon work sessions, our catamaran Selaví is back in great shape, with all the surveys green-lighted. Feels like a miracle!
We’re ready for this monumental leap. Our girls are almost 4. They said they are “ready to say good bye and move onto the new boat.”
Selling our floating home, moving our life across the world to Seychelles, and starting a partnership program to expand our co-op with Selaví is next in our list.
Huge credit is due: If it wasn’t for our co-op members and families — their willingness to help, be incredily flexible, and supportive in so many ways — we wouldn’t be in as great a position as we are now. We aren’t anything without all the loved ones that shine around us!
here’s a little sampling of all the people visiting us the last few months that have helped keep our spark alive — from people visiting for 2 hrs for quick layovers, to others doing a 3 week cruise, the smiles have kept us going.
Sarah Fretwell & Jamie came for a quick visit. They went to the Marquesas festival, we were supposed to be there too! that was one of our big pivots. Sarah is a professional videographer who does amazing storytelling around renewable energy and humanitarian aid.
Bill Barclay & Cathy & sister + friends had a super memorable 3 week cruise of the Societies. This was our 3rd trip together here in French Poly — always super fun, they have great stories to share, Bill used to work for GreenPeace and Rainforest Alliance for years.
Ian Weedman did our rigging inspections and rig work to prep Selavi for sale, over new years, while enjoying sailing to Moorea 🙂 he’s an owner of the renown Brion Toss Yacht Riggers shop in Port Townsend, big blessing to have someone so experienced watching over our rig!
Frank Hurd came by for a short visit after his fisheries project with Nature Conservancy in Rangiroa was finished. We had just arrived in Moorea, after a bumpy 16 hour upwind bash from huahine in 20-30kts. Nothing broke, incredible! It was great to get in the ocean for a quick surf together with Frank and reset my stress levels.
Chelsea came with Elric for Xmas, we last spent time with them at burning man; in fact Elric is a founder of the Heart Collective. It was a sweet holiday visit along with Sabby’s mom.
We’ve also had new guests coming aboard that really embrace the co-op spirit, like Lia & Nathan who brought their 8 month old son; and Alisa who brought her two kids. Hosting awesome people has re-affirmed our confidence and vision in the next expedition plan, where we plan to host lots of families and adventurous couples along the way.
Couldn’t have done this without our awesome onboard teachers Libby & Zoe. The girls have been thriving under their care and gentle instruction. And our life has become much more sane :) They’ve both been aboard as they’re overlapping during this transition period, Zoe is coming with us to Seychelles to help with the move.
On a final note: my dad Bob, his friend Hans, and Lauren came to help me sail the boat to Marquesas back in October – and then we pivoted big time and went west to Tahiti. This was a crazy time and needs to be discussed again. The boat was in need of major repairs and Hans in particular gave me a gigantic assistance as we single handedly rebuilt the engine /cylinder head.
We’re super appreciative of everyone coming to help us navigate Selavi and Green Coco through this transition. It helps re-energize us to keep this going: thank you!!
Excited to share 2024 with you all.
See next year’s schedule here: www.greencococharters.com/#schedule
We just sailed into Moorea to spend New Years. During the last 2 months, the weather has been breezy and unseasonably “wintery” but now the heat is sweltering in the southern hemisphere summertime. It took energy to escape the lethargy but I’m glad we motivated!
In the next few weeks, we hope to transition our catamaran Selaví to new owners, start a Green Coco partnership program, and move our life to the Seychelles islands.
We’re happy to unwind and reflect today, amidst all the furor of sorting stuff, packing boxes & duffle bags, repairing the all little things in the boat, and preparing to move onto our new boat in February…
Moorea is one of our favorite islands in Polynesia. It’s just so beautiful. This anchorage has epic snorkeling and great waves, a perfectly calm lagoon, and insane scenery. I ask myself, “why are we leaving?? It would be so easy to stay forever…”
It’s a good question — why change? I think it ties into the heart of why people make New Years Resolutions. It ties into our philosophy on life, which can be boiled down to:
“Follow the stoke. Do what lights you up”.
On the surface, this may sound like hedonism. But actually, it is disciplined joy!
Resolutions are typically things you think you should do — what you imagine will likely bring you joy in the future. Like stop smoking and going to the gym. It is an investment in your future health and happiness.
Honestly, if we didn’t have kids, we probably wouldn’t be starting this Expedition. We would probably be happy to just stick around French Polynesia, showing people around, surfing, kiting, and sailing. Why change a winning game? That’s a great question.
The motivation to give our kids a fantastic education got us on this track. We’re launching a world-schooling circumnavigation. Starting with this crazy move to the Seychelles, sailing around East Africa, and crossing the Atlantic. We sometimes feel swamped with this transition. We feel a bit sad to leave. But we know it’s the right thing to do for our family and community.
This transition takes a lot of discipline… We are hustling and struggling to get it all done; we are bypassing some big-time enjoyment now, for the name of wellbeing later. What will light us up in the future.
New Years Resolutions are an exercise of this muscle of discipline. We are investing into what will light us up in the future. Right now it feels hard and unnatural. But it makes the foundation for a better life. Discipline is a tough skill to master though.
Luckily, sailing gives us a ton of practice with discipline. As captains we’re constantly confronted with a million decisions while sailing. Lines are chafing. Squalls approaching. Is the mainsail going to tear? Will we arrive before sunset? The answers are not always clear. To make the right decision takes a lot of energy. Sometime literally, with 45 minutes of hard effort for seemingly no gain. Yet inaction may have significant consequences. It takes a lot of discipline to make the right choices.
Making the right choices lies at the heart of seamanship. The goal is to reach the next anchorage in one piece! Preserving the integrity of the boat and crew morale are paramount. Not only to keep the boat from breaking down; so we can reach dreamy anchorages like Moorea and enjoy sunset with a nice cold drink.. that’s what it’s all about.
If the boat is weakened by issues, we may never arrive at that lovely anchorage… or if we do, we might be terribly stressed out. If we are vulnerable to breakdown, problems can spiral out of control. I consider this a low energy state. Boat and crew can be compromised. Bad news.
Over time (with lots of mistakes under our belt!), we learned the value of fixing things ahead of time. Those are the little things that nag us in the back of our minds. Discipline comes from following this intuition time and time again. To make the boat seaworthy and resilient; to increase the energy of each system, so the boat can always deal with ups and downs. To get us to those new anchorages and enjoy them fully.
In 2024 our resolution is : doing what lights us up, for the present moment AND for the future. This is such a dance. Let’s keep evolving, following the stoke and enjoying the dance!
Greetings from Raiatea. Wow… It’s hard to believe that in a month we’ll be leaving Polynesia…. Having spent nearly 7 years in this amazing place, it’ll be time to say “ná-ná” , a sweet word in Tahitian for goodbye .
We’re planning to sell our 46ft catamaran Selavi to new owners by end of January. Hopefully to a new family eager to follow the Green Coco footsteps and build a life at sea, and continue offering co-op trips. How will this work out?? More on this to come.
After dropping off our last guests, we’ve spent the last 2 weeks in Raiatea. Doing preparation for the boat sale, such as repairs and technical surveys.
What’s Raiatea like , you ask? It’s 20 miles east of Bora Bora, and 20 miles west of Huahine. The administrative center for this group of islands. There’s a hospital, marina, services. It’s the base for the yacht charter fleet in Polynesia. There is a town center with some shops; but otherwise it is very rural. Blink and you’ll pass it.
Raiatea is a magnificent, large, underrated island. It is considered the spiritual center of Polynesia, the starting point of the ancient master navigators exploring the seven corners of the Pacific. The alliance of Polynesian tribes included Maoris (New Zealand), Rapa Nui (easter island), Hawaiians, Cook Islanders, Marquesans. The legends say that every decade, they gathered in Raiatea to pay homage and strengthen their alliance, and bring back a rock to their homeland, that connected them to this mother island’s spirit. Incredible to think those ancient navigators would sail weeks or months for a meeting. I wonder if that really happened.
The traditional place to gather was in the SW corner of the island, at Taputapuatea. Whats left of the ancient village and places of worship are now just the stone marae structures, solitary and silent, watching the reef pass in front. In this expansive coastal plain, the priests and chiefs would send off the navigators, who asked for blessings for their ocean voyages. I stood there with my own little ones… considering the voyage we had ahead, and asked for blessings for our family.
We can use a lot of blessings..! We have a big adventure ahead. In a few months we will take the metal bird to the Seychelles to pick up a new bigger boat. Navigate the waters of Madagascar and Mozambique and their culturally rich lands. Going around the infamous cold water capes of South Africa. Crossing the Atlantic to Brazil. What’s the big deal?? haha.
First we must take care of business. Sell our boat and continue the Green Coco legacy. Since Raiatea has good facilities, and is easier (in some ways) to get work done than Tahiti, we paused here for a few weeks.
We conducted the typical pre-sale surveys, usual for boats. Engines, below water hauled out, in water general survey. Rigging would come later.
The CNI yard in Raiatea took great care of us. Even though the rain dumped hard that day! The surveyor Christophe and engine mechanic Thierry helped us iron out some kinks with the boat. All these surveys give the buyer confidence in the boat, and identify what’s wrong with it. Like doing due diligence for a house purchase, it can also open a can of worms, or be straightforward.
Meanwhile, our onboard teachers are keeping the kids busy. Yup, teachers in plural! We’ll share more about boat schooling in the next post.
Ever seen a bluer blue, a redder red??
Here are three clips shot with the 360 cameras. We are beta-testing this technology to make a educational series during our Expedition around-the-world. Tell us what you think.
HOW TO WATCH: On desktop, use cursor to scroll around. On phone, must open in the Youtube app, then use finger to scroll or move the phone around to look in different directions 🙂
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.
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.
–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.
— FULL. March 29 – April 9. Mahé rountrip (via Amirantes).
— 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.
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.
— May 11-19 (9 days). Nosy Be roundtrip. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Green Run with sheltered waters, island hopping, snorkeling/diving.
— FULL. May 22-31 (10 days). Nosy Be roundtrip.
— 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.
— June 17-26 (10 days). Mahajanga to Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with coastal navigation, generally sheltered.
— 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.
— FULL. July 9-19 (10 days). Toliara roundtrip.
— 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.
— Aug 14-23 (10 days). Toliara. Availability: 3 cabins, private or shared boat. Blue Run with some exposed rolly anchorages next to surf spots.
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.
–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.
–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.
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”.
–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 🙂
— 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.
— 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 🙂
See our current availability on www.greencococharters.com/#expeditionschedule
Or send us an email to expedition@greencoco.org
We are searching for a phenomenal captain & mate to purchase a catamaran and a cooperative charter business to live the cruising life in the South Pacific, raise a family, while hosting a wonderful community of adventurous families on trips in beautiful islands. If this is your dream, or you know someone perfect, keep reading 🙂
We are selling our 46ft catamaran Selaví , as we prepare for the Expedition on our new boat. Our reason for selling: we are starting a boat school circumnavigation program with our 3 year old twins on a 60ft cat in Seychelles. Otherwise, it is frankly hard to say good-bye to this place!
We know it’s super hard to buy a catamaran ($$), and especially hard to make a living that supports the sailing lifestyle. Since we developed a successful model with Green Coco for cooperative charters, which is both sustainable and satisfying, we want to enable other captain & mates to do this too.
So we are offering a superb deal for the right applicant: the opportunity to own a revenue-earning boat & business (cooperative charters in French Polynesia) and we can even seller finance for you at great terms (if you can’t finance it yourself).
If we don’t find a perfect candidate, we might just sell the boat outright. But we want to make it available for seller financing, including the business, because we believe in this model and we think it’ll make the pie bigger for everyone.
The value to us? Our co-op members continue to have access to a great boat in the South Pacific at affordable prices, and another awesome new couple gets to enjoy this lifestyle! We get to “pay it forward”, and see the co-op grow.
The ideal candidates are a captain & first mate/chef couple. They are exceptional hosts, very adept sailors, able to fix almost anything aboard a sailboat. They love cooking delicious wholesome food, enjoy a wellness practice like yoga & meditation, excel at communication, are natural at teaching (sailing, freediving, etc) and are endlessly patient, hard-working.. and of course are an avid waterman/woman who love ocean sports like surfing, kiting, diving, long distance swimming, etc.
This position is for a couple with entrepreneurial spirit who always dreamed of owning their own boat and business, and are very community oriented and sociable. You’ll be part of the Green Coco cooperative, a sailing organization that creates unique, transformative, participatory adventures at sea. We aren’t a regular charter company… we are a private group of ocean lovers and adventurers who also offer public trips. Read our testimonials.
The ideal candidates would be a couple:
Here’s the nitty gritty.
Our sale listing for our 46ft catamaran Selaví is here.
She is available for purchasing outright if we don’t receive qualified applicants.
If running a Green Coco sailboat in the South Pacific is your dream, but you don’t have all that money… you might be in luck! You can pay for the boat over time, while earning revenues through the co-op, becoming the new owner of a 46 ft catamaran and a cooperative charter business.
What you’ll get exactly:
As a business partner / boat owner, you’ll be in charge of your own future and gain profits according to your work, backed by the Green Coco cooperative to reduce your risk ( if there isn’t adequate trip revenue in a given year, we can give you a certain number of forbearances).
Through our co-op investment program, we may be able to help you secure a part of the downpayment with pre-sales, and reduce your total debt.
We’re really proud to be able to offer this to someone. We consider ourselves super lucky we pulled off the best sailing lifestyle imaginable (at least for us!). Now we get to help someone else launch their dream too. Honestly, it is all thanks to our cooperative, who continues to make this epic Green Coco adventure possible. We are harvesting some serious collective stoke !
Note: if you are an ideal candidate but don’t have sufficient funds for a downpayment, we may have an option for a different entry-level boat for you. You can still apply!
We will offer sea trials aboard Selavi in the Society Islands from November 17-December 5 (fly into Tahiti, and possibly take a ferry to meet us)
The boat is available for purchase on or after December 10, 2023.
Green Coco is a community organization that offers authentic, family-friendly sailing adventures in French Polynesia and around the world. Our boats are owner-operated, offering a real taste of the cruising life at sea. Guests participate in boat activities to feel truly part of the journey. We create transformative, learning voyages with a wellness focus: offering workshops in breathwork, yoga, sailing, cooking, and more, which contribute meaningfully to visitor’s daily life back at home. The majority of trips include members who come back regularly over the years; everyone lends a hand on the boat. As a result, our trips and interactions with guests are like family & friends, very different to conventional charter trips.
How did Green Coco start? We are a sailing cooperative that grew organically with a group of friends exploring the Channel Islands of Santa Barbara, California. The founders are Kristian & Sabrina, who first launched Green Coconut Run in 2015, a 3 year trip to Tahiti via Galapagos and Pitcairn, on the classic 42 foot trimaran Aldebaran. By hosting up to 4 guests in 2 week trip legs, over several years, more than hundred co-op members and guests joined this maiden expedition. We developed signature community trips that are authentic, participatory, affordable, and transformative. Read more here.
In 2020, we formalized Green Coco cooperative charters and purchased Selavi, a 46 foot catamaran, in order to also offer family-friendly voyages for all-ages. Kristian and Sabrina now had two new permanent crew members: their newborn twin baby girls! Over the last three years, we ran dozens of trips as a family, primarily in Tuamotus, with visiting adventurers and their families, ranging from 8 month babies to 80 year olds. Our guests are return visitors from the co-op , plus members of the public seeking a special, unique experience.
In 2023, we created the Green Coco Expedition, an around-the-world boat schooling project on a 60 foot catamaran. Due to this new voyage beginning next year, we are now offering Selaví to new owner-operators, along with a Green Coco business partnership, as we expand the co-op’s services to the community. Read more about the Expedition and our co-op, or see our public charter website here: www.greencococharters.com
If you’d like to become the next Green Coco captains in French Polynesia, please apply by sending the following 3 items to captain@greencoco.org:
Please send the above 3 items to captain@greencoco.org.
THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!
Can you imagine teaching little kids aboard a sailboat, while exploring dreamy tropical places on a big catamaran — sailing around the world in places like French Polynesia, Seychelles, and spots in between? You might be in luck 🙂
We are launching a world schooling expedition this year. Our vision is to create an innovative nature-led program, connected with kids back home through partner schools. At the heart is our Green Coco cooperative, a community of families and adventurers joining us along the journey.
You’ll be spending lots of time with our nearly 4yr old twins, Kaiana and Naiyah; plus a number of other visiting kids who stay for 7-14 day periods. As a mentor-teacher, you’ll guide their daily learning and also help create our broader education program.
Commitment: 1.5 month to 12 month periods. Teaching certifications are not necessary, but teaching experience is desirable, especially with Waldorf/Montessori/RIE training. Fluency in French or Portuguese is also a big plus.
The Green coco Expedition is a community adventure. We host groups of 3-6 people, usually people we know through the Green Coco Cooperative, including families, couples and singles. In each month, we usually have guests aboard 15-20 days.
All expenses covered while aboard. Travel expenses covered if staying longer periods (up to $1000 for 3+ month stay, up to $2000 for 6+ month, conditions apply).
Stipends are available for qualified individuals (chefs, pre-school teachers, especially those experienced with Waldorf/Montessori/RIE). A yearly salary is possible for the right candidate who has the initiative and skill to launch an educational program. Note, we may accept couples if the second person has deckhand/mechanic/electrician qualifications, or high levels of teaching experience.
1. Read about our Parenting Philosophy, Qualifications, and Expectations below
2. Please complete our application
3. Send us a simple intro video about yourself (selfie is fine, 2 min max) and resume (doesn’t have to be fancy, just a summary write up of your experiences is ok too). Send both the intro video and resume to greencocosailing@gmail.com
To see our complete schedule, check out our charter website.
in 2015 we left our jobs in California and over the next 4 years, sailed south with our Green Coco sailing cooperative to Galapagos, and across the Pacific ocean to French Polynesia. We fell in love with the country and decided to stay, start a family and a business.
In 2020 our twin girls were born and we upgraded to a 46 foot catamaran, Selaví (pronounced C’est la vie). We continue to run trips that are focused on wellness and family friendly adventures. For example, we teach wholesome cooking, freediving, breathwork, yoga, meditation, and sailing. We’ve hosted families with babies as young as 8 months.
Late 2023 we will be in Marquesas, and in February 2024 we move aboard our new 60ft catamaran in the Seychelles to begin a world schooling expedition back to California. We aim to have a full-time teacher for this period. Read more on our blog: http://www.greencoconutrun.com
We live aboard the boat 24/7 and are never at a marina, always at anchor. We are really active with swimming, snorkeling, free diving, surfing, kitesurfing, and SUPing. We try to bring the twins along with us in activities whenever possible.
During the past years, we’ve cruised between Tahiti, Leeward Society Islands, and Tuamotus, see our schedule. See our latest newsletter for a sampling.
We feel that children are special beings that choose their parents to guide them in this life. As their guides, we do our best to lovingly & securely offer them choices so they can fulfill their highest potential.
We follow the RIE parenting model which focuses on treating infants with respect (ie. the golden rule… act like you would like to be treated yourself by a friend) and honoring their ability to make choices (based on their current level). This post offers a good summary of RIE.
Whereas some parents focus on “raising good kids” and “keeping their kids safe and comfortable”, our focus is to #1 respect and #2 empower our kids.
It might help to understand what we try to avoid:
In a parallel way, RIE is for infants as Non-Violent Communication (NVC) is for adults. Both are methods for overcoming our judgments and instead focusing on observation, presence, and empathy. Learn more about NVC here.
As our onboard teacher and crewmember, we would ask you to practice RIE and NVC principles . It’s ok if you’re not familiar with these concepts. The most important thing is intention and interest in these principles. We will offer you further training in the form of basic materials to read beforehand, and more in-depth while onboard.
What can you expect from working as an onboard teacher on Green Coco?
When there is space, you can sleep in your own cabin with private bathroom (labelled Aft Cabin below).
When there are guests aboard, you’ll take the single berth with shared bathroom (labelled Single Berth below)
See a Boat Tour video here.
Once you’re aboard the boat, all your costs are covered (food and accommodation, beer & alcohol not included).
Minimum commitment is 1.5 months. For suitable applicants staying 3 months we can cover travel expenses. For highly qualified applicants, we can offer stipends (such as chefs, or those experienced in RIE parenting/ whole child teaching like Waldorf, Montessori, or Reggio Emilia).
Please see our charter website pricing to understand the value of what you get riding for free aboard.
The places we visit with our guests are world-renown and absolutely stunning. We try to include you in as many activities as possible so your stay can be super memorable.
Our unique brand of cooperative charters means that guests are treated as family aboard the boat, participating on the operations as they can. Similarly, we treat our deckhands and teachers as family too. Everyone eats together family-style, and takes turns making meals according to the meal schedule.
As part of your stay, we offer you valuable training in sailing, off-grid cruising skills, breathwork, and non-violent communication.
Here’s the info to join the Green Coco Expedition — an innovative, family friendly around-the-world voyage, with a global itinerary for 15 years! We have enough pledged to purchase our 60ft Expedition Catamaran, just offering 2.5 more boat shares to help cover our operating expenses for year 1.
Quick link to investor files here (Proposal, FAQs, Agreement)
Deadline: June 1, 2023 (extension to June 15 by request). Minimum is $4,000 and the Full Boat Share is $30,000. Details below.
Contact: greencoconutrun@gmail.com
See updates in our community page.
This is going to be a really unforgettable educational-adventure, open to all-ages: families with kids, couples, or groups of friends seeking adventure. Our trips include inspiring workshops on wellness & ocean sports; plus a built-in Ocean Camp for kids courtesy of an onboard teacher (starting with circumnavigation in 2027).
Visitors can join for 3-14 day trips. The itinerary is scheduled a year in advance, adapted for investor preferences. Reserve a private boat for your group with 3 cabins, or just book a cabin to share a trip with other guests. The costs include Cabin fees + Food fees. As an investor, you get free cabin days (just pay food) and lots of valuable investor perks.
How good is this deal? For Charter trips, our regular rates are $800/day double occupancy (see our charter prices), with cabin+food fees together. As an investor, you get trips for as little as $350/day; assuming a full boat share. You also get investor perks such as 10-50% discounts, free cabins on passages, big referral credits, and the possibility of cashing out boat shares if there are major Expedition issues.
Since we are a cooperative organization, we offer an even more affordable option: Co-op trips. The regular rate for our Co-op trips is $470/day double occupancy. For investors, this can be as low as $220/day; assuming a full boat share, and if you use your investor perk of 5 extra days for co-op trips (when schedule permits). See pages 5 and 7 of “Expedition Proposal”).
What’s the difference between Co-op and Charter trips? Co-op trips have full participation (everyone helps to cook, clean, and a little boat work) while Charter have some participation (just sous-chef rotation to help prep and clean up). We also offer Retreats for extra cost, with no obligations. Note, Co-op membership is required for Co-op trips, which requires coming aboard one Charter trip first (to ensure it’s a good fit for everyone). This step can be bypassed if you have a personal referral and/or you make an application based on financial need.
Green Coco offers a unique and authentic experience not found in other sailing charters. The essence of our trips is this: it’s like you’re coming aboard your friends’ boat, not aboard a floating hotel. We co-create true adventures as an ocean family. Green Coco is for those who love to learn, lend a hand, and get inspired!
See our BOAT TOUR below to get a sense of a typical catamaran’s layout, with private cabins in each hull. This is our existing 46ft boat, which we aim to keep, and continue offering trips in French Polynesia with a new captain & chef. It has up 4 double cabins, and 3 small single berths.
For the Expedition, we are purchasing a much larger 60 foot catamaran. This is a world-class ocean going vessel, with 5 cabins and 2 large single berths, plus spacious salon/cockpit areas. Investor funds are used to purchase Boat Shares in the Expedition, which will give them access to this new boat (and also our 46ft catamaran, assuming it is available). See more pics of the prospective new boat.
Here are photos of the 60 foot catamaran we are purchasing.
Your Boat Share investment gives you the best of “owning a world-cruising boat” — without all the liability, hassles, and costs. Help choose where the boat goes in the world, and when. You’ll join the boat, which is fully crewed by us. Come back over the years in different, exciting destinations. There are no surprise costs if the boat has issues, for example.
Investors get a certain number of free cabins — our lowest co-investment is $4,000 which gets you 20 cabin days. The full Boat Share is $30,000 for 200 cabin days. You’ll also get a ton of investor perks for the next 15 yrs:
Investor using their cabin days only pay Food & Fuel fees, which are per day/person: $60 for Co-op, $100 for Charter, $175 for Retreat. Discounts available for families.
Read the Expedition Proposal below for more details, financial details in pages 4-7. Deadline June 1, extension until June 15 by request.
The sailing dinghy is like training wheels for guests to learn how to sail — one of the many included workshops we teach aboard. Other workshops include breathwork, freediving, homesteading at sea, star constellations, non-violent communication, RIE parenting, wing-foiling, and wake-surfing.
Below is our upcoming 5 year rough itinerary… starting with Delivery Voyage in ’24-’25. The Expedition lasts until 2039. We’ll be adapting it to Investor preferences with regular surveys.
Along the whole itinerary, there will be 3-14 day scheduled trips that visitors can join (investors or general public).
Our full circumnavigation with Ocean Camp occurs from 2027-2038, tentatively sketched on page 3 of the Expedition Proposal.
DRAFT ITINERARY – Oh the places we’ll go! We have 5 phases in our Expedition (subject to Investor preferences and contingencies; please see Proposal):
PHASE #1. DELIVERY VOYAGE (’24-’25)
2024 – Delivery Voyage
2025 – Delivery Voyage
PHASE #2. CHANNEL ISLANDS (’26)
2026 – based in Santa Barbara
PHASE #3. THE SOUTH PACIFIC (’27-’29)
2027 – Official launch of the circumnavigation!
2028 – Pacific Crossings
2029 – The South Seas
PHASE #4. THE INDIAN OCEAN (’30-’34)
2030 – Melanesia & Down Under
2031- Melanesia & Down Under
2033- Maldives
2034- East Africa
PHASE #5. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN (’35-’38)
2035- South Atlantic
2036- Caribbean to Galapagos
2037- Galapagos to French Polynesia
2038-39- French Polynesia
Please remember the itinerary above WILL change. See proposal for details.
Thanks for your consideration and support. Let’s adventure together soon!
Much love,
Kristian and Sabrina
www.greencococharters.com ~ family friendly sailing trips in French Polynesia
Traveling around the world to try to purchase boats was a very intense experience. A lot of money on the line (10% deposits, surveyor fees, travel costs), limited time, a ton of variables with fast decision-making. At least the scenery was exceptional!! Look at the incredible amounts of granite all over the beaches:
Why did I fly all the way to Seychelles (3 nights by plane), in the first place? There’s not too many 60 foot catamarans for sale in the world that we love. Our favorite model is the Eleuthera, which has both performance and comfort. It’s basically a big version of our existing catamaran, which is the Bahia model (all built by Fountaine Pajot). Most of the Eleutheras are in Caribbean and Europe at higher prices ($750-$1M). In the Seychelles there were two under market value, so it was worth the visit.
The elephant in the room, of course, is the delivery voyage back around South Africa. Many things normally break during these types of trips. Which means there are costs and risks involved, and the boat must be ready for going offshore. Which is a big IF.
After flying for 3 nights (Fakarava-Tahiti-San Francisco-Toronto-Ethiopia-Seychelles) I went to my first boat inspection at the marina: an Eleuthera owned by a global charter company. This was the more affordable one. Looked good in the pictures and descriptions, but alas, this was a total dud. Terrible maintenance and atrocious installations, and worse of all, rampant osmosis, an affliction that causes blistering in the hulls. I was especially bummed because I had put a deposit down on this boat! This was a big setback.
Over the Easter weekend, I gathered my thoughts and took a ferry in Mahé (the capital island) to another two islands, called Praslin and La Digue. That’s where I saw the giant coconut palms and beautiful granite formations on the beaches. They are both very cool islands — I can only imagine what the rest of the Seychelles is like by boat. There are over 100 islands in the archipelago!
Upon my return, I visited the second boat, Nesi. It is exactly the same model — the Eleuthera 60 — but this one is privately owned, and does boutique charters only part time. The difference was night and day: this boat was in vastly better shape! This is what I was hoping to find. Among the many improvements were a hard top bimini with solar panels, shade awnings, improved watermaker systems, and comprehensive osmosis treatment. The general level of care & maintenance was a thousand times better. The only catch is, of course, the boat is more expensive. “You get what you pay for…”
With the help of the surveyor we looked under every nook & cranny of the boat and felt quite satisfied. I left Seychelles feeling like Mission Accomplished.
Ah… how short-lived was my glory. Upon arrival in San Francisco, Sabrina let me know: “So, I found this other boat…” “No more boats,” I groaned. But this is a big deal, Sabrina is right. We need to be thorough, to look under every rock. The research began again — but for the time being, I rest content in knowing I found a great option in the Seychelles. We’ve got to keep moving quickly…
Why is Kristian flying three nights on airplanes from Tahiti to Seychelles??
Read our Expedition Proposal and the backstory that inspired it.
My journey began in Fakarava atoll, where we run many of our trips (an overnight sail to the east of Tahiti). I’m proud of Sabrina for standing in as Capitana! She’ll be running Selaví, taking care of the kids, with help from our awesome French friends Marie & Gautier.
In March, we had a successful 10 day haul out in Apataki. Since I had a 2 week break in April, I seized the opportunity. Using 85K United Miles, I got a ticket from SFO to Seychelles roundtrip for $100 in taxes. This deal brought the Seychelles within reach — otherwise, it is usually waaaay too expensive to get to! Plus of course, the cost of flying Fakarava to Tahiti ($400 RT) and Tahiti to SF ($550 RT). So the five flights cost me just under $1,000, all told — plus the miles, which I accrued thanks to a credit card bonus.
Why Seychelles? There are two boats for sale there below-market value, the ideal for our around-the-world Expedition: the 60 foot Eleuthera. It is basically a really big version of our current boat, Selaví. Both are built by by the French boat builder Fountaine Pajot (around 2000-2010). I’m a big fan of these boats because they are excellent sailboats, able to point upwind, yet also have enormous amounts of comfort for guest. See photos below.
For comparison, these boats are lower performance than Outremers and Catanas, but they have much more interior space & comfort. Meanwhile, they are higher performance than Lagoons and Leopards, which are renown for huge interior space and a focus on comfort.
“You don’t know if you don’t go…” is the saying. So I grabbed the first flight in Fakarava on April 2… and only arrived in Seychelles on April 5.
I spent one night at my friend’s house, Leon and Soraya in Tahiti. They were excited about the name of one of the boat we’re looking at: Mata Fenua is a Tahitian for “Looking at the Earth”. Very strong name! they said.
The flight to SF was a piece of cake, daytime 8 hours and very enjoyable. The worst flight was probably the red eye 5 hours to Toronto which was crowded so I was stuck on the window. Luckily Leon & Soraya lent me a big pillow, which really helped a bunch for sleeping on the plane!
Every connection on my itinerary was perfect: 4 hours max, just long enough to make it mellow but not too long. The flight from Toronto to Ethiopia was the longest: 13 hours, overnight, but it was also the most enjoyable of all! I had my own row to stretch out, and I felt great upon arrival.
The final flight was from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s airport, to the Seychelles, about 5 hours. This archipelago is east of Tanzania, north of Madagascar, and comprises over 100 islands. The largest island is Mahé, where the capital of Victoria is located.
The taxis were absurdly expensive ($50 for 10 min?!) , so I just grabbed a bus ($1) and walked up the hill to an apartment I was renting above the marina. I could see the boats in the distance below me from my apartment door, with a Chinese restaurant nearby for dinner and grocery store for water and snacks.
I’d arrived! Now it was time for the boat inspections to begin.
PRESS RELEASE: They cast off their lines 8 years ago, with a goal to sail to Tahiti, bringing their friends along for the ride. Over 150 people joined. They had twins in the South Pacific, and are now planning to do it again — around the world.
Green Coconut Run wasn’t supposed to succeed. That’s what all the sailors said. “Schedules and sailing don’t go together,” the old salts said. But Sabrina and Kristian thought otherwise. This was the only way for their friends to visit during brief work vacations — and help fund a trip they couldn’t afford alone.
They created a sailing cooperative, and thirty people pledged $1000, in exchange for two weeks aboard somewhere in the voyage. Some joined in Mexico, others in Galapagos, some waited three years until the fifty year old, 42 foot trimaran finally made it to French Polynesia.
Kristian and Sabrina had only known each other for a year and a half when they left. They had some huge challenges — a broken eardrum that almost cancelled the voyage, delamination of the boat’s fiberglass after crossing the ocean, and dealing with major lightning threats. “No pirates though,” Sabrina says. “That’s one challenge we fortunately didn’t have to deal with.”
Along the way, visiting co-op members helped gather water samples for micro-plastic research. Sometimes they returned on the flight home with a suitcase loaded only with samples of salt water. “We wanted to do something good while having a fun adventure,” Kristian says. They partnered with a ‘crowd-source science’ organization called Adventure Scientists for the project, which compiled data on micro-plastics from adventurers around the globe.
An environmental science graduate from UCSB’s Bren School, Kristian dreamed of creating nature-based, educational expeditions. He was funded as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to do a year-long series of magazine articles (published in Pacific Standard) in Mexico about climate adaptation while driving a Ford van all the way down the coast from California to Oaxaca. Yet his true ambition was to make an ocean voyage.
Once in the dreamy islands of the South Seas they wondered, “could we actually stay here and raise a family?” Famously, on their very first date, Sabrina asked Kristian whether he wanted to have kids. But nobody imagined she’d get pregnant with identical twins, while trying to launch a charter business in Tahiti.
They named their new business Green Coco Charters, and somehow got it running just after the pandemic hit in 2020. How did they fund their boat upgrade, a 46 foot catamaran, when they had no income for 3 years? Remember all those co-op members that joined them for their voyage, whose schedule wasn’t supposed to succeed? They raised $300,000 through their cooperative, via private loans and investments for their new charter boat.
For the last 3 years, Sabrina and Kristian ran their family-friendly, wellness focused sailing trips in the remote atolls of Tuamotus, an archipelago of pristine wilderness and authentic culture near Tahiti — with their twin babies growing up aboard. “Its definitely been a wild ride,” says Sabrina. “Our biggest issue has been getting reliable nannies to help us out. But honestly, the guests have all loved it. It’s a bonus to their sailing trip — like having baby TV in paradise,” she laughs.
So if things are going well with their charter company, why do an around-the-world voyage now? “Our girls are growing up. Where will they go to school?” Kristian asks. “We want to give them a real world education, by circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat.” Their first voyage 8 years ago was so memorable because they shared it with others, so they want to do the same thing again.
Their vision is to offer experiential learning for families who join 10 days trips during their around-the-world voyage. Onboard teachers will take kids of varying ages to daily beach classrooms and field trips. Meanwhile, parents and other visitors will have access to optional workshops, à la Nat Geo style, that weave together with the places they are visiting: with topics like ecology, history, mindfulness, and personal growth.
To find space for all these teachers in their educational circumnavigation, Kristian and Sabrina realized the perfect boat is… a bit bigger. With 5 cabins and space for voyage crew, a 60 foot catamaran is in their sights. For the third time, they are opening the doors for community investment in a new adventure. “Doing charter trips is super expensive – over $5000 per week, per couple. Our members get time aboard these fantastic trips in paradise, for a tiny fraction of the cost. And we get to run the boat,” Sabrina explains.
“Doing a circumnavigation takes a leap of faith,” Kristian says. “We know it takes time to prepare, so we are starting early. After purchasing the new boat, we plan to spend two years in the Channel Islands getting everything dialed in, sharing trips with interested visitors. It’ll be a really fun homecoming, and a great way to prepare for the next adventure.”
If interested in learning more, check out the proposal for the Green Coco Expedition on their blog: greencoconutrun.com/2023/03/25/our-expedition-proposal/
Follow their real time updates about the boat purchase and investment opportunities on their community page: community.greencoconutrun.com
Previous articles and press: greencoconutrun.com/about/media/
Just launched! Our Investor Proposal for the Green Coco Expedition is available: an around-the-world educational voyage for wellness and families. Excited to make this a reality!!
People keep asking us: “where will the twins go to school?”
During our time in the South Seas, we met many families home-schooling their kids. Cruising boats, it turns out, are an amazing platform for direct learning through adventures and global cultures. Kids growing up on boats tend to be remarkably mature, with curiosity, motivation, and love of learning.
Yet as we know, homeschooling is tough, especially when also managing a boat… Furthermore, the cruising lifestyle limits social relationships over time. We researched many existing programs, and began creating our own unique idea. An around-the-world educational voyage. Perhaps even with a fleet of other family boats. This could be an amazing family-friendly adventure — with onboard teachers for the kids, and visiting experts to help us keep learning too!
This is how the Green Coco Expedition was born. What began as a way to get our kids the best education we could imagine, turned into “hey, let’s make the best adventure we can imagine” for ourselves and others to share.
It’s true we just moved aboard Selaví three years ago. Yet Green Coco Charters has already developed into a unique wellness & family charter company. We’re ahead of schedule paying our investor loans and many have come to enjoy their investor benefits! Selaví will stay in French Polynesia running trips under a new captain and chef. This will allow us to sink our teeth into something new — not because we’re necessarily ready, but because it’s time, and we’re all super excited about it!
To realize our vision, we know it will take a bigger boat, likely requiring a year for the delivery, and two years of preparation. To complete a dream 10 year circumnavigation before our twins turn 18, we need to start now. The clock is ticking… We have the inspiration and the vision, so we’re going for it. Who’s in?
1ST BIRTHDAY — Kaiana and Naiyah celebrating with Grandma Susie and fellow cruisers Ryan, Cami and 3yr old Chloe. 2020.
2ND BIRTHDAY — Elmo Cakes were a HUGE hit. Celebrated with Auntie Erika and other cruisers. 2021
3RD BIRTHDAY — For several weeks, the girls requested… you know it… Elmo Cakes. Loved having Grandma Susie back with us! 2022.
It’s a lot of fun to create a special day for kids. But hey, it’s a celebration for us too! We’ve survived 3 years of parenting aboard a boat!
Congratulations girls on 3 years of great eating, sleeping, pooping, net jumping, floaty-swimming, respecting, learning, curiosity-ing, climbing, driving us slightly crazy, driving us deeper in love, and choosing us as parents .
Staying “in the flow” has helped me navigate the ups and downs of our expeditions. One of the things that has helped me ride these waves and keep it together is my meditation practice — although frankly, it doesn’t look like typical meditation.
Here’s a little back story on how I learned about this practice. I met Dr. Ed Bastian 20 years ago while running conferences about spirituality and environment. Nobody is keeping score… but honestly he’s more interesting than the Dos Equis beer commercial guy. He produced documentaries about India and the Dalai Lama; was saved by his famous Aspen neighbor Hunter Thompson (don’t die, goddamit!), ran cutting edge Smithsonian programs, launched a tech startup in the late 90s; and devoted his profits to start the Spiritual Paths Institute to give people a path to creating their own authentic meditation practice.
By working with other spiritual leaders, Dr. Ed Bastian (who has a PhD in Buddhism and decades of training) found the commonalities in different spiritual traditions and created a common language of contemplation. InterSpiritual Meditation was born.
Although I dabbled for awhile, I began to practice InterSpiritual Meditation in earnest once we embarked on Green Coconut Run, our cooperative sailing adventure from California to Tahiti. Initially, I gravitated to this daily practice as a stabilizing force during the adventures of our trip.
Every expedition has big ups and downs. In our case, being a cooperative trip, we scheduled an entire year at a time, to sail places we’d never been before, across thousands of miles in different countries, to pick up people along the way who didn’t know how to sail… On paper, this was a perfect recipe for disaster.
Exploring by sailboat is an enormous joy, however. Waking up at idyllic anchorages, the freedom of sailing with the wind, watching sunsets after surfing and spearfishing with your friends — this incredible stoke fueled us to keep going. The highs were super high. But the lows were potentially very low… I had to manage my emotions from spiraling downhill.
After all as captain, every day I faced a barrage of challenges from boat breakdowns, weather mayhem, bureaucratic dysfunction or crew turmoil. It would have been easy to say, “Enough of people and schedules! Let me enjoy this on my own!” Which a lot of sailors do, literally… even if they start as a couple, sometimes they end up solo, because managing each others’ emotions can be really tough in this wild rollercoaster. They call that “divorce sailing”, which we aimed to avoid at all costs!
The Interspiritual Meditation practice was one of the main tools I credit for helping me “keep it together”, both mentally, and as a community. It helped prevent the crash-and-burn I’ve seen with other sailors; and helped me stay in the flow so I could do a good job as captain.
Here’s how this practice is different, in my own experience. Meditation normally focuses on training the mind — to slow down, to become self-aware through attention and inquiry. InterSpiritual meditation does something slightly different — it elevates the mind. Through its 7 steps, it strengthens our character virtues. This gradually re-programs our idiosyncrasies, and leads to positive states of self-awareness.
Here are the 7 steps:
1. May I be happy & healthy
2. May I be grateful
3. May I be transformed
4. May I be compassionate
5. May I be mindful
6. May I be wise
7. May I be of service
Seems pretty straightforward? But let me offer a contrasting approach. If we focus daily on petty stuff, filling our mind with drama and angry, stressed emotions, that becomes the mindset we are reinforcing. Ever notice that if you’re around people who are constantly on a bummer, we become on a bummer too? Likewise, when my mindset was poor, I noticed I made more mistakes… whether it was fixing stuff on the boat, or dealing with crew members, little problems could spiral into big problems.
When I kept a good mindset, our expedition seems to go better. I could resolve things more smoothly. I was able to follow intuition, and often (sometimes!) avoid problems. I was more in the flow, responding with creative agility and a playful attitude. I had fewer assumptions and judgments — which, in my opinion, are the root causes of mistakes, derived from having crystallized negative mindsets.
Here’s the way I see it: if we focus our intention on stuff we actually want, such as more love in our lives, harmony in relationships, fulfillment in career, that program permeates our state of mind. This is what InterSpiritual Meditation seeks to do; reinforce those universal spiritual expressions in ourselves, whether or not we practice a religious tradition.
A new course on InterSpiritual Meditation is starting next week on January 18, click here for details. I invite you to join Dr. Ed Bastian and co-instructor Alejandra Warden on an 8 week online course that will introduce you to InterSpiritual Meditation and guide you to create and refine your own authentic spiritual path.
I hope you find the same benefits as it brought to me, and the rest of our cooperative adventure!
What have we learned during the last 7 years of sailing the South Seas with our adventure co-op and raising a family?
Come find out during one of our upcoming slideshows. Captain K is presenting in California for the first time since the pandemic.
Public slideshow THIS WEDNESDAY in Santa Barbara, details below.
Mid October slideshows in San Diego, LA, Santa Cruz, Bay Area — if interested in joining, drop us a message at greencoconutrun at gmail dot com.
Green Coco Slideshow. 7 years in the South Seas: our adventure co-op & raising a family.
WEDNESDAY SEP 21 6:30PM at 2020 Alameda Padre Serra #125 (Toad Co courtyard).
We’ll cover:
— The origins of Green Coco
— 5 rarely visited islands we went to
— Keys to Intuition
— Starting our Charter Business in French Polynesia
— Running trips with Twins aboard
— Future Preview: our Expedition School
At 70 feet deep, the groupers were packed like sardines, barely swimming side by side, waiting for their turn to spawn. We lay with them breathing on SCUBA. Calmly, the fish moved around and above us, like we were at a music concert with just standing room. But the real show was fish themselves.
We were there for a once-a-year phenomenon: the spawning of the camouflage grouper. They gather in the passes of the Tuamotus in humongous numbers, timing with the full moon closest to the winter solstice (June 21 in the southern hemisphere).
The mind-blowing part wasn’t just the sheer numbers of fish all around us — it was how intimate the experience felt. All the fish were incredibly relaxed, they swam up to us like they wanted to be petted. Then as a females made their move to release eggs, the males suddenly exploded in a flurry, trying get into the action, spiraling upwards in the water column at warp speed, followed soon by other fish and reef sharks hoping to eat eggs or hapless fish not paying attention.
Mind you, this is occurring during an outgoing current in really rough seas, so if we do it wrong, we drift out to sea in a flash.. There is a lot at stake as we then have to surface in the radical turbulence of 2 foot standing waves and currents, and hope our dinghy driver is there to pick us up.
The day before the spawning… the camouflage groupers are congregating in huge numbers.
The actual spawning is fast and furious…
Watch the 2 minute video on our Patreon page:
I have incredible admiration for Manta Rays. How many huge creatures remain calm and comfortable as you swim 3 feet away? (The Whale Shark is another incredibly graceful animal).
Mantas are the ballet dancers of the sea; voyagers of the oceans; playful and delightful beings. Since we arrived in French Polynesia we’ve had the great fortune to spend hours watching Mantas.
We often swim with Mantas in “cleaning stations” where they circles slowly as tiny wrasse fish clean them of parasites (this is a common practice by many large fish, including sharks and groupers).
I remember taking my parents (age 80 and 74) swimming with Mantas while a squall was dumping rain on us, and underwater it was perfectly calm and beautiful!
Another memorable experience with Mantas was Sabrina’s first freedive in 3 years after battling an ear injury: it was simply sublime.
Occasionally we see Mantas in less predictable places: roaming around Reef Passes, or feeding on plankton… sometimes right under our boat! Such as this unforgettable day, video originally posted to our Patreon page.
It was really lucky to see them. I once told a friend, admiring her ability to attract great things to her life, “You are so lucky.” She responded, “Nah, I just go outside the house with positive vibes. Good things are bound to happen!”
This was the case here. Effort is needed for luck. From the surface we saw nothing. Thanks to Sabrina and our crewmate Erika going swimming to the beach (instead of taking the easy option, the dinghy), they saw the Mantas feeding right in front of the boat! Lucky are those who make the effort.
Some interesting information about Manta Rays. There are actually two types: the Oceanic Manta Ray and Reef Manta Ray. All the Mantas we show here are Reef Mantas. Note that the main differences are:
Source: Scuba Libre and Manta Advocates
Another amazing characteristic shared by Mantas: self-awareness.
As the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs describes: “Chimpanzees preen in front of mirrors, elephants inspect themselves in reflective surfaces, and dolphins name themselves with individual whistles. Surprisingly, manta rays are in the same category as these charismatic mammals when it comes to intelligence tests. A recent study found that giant manta rays display the distinct behaviors humans assign to self-awareness.”
Mantas have the biggest brains of any fish studied so far (in terms of brain mass to body mass ratio). One manta asked a freediver for help to remove hooks from her under-belly: watch it in this video!
Manta Rays are phenomenal creatures and we feel so blessed to spend time with them.
Green Coconut Run 