It was incongruous — we were sailing along the heat of the equator off the South American coast, but now we were officially in the European Union. France, in fact!
This was French Guyana, a French territory between Brazil and Suriname. 7 euro coffees, French gendarmes keeping the peace, everything is very tidy. The European Space Agency’s spaceport is based here — it is favorable to launch satellites into space close to the equator.
We motored the last 8 hours since the wind died, and dropped anchor at Ile Salut (ironically named Salvation island, as we’d soon learn). Gosh it felt lovely to sit at anchor and look at the tropical foliage swaying behind us. Yet this pretty cluster of 3 islets couldn’t hide its dark history.
Watch our reel:
After all, the next door island betrayed its past with a lovely name, “Devil’s Island”. It is infamous as a harsh penitentiary in the late 19th century, which featured terrible conditions of malnutrition, torture, and disease.
A memoir from a falsely convicted Frenchman made this prison famous, and was turned into the movies “Papillon” (both in 1973 with Dustin Hoffman/Steve McQueen, and a modern version in 2017 ) chronicling his multiple escape attempts through shark-infested waters.
1973 movie2017 movie
Landing at Ile Salut and doing short hikes for a few days was a wonderful break from the long sail to the Caribbean. It is now a national park with clear signage and excellent trails. Imposing colonial buildings like the old hospital and prison administrative center were surrounded by huge old trees. Several magnificent peacocks strutted about.
Walking around the ruins of the prison was a melancholic experience. Closed in 1953, it is now being overcome by the trees. Thick roots and rebellious trunks are carving their way straight through concrete walls of the solitary confinement cells. Like the trees are trying to reset a century of ungodly abuse of humans with their natural transformative power.
These sobering moments of reflection remind us how lucky we are. Standing on the same land — but we are comfortably sailing along the coast with our family, while other humans who also stood on this land suffered (or committed) unspeakable atrocities . For all the confusion and injustice and violence in our world, if Ile Salut is a small example of the general trend, then things are getting better. Fingers crossed.
This mental cold shower brought us newfound appreciation aboard the boat. The stark contrast between this sad past and on our own trivial woes — like having to repair the toilet pumps yet again, sweaty and annoying and foul as it may be— shifts our perspective so that we’re now unable feel that tendency to complaint. Rather we just feel immense gratitude that this is the small cross we have chosen to bear.
We toil to prepare Nesi for the next push of the trip. The weather looks poor — not terrible, but nothing good for the next two weeks. We decide to carry on, pushing our way straight north to Trinidad, the southernmost island in the Caribbean. It’ll be a 4-5 day trip. We’ll see what the equatorial convergence zone has in store for us.
“We have a leak!” Sabrina yelled. That is one of my least favorite phrases to hear on a boat. Especially when we’re at the start of a 3 night, 450 nautical mile passage with few good safe harbors.
Sabrina and Meggane reeled in a nice Crevalle Jackenroute to French Guyana; the girls cheered on.
We had just left the monstrous Rio Pará, timing the ebb tide to propel us out to sea, catapulting our way into the Atlantic as a decisive farewell to Brazil.
Current map courtesy of Copernicus on Windy; and the route plan on Open CPN from Belem to French Guyana.
It had been amazing 8 months in my home country. Seeing this land by boat is an entirely different experience. Navigating the coastline between the lush south of Rio where I grew up , the dry north-east of steady wind and sanddunes, and the hot soggy north of the Amazon rainforest; all whilst dodging fronts and sneaking into river mouths behind fishermen boats; attunes one to the mysteries of how geography shapes a place.
Case in point, being 100 miles offshore surrounded by mud-brown water from the Amazon River for 24hrs straight, offered us a sense of grandeur and awesomeness at the vastness of that river basin. Something you can’t absorb by reading a text book.
Crisp shadows painted on the muddy sea!
Then first mate Sabrina unceremoniously announced we had a L-E-A-K. My sense of contemplative nostalgia was shattered, and it was time to get to work in Six Simple Steps:
1) Bilge pump evacuates the bulk of water;
2) Taste the water to determine if salt or fresh (yuck?);
3) Use shop vac to thoroughly remove extra water;
4) Towels line the bilge and observe where water is pooling
5) Work upstream with more dry towels to identify where the leak is coming from.
6) Fix the leak in uncomfortable upside-down position.
Not the most flattering view of the boat innards.The original meaning of “cringe-worthy”
We aim to keep our bilges painted (last coated by Ian & Dophaise in South Africa, bless their hearts), clean, and bone-dry. That is essential to diagnose leaks in critical moments like this.
With 450 miles to go to French Guyana, we worked fast to make sure an emergency stop in the Amazon River wasn’t required.
We found the culprit quickly — a broken PVC fitting in one of the sinks. PVC plumbing was used in French boats of this vintage, but the modern best practice is to only use flexible hoses .
Alas, we must live with this occasional panic attack caused by cracked plastic. Perhaps this will speed up our quest to replace our plumbing one day.
Letting our skin soak with full moon rays while sailing underway has beneficial impacts on stoke levels.
Having enjoyed that cocktail of sweaty adrenaline & cortisol , we settled into the remainder of the passage, which had both the most calm and most blustery moments.
For 2 days straight, we rode the equatorial current north at blazing speed. The seas were so smooth it felt like Nesi was in a marina, not in the middle of the ocean, yet we sped along at 8 knots with full sail under broad reach. Simply Glorious.
Since Neptune enjoys some mischief, and invariably tests the ability of mortals to not get too lazy, at the inconvenient time of 1am on day 3, he sent us a 35knot squall of drenching rain, forcing us to quickly furl the Genoa and then reef the mainsail. Besides the confusion of waking up from deep sleep in 8 seconds flat, we were unable to communicate between the helm and the mast, due to the maelstrom of rain and cacophony of wind.
Soaked through to the bone, at least it is not freezing cold. The squall was a big one and lasted 3 hours — howling and propelling Nesi at 11 knots (in the right direction, this was a plus).
Nesi going 11.7 knots, 35 meters of depth , visibility zero. Pleasant working conditions. 45 degree rainfall at 1am.
This second cocktail of adrenaline & cortisol was compliments of the Earth’s Equator, which is an efficient (if chaotic) distributor of excess solar energy. It is the fuel that drives the entire globe’s wind patterns and currents, largely responsible for the habitable conditions on our planet. So we can’t complain about the occasional slap in the face as our puny little crafts attempt to transit this zone.
Few sailors love to go through the equator due to this ground zero effect, where unpredictable winds and squalls are the norm. Perhaps this is why there are some notable traditions for greenhorns crossing the equator.
However — between the panicked leak and the panicked squall, we didn’t really give our greenhorns a proper hazing. Shucks!
We did make it to French Guyana in one piece, in darn good spirits, which are two goals to celebrate.
Sabrina putting up our Yellow Flag which means we’re arriving on a foreign vessel without having yet cleared immigration.
Loved this? Watch the reel (1:20) about the experience:
This was our first time in a giant river! Once we arrived in the Amazon Basin, everything changed dramatically.
We sailed overnight from the sand dunes of Ilha Lençois, then up the river into a tropical rainforest…
We went 50 nautical miles up the river = 8hours at 6 knots… it’s a loooong way! We couldn’t even see the other side of the river, it’s immense.
It’s our first time seeing rain clouds and dense forest in a month… The sand dunes and dry sunny conditions of northern Brazil are now behind and we’re officially in the rainforest Equatorial region. It’s super tricky, but we manage to time the currents to arrive before sunset at the dock in the periphery of Belem.
Checking out of the country was challenging because we had received a non-standard extension of time, while we were in Fernando de Noronha. But the Belem officials were gracious and everything worked out.
On our way out, we couldn’t time the currents, so we stopped overnight in the river village of Soure, which turned out to be a highlight, with water buffalos, bike riding, ceramics, and river estuaries. Then we sailed 3 days to French Guyana.
lateJuly 2025 ~ Within 2 months of our visit, two sailing yachts wrecked on the sandbars of Ilha dos Lençois — so it is no joke!
There are many shifting sandbars and deceptive currents in this remarkable island. It’s known to be safe and dangerous at the same time. How is this possible?
To safely approach Ilha dos Lencois, we took our navigation seriously. Navigation comes in 2 parts: Preparation (what we do in advance) and Presence (what we do in the moment).
Preparation is basically an attempt to visualize all possible futures — peering into the crystal ball. When will the wind and tide and sunlight align for a best condition for safe entrance? What’s our backup plan, what does that look like? Curiosity (and some degree of anxiety) are very helpful to motivate preparation. It drives us to collect information (sailor resources, study charts, tidal info) and try to make a decent working Plan. Not forgetting, of course, that the “plan” is simply a roadmap that might (will) be changed.
Presence is where the “rubber meets the road” . We need to rely 100% on observation and instantaneous response, based on intuition, experience, and the knowledge gained from Preparation. Watching the wind & waves, the clouds, the depth sounder, the charts, reviewing notes. Preparation is the guide book outlining a plan; Presence is the guide that, in the moment, alters the plan.
We sailed overnight from Atins, and arrived just after 10am (with good lighting) in the region littered by sand bars surrounding Ilha Lençois; and entered on the incoming tide (in case of running into a sand bar, the tide is rising!)
Disorganized seas confused us at first. Eyes go from chart to reality and back. Is that an unmarked sand bar? Why is the water color an odd milky seafoam green?
We pick our way into the estuary of Ilha dos Lençois, rewarded with an incredible experience: like anchoring in a calm river with mangroves on one side, and magnificent sand dunes on the other.
We reveled in the surreal light that plays on the dunes. We spent a few night, visiting the village, kayaking through the mangroves — it was relaxing and wonderful.
If you missed our community Zoom call — or just want to know our recommendations for DIY Galapagos tours — read below.
First off: the Galapagos isn’t as expensive as you’d think. There are affordable options (ie. staying in the inhabited towns), as well as super expensive ones (ie. doing cruises by boat).
It’s going to be our 3rd time sailing through this magical archipelago so we’d like to share our insights.
Galapagos is 600 miles offshore of Ecuador, and is intersected by the equator.
You’ll need to fly to Quito or Guayaquil. We recommend Quito — it’s arguably safer and more interesting. There’s tons of stuff to do if you have time in the Andes.
As a ballpark, some flights SFO-Quito are ~ $550 roundtrip.
Then you’ll fly Quito to Santa Cruz Island (GPS airport code), about $200 roundtrip. The airport is located on Baltra island, a taxi ride through the highlands to the town of Santa Cruz.
Some people fly directly to San Cristobal which is an interesting option if you’d like to spend time there.
This shows the 4 inhabited islands of Galapagos with red underline. This shows the Fast Boats (aka ferries) between the islands in blue, and the flights from mainland Ecuador in orange.
INHABITED ISLANDS
There are four towns / inhabited islands in Galapagos:
Santa Cruz Island is the tourism hub. Puerto Ayora is the town/main harbor. There are over 12,000 people living here — it’s a happening town! Being central in the archipelago, most boat cruises leave from here. There are ferries aka fast boats going from Santa Cruz to the other three inhabited islands. We recommend:
Free activities: Playa Tortuga, Playa La Station (in front of Charles Darwin Center)
Top Day Excursions (paid): Scuba in Gordon Rocks (best) or Scuba North Seymour / Daphne (also excellent). Las Grietas and Charles Darwin Center.are both affordable but have an entrance fee.
Aerial view of the small town of Puerto Ayora with Las Grietas in back, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
San Cristobal Island is the administrative, sailing, and surfing capital. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the town/main harbor. There are around 7,000 inhabitants – it’s built up, but fairly quaint and walkable. We recommend:
Free activities: Loberia, Carola, Puerto Chino (camping yourself)
Top Day Excursions (paid) : 360 tour includes Kicker Rock (snorkel or scuba) and other beaches
Aerial view of the small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno with airstrip and its beautiful beaches, San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Isabella Island has a very charming village called Puerto Villamil, with about 2000 people. It is located on the largest island, but it’s a lot of new (impassable) volcanic terrain. There are sandy streets, very charming place. The geography is incredible.
Free activities: see flamingos in town, walking to nearby beaches, snorkeling Concha Perla.
Top Day Excursions (paid): Kayaking in las Tintoreras, boat trip to Los Tunneles (one of our favorites), and the volcano Sierra Madre is also amazing.
Floreanna Island has the smallest village, with only about 100-160 inhabitants in Puerto Velasco Ibarra. It has a mysterious history captured by the documentary “Satan comes to Eden” and is very fascinating. Free day excursions include hikes to local beaches.
Free activities: walking around the beaches.
Top Day Excursions: Highlands tour, Isla Champion, Corona del Diablo
UNINHABITED ISLANDS
The other islands are all 100% National Park and require boat cruises to visit. Some of the top ones are Fernandina / western Isabela, Santiago/Bartolomeu, Floreana north side, Genovesa, Espanhola (especially during Albatross season May-November) and the scuba diving islets of Wolf & Darwin.
Visiting the uninhabited islands is the premium experience in Galapagos — seeing the land and animals in the most raw & pristine state — but the boat cruises are expensive, from $500/person/day to $1500/person/day, depending on quality of service.
HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR TIME
Try to see at least 2 or 3 (if not all 4) inhabited islands. You’ll want minimum 3 days per island, at a fast pace, to account for transit time with the ferries.
If you can afford it, add a 5-10 day boat cruise to the outer, uninhabited islands.
We’re super excited to cruise the Galapagos this coming year and share it with other families! See our trip schedule http://www.greencoco.org/#schedule
PHOTOS FROM OUR LAST TRIP
Pictures follow from our visit in 2016 and 2017 aboard SV Aldebaran on the original Green Coconut Run.
July 2025 ~ We had an unbelievably great time in the north coast of Brazil. It was so exciting to explore this part of my home country (Capt K was born in Rio)!
Unusual for Nesi, we had no co-op visitors during this period. The reason is that customs & immigration in Brazil has been very unfriendly to cruising sailboats, and left us completely unable to plan our schedule, in the face of too much uncertainty.
In exchange, we welcome 5 work-trade crew members aboard to help us with boatwork, the kids, our videos, and business development. It was a very international crew: Egypt, Madagascar, Germany/Namibia, USA, and France were represented! More on these great crew members later.
The first stop after the heavenly island of Fernando de Noronha was Galinhos, off-the-beaten path destination near Natal (read about these two places in our last post). Then we sailed overnight to Paracuru, a random little town along the coast where we had organized to pick up a package … the things that we must coordinate as sailors!
Paracuru:
Paracuru was an unpretentious, “real” town, non-touristy, just doing its thing. We enjoyed the visit but the wind wasn’t any good for kiting. Then we sailed overnight to Jericoacoara, which was the exact opposite!
“Jeri” as locals call it is an end-of-the-road sandy point which has attracted an impressive amount of visitors for its beautiful dune scenery, party-goers for “feet in the sand” dance clubs, and lots of kite/wing foilers in the steady trade winds. The narrow alleyways through the town are charming, creative artwork spills everywhere, but the quads and 4×4 trucks and touristy crowds are a bit hectic. The anchorage was quite rolly and the tides are extreme, we had to dinghy thru lightly breaking mini-waves, it was challenging! So we only stayed one night, before carrying on to the gem of the coastline: Atins.
“The best can also be the hardest” — this was the case in Atins, which has an infamous rivermouth to navigate. Very few sailors make it into this river due to the chaotic breaking waves. We hired a fisherman as “pilot” to guide us thru the entrance, and it was still a nail biter! But spending a week in Atins was one of the highlights of our time in Brazil, like dropping into a forgotten village with lots kitesurfing and great people.
We had an unforgettable lunch where we kited to the sandy peninsula, in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sand and sand alone, and had amazing shrimp pastéis. We kited offshore downwind through the surf to the Lençois National Park and met our crew and kids in the truck. Rode in butter smooth lagoons surrounded by dunes. Unreal!
This coastline left such fond memories in our heart. So much adventure, challenge, fulfillment, and fun. The desert kiting and remote rivermouths in Brazil’s north coast are worth seeing!!
Up next: we sail to Ilha dos Lençois and onward into the Amazon Basin!
Meggane comes from France, and has experience in outdoor education AND teaching children French. A perfect fit! Learn more below about her favorite teaching activities, experience with life aboard, and the Green Coco Expedition.
See here more about the boat school + teachers that have been aboard
Where did Meggane meet us?
Nesi was inside the rivermouth of Itacaré, a bohemian surf town in Bahia, when Meggane arrived. It’s one of our favorites spots! It is surrounded by Atlantic rainforest, water-sports & health loving folks, samba music and safe, good vibes.
Itacaré Fresh Fruit DrinksRivermouth anchorage (Nesi at back)First Day at Sea! Wahoo!
Meggane quickly settled in with the kids and the boat space (she has even worked on a commercial fishing boat in Australia) so it was all smooth sailing.
What does Boat school aboard Nesi look like?
The intention is for school daily at 9am-12:30pm, lunch break, 1:30-2:30pm wrap-up activities, followed by play time in the afternoon.
However, since the boat is always moving into new places, the dynamic is always changing!! Meggane did a great job adapting to these 3 environments:
SCHOOL DURING PORT DAYS: This is the easiest. When Nesi is docked or anchored between trips, daily school happens as planned 9-12:30pm , usually onboard or at a friendly restaurant on shore; followed by beach time and nature exploration in the afternoon.
SCHOOL UNDERWAY. When we are sailing at sea, it really depends on conditions, If it’s calm enough, we do 1.5hr of school, otherwise the girls like to do arts & crafts, imagination stories, play Legos & magnetic tiles (these are their daily staples!)
SCHOOL DURING CRUISING TRIPS. During our guest trips (as shown in our schedule) we’re always doing loads of fun stuff !! Example: when the Darling family & Dan (co-op members) visited for the Recife-Noronha leg. During these times there’s A LOT of distraction, plenty of people aboard, and we are exploring exciting places every day. Nevertheless we try to squeeze in 1.5hrs of school in the day, in between excursions and playing with other kids; with occasional full school days when guests do their own thing. It’s a lot to juggle, but it’s fun!
A few highlights from our Recife to Noronha leg with co-op guests follow (see reels here):
3000 nautical miles from Brazil to Caribbean
It’s a LONG WAY to the Caribbean, with tons of awesome spots (and challenges). On this route we got a huge variety of conditions.
CENTRAL BRAZIL: After Itacaré, Meggane joined us during a special time — we were visiting Captain Kristian’s mom, dad, and sister who live in Bahia! Then we sailed 3 nights to Recife, which was wild and wooly riding cold fronts up the coast to Noronha (see This Post to get a sense of things)
NORTH BRAZIL: we sailed offshore 2 days to Fernando de Noronha in blustery seas for a glorious week visit. Then it’s time for the “turbo-chargers” as we ride 25kt winds downwind for 1000 miles past the big “corner” of Brazil: Natal’s Cabo San Roque. This is the area of giant sand dunes, world class kitesurfing, river mouths like Galinhos, Jericoacoara, Atins, Ilha Lençois. So memorable!
AMAZON BASIN: we sailed 50 miles into the strong, tricky currents of the Rio Pará to reach Belem with its misty forests and water buffalo in Marajo. What a crazy contrast.
AMAZON TO FRENCH GUYANA: We checked out of Belem (a very complex story for another time) and had the most blissful 3 night 500nm sail… except for one mega-squall that smacked us bad at midnight with 35kts. We had a wonderful rest at the Iles du Salut in French Guyana. I didn’t know this is actually a “department” of France (like a state) and technically it’s the only EU land in South America! The EU space program is hosted here, since it’s near the equator.
FRENCH GUYANA TO TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. Finally we had a very SLOOOOW 5 nights with no wind to Trinidad, expected due to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (a band of disturbed air around the equator) plus Hurricane Erin in the north was sucking all the wind out of sight, and causing occasional 25kts squalls headwinds, to add injury to insult. Typical equatorial chaos!
TRINIDAD. After long days and too much motoring, we finally pulled into the large island of Trinidad to dock Nesi at Peakes marina for a maintenance period and wait out the hurricane season safely – insurance requires us to be south of Grenada for hurricane season (which they very conservatively estimate as June 1- November 30). Now it was time for boat work and the kids flew back to Brazil to spend time with Grandma Susie.
What an awesome trip and unforgettable experience that we shared together. Meggane was truly exceptional in her ability to adapt to all the different environments and give the girls a consistent, learning presence.
Thank you Meggane , we love you!
Captain K & Sabby
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About Meggane:
Hi! I’m Meggane and I’m from Lyon, France. I’ve spent the last 14 years traveling, living and working around the world. Even though my main profession is teaching, I also work with animals, agriculture, fishing, and even construction of eco-friendly houses …The world is a playground for learning!
Thoughts on life aboard:
I spent the last few years living in my van, so the boat life was easy to adjust to. I particularly enjoyed spending time with our crew of friends from all over the world — Dophaise from Madagascar, Karim from Egypt, Alex from Germany/Namibia, and Kaitlyn from the USA.
L to R: Dophaise, Sabrina, Naiyah, Kaiana, Kristian, Karim, Kaitlyn, Alex, Meggane. This was our passage crew from Brazil to Caribbean
Aboard Nesi, I also really enjoyed the incredible nature that constantly surrounded us. Whether underwater or on land, we were almost always immersed in nature, and I loved observing the fauna and flora evolving as we sailed up the coast.
A huge highlight, of course, was my time spent with the girls. I loved everything about our days together. They are two funny, creative, joyful, and positive little souls.
One big challenge was the long working hours on the boat — there is always something to do on a boat! Between school time, cooking & community tasks, and even night watches, it was tough to find personal time that I’m used to having. This certainly took some adjusting!
Highlights from Sailing:
Amazon
Ilha Lençois
Ilês du Salut
Phosphorescence in Trinidad
Our arrival in the Amazon was so special to me. After spending time around the vast sand dunes of the Brazilian coast, sailing along the Rio Pará, with its lush forests surrounding us, tropical birds singing from every direction, and meeting the welcoming and cheerful locals, it all felt so heartwarming.
I also really enjoyed kayaking through the mangroves at sunrise on Ilha dos Lençóis. It was such a magical moment, watching the colorful ibises in the calm, peaceful morning!
Ilha dos Lençois
I absolutely loved our stop at Îles du Salut. After several days of open ocean sailing, arriving at such a breathtaking place was truly unforgettable. It was fascinating to learn about these islands, rich in history, and to walk through their incredible jungle. I really enjoyed discovering this amazing part of France that, unfortunately, I hadn’t known much about before. It opened my mind to the French overseas departments and prompted me to do some research on these places that aren’t talked about enough in France.
Iles du Salut
Speaking of magical moments, I’ll never forget swimming in bioluminescent waters while anchored in Chacachacare, Trinidad. The water was glowing, the girls were dancing in it, and we even went snorkeling, feeling like superheroes in that glowing night!
Arrival in Trinidad – Celebration!
Favorite Activities with the Kids:
French
Learning from Nature
Arts & Crafts
Storytelling
Below is a detailed look at each of the above 4 activities.
French
One of my main goals with the girls was to help improve their French skills, in anticipation of their upcoming family reunion in Martinique. They already had a small foundation in listening and speaking French (thanks to Zoe and Ian), which made it easier for me to continue building on it.
We had so much fun learning — through games, creative activities, and exploration — that they didn’t even realize how much they were learning along the way.
French Field Trips
One of the best ways to practice French is to simply get off the boat (away from English speakers), head to the beach, and play in the sand — all in French. The girls are so imaginative and full of creativity! Every time we were on the beach, we’d come up with a new story together, and they could go on for hours — digging a river, building a castle, a volcano, a beaver’s lodge, or burying my feet, pretending they were little creatures trying to breathe and escape their sandy “prison.”
Imagination has no limits… and with it, we added so many new French words to our vocabulary. I always spoke to them in French, but I never expected them to answer only in French. Most of the time, they’d use or repeat some words or small sentences— which was already amazing! The goal was to immerse them in the language, help them realize how much they could already understand, and celebrate every little French word or sentence they gave me. It was all about making them feel proud and confident.
Frenchgames
Games are another great way to learn. Every new game I brought on board was introduced and played fully in French. I would explain everything in French (with lots of gestures when needed!), and if the girls didn’t understand, they’d just ask, which they are good at doing.
One classic game any French child knows is “Le jeu des 7 familles”. It was one of the first educational games I brought, and the girls absolutely loved it. It’s fast-paced, easy to understand, and allowed us to work on several areas:
Animal vocabulary and their habitats (ice floe, jungle, savanna, house, desert…)
Fun facts about each animal
Counting
Games also teach the kids useful card-related expressions, such as:
Pioche une carte (Pick a card)
C’est ton tour (It’s your turn)
On est une équipe (We’re a team)
Other games we play in French:
Uno – for practicing colors and numbers
Cactus – card game focused on math, calculation and memory
Dobble – fast-paced vocabulary practice
The Smurfs memory game – excellent for learning adjectives (like Le Schtroumpf Farceur, Gourmand, Bricoleur…)
Similo – working on animals, similarities and differences
What I really like about these games is that they are quick to play, can easily fit into any part of the day, and most importantly, the girls loved them. Thanks to the repetition built into the games, we were able to pick up new vocabulary very quickly.
Legos
The girls are absolutely obsessed with Legos — they can build, destroy, and rebuild for hours! One day, instead of interrupting them for school, we turned Legos into school.
We turned the table into a pretend Lego store. I laid out all kinds of Lego pieces in front of me (different shapes and colors), and the girls had to “shop” for parts to build a car.
That’s how we introduced shapes, new colors, prices and questions you could have to ask at the supermarket:
J’aimerais le petitLego bleu.
Le carre?
Non, le petitrectangle.
Ok, ca coute 8 dollars.
Et le Lego plat, vert clair?
They looked at their coins, counted, calculated, and gave me the “change” for my payments 🙂
This activity was so complete — and they were having so much fun, they didn’t even notice they were working on so many skills, such as:
French vocabulary (colors, shapes, questions, numbers)
Math and basic operations
Observation, anticipation, teamwork, and planning
We also did something similar with coloring — one of us would be the “shop owner” with markers, and the other had to buy colors to finish a drawing — all in French.
Body parts in French
Here’s another example of a fun vocabulary activity.
We drew a giant kid on a piece of cardboard. I wrote names of body parts on small pieces of paper, which the girls would draw from a “magic box.” I’d read the word out loud, and they had to stick the label in the right spot. As a reward, they could color that body part!
Another variation was sticking the labels on my body — which they found hilarious, especially when it came to funny parts like teeth or elbows!
LEARNING FROM NATURE
Aside from French, we also learned biology, science, math, writing, reading, music, and arts.
The Green Coco world schooling approach is to learn from nature & culture around us — which I absolutely love.
Example: on a beach day, we found many sand dollars on the water’s edge. We picked some up, (dead ones), observed them and we became so curious about these fascinating creatures, asking: What do they eat, where do they live, how are they structured?
This curiosity led to a a Sand Dollar Project, including:
Research about sand dollars and their family
Making salt dough and creating sand dollar models
Exploring fine motor skills and artistic expression
Comparing them to similar species
Learning about their common traits and differences
We then connected our next activities to that one, to learned about other species from the same family (starfish, sea cucumbers, brittle star…).
Everything around us can be the source of inspiration, if we just follow our curiosity!
ARTS & CRAFTS
I loved our craft afternoons — painting, building, drawing… filling imaginations with color.
One activity I particularly enjoyed was making macramé and micro-macramé bracelets with the girls and two of our young guests during our Fernando de Noronha trip.
Macramé is a craft technique that involves knotting cords or strings to create decorative patterns and designs. Micro macrame uses the same technique but with thin cords or threads. I thought it was a great way to learn knots — a useful skill on a boat!
The girls were very focused and created beautiful patterns. The 9-year-old visiting the boat with his family even went further and made a water bottle holder!
STORY TELLING
Story telling is an incredibly creative activity. The first time we used the Dixit card game, with its beautiful watercolor illustrations. Each of us picked a card that inspired us. I would usually offer a card showing a character, and the girls would invent details about them — name, origin, personality, hobbies…
Then, we’d connect the characters. We’d ask: Did they know each other? Would they meet? What happened next?
As our imaginations flowed, we’d draw more cards, sometimes picking blindly, sometimes choosing intentionally — and our story would continue to unfold!
The first time we played (and the next too!), we couldn’t stop, we played the entire morning.
Over the three months, we kept returning to the game, adding inspiring cards from other games. We created so many amazing stories together!
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s hard to pick favorite activities — it’s truly been an incredible three months with the girls. I loved everything we did together. We turned every activity into a game, and every game into a learning opportunity.
I’m deeply grateful to have shared Kaiana and Naiyah’s daily life. We had so many unforgettable moments, and I learned so much from them! These two beautiful, free spirits reminded me every day that learning doesn’t need walls or desks: it can happen anywhere, at any time, when curiosity leads the way.
Kaiana and Naiyah — keep being your amazing, joyful, creative selves. Stay curious, stay playful, and keep being excited about life and the world around you.
The world is a playground for learning. You can prove it every single day!
Have you ever seen a coconut that could sink a small boat?? Just kidding, but… it is big.
Welcome to Praslin Island, home of the Coco de Mer—a palm tree with serious attitude and a nut that’s part seed, part sea monster legend, and part forbidden treasure.
See our latest episode where we visit this phenomenon of nature!
For centuries, this enormous coconut was a mystery. It floated around the Indian Ocean, showing up on beaches from the Maldives to Malaysia with no visible tree in sight. Naturally, people assumed it came from mythical underwater forests. Or was dropped by a giant bird. Or maybe both.
One legend warned sailors to steer clear or risk being attacked by beasts guarding these magical groves. Another tale tells of the Sultan of Bantam gifting just one Coco de Mer to a Dutch admiral—a gesture worth so much, that nut was later sold to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II for 4,000 gold florins. (That’s the 1600s version of “this thing’s priceless.”)
But in the end, no monsters, just mystery.
That is, until French mariners stumbled across Ile de Palme, now called Praslin, and found the source of the nut: giant, otherworldly palm trees with leaves stretching 15 feet across, and coconuts that can weigh up to 90 pounds. These trees now grow naturally in just two places: Praslin and tiny Curieuse Island—both in the Seychelles.
Into the Valley of the Nuts
On our shakedown cruise, we sailed our catamaran Nesi into Praslin, with one mission in mind: to meet this legendary nut in the flesh. And we did, deep in the heart of the Vallée de Mai, a prehistoric-looking palm forest and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Here’s the thing about the Coco de Mer: it’s slow, dramatic, and a little mysterious. Kind of like that neighbor who only emerges once every 15 years.
That’s how long the tree waits before even starting to grow a trunk. Then it takes decades to mature. But once it’s up, it’s up—living for up to 800 years. The leaves are so massive they throw their own ecosystem-level shade. The nut, even without the husk, is like cradling two toddlers in your arms. (Yes, we tried.)
Romance in the Canopy
Now here’s where it gets truly wild. These palms are dioecious, which is a fancy way of saying: male tree over here, female tree over there.. Somehow—thanks to the wind, curious insects, slugs, and even one determined little gecko—the male’s long, catkin-shaped pollen finds its way to the female’s round fruit. Nature’s weird. And amazing.
A male Coco de Mer palm (as you might have guessed)
Why It Matters
The Coco de Mer isn’t just big and bizarre. It’s endangered, extremely rare, and completely unique. For reasons nobody fully understands, no one’s been able to grow them successfully outside Praslin and Curieuse. These islands are their entire world.
Visiting them felt like time-traveling. And while we hiked the trails and ducked under massive leaves, it became crystal clear: these trees are survivors. But they won’t make it without us looking out for them.
We ended our island visit with a surprise goodbye from a manta ray (no big deal), and a good rinse from a tropical rain shower. Back on Nesi, engines were moody and the alternator needed love. But that’s just boat life—beautiful and broken all at once.
The Takeaway?
If you ever get the chance to stand beneath a Coco de Mer tree, do it.
It’s not just a tree—it’s living myth, tropical time capsule, and botanical oddball, all rolled into one. And it might just remind you why protecting wild places still matters, even in a world full of noise.
After a two night passage (250nm) from Recife, we dropped anchor in Fernando de Noronha — a volcanic island rising straight out of the Atlantic. We arrived at the beginning of July and spent a week exploring what makes this place legendary: its underwater world.
After 5 days in Noronha with our co-op crew (Taylor + family, Dan) we had another 5 days to consolidate our new crew members, who arrived by plane for the passage along north Brasil to the Caribbean.
Wind in the corner of Brasil is STIFF and predictable. Once we left Noronha, we got 25-30 knots from SE as we headed around Cabo San Roque towards Galinhos. Nesi going WSW course, this was a good broad reach, blasting along at 8-10 knots of boat speed.
Sharks & Dolphins of Noronha:
I was diving under Nesi when WHOA! A pod of dolphins cruised right by. What a sight! But not so surprising, because these dolphins visited us every day for our 9 day stop in Noronha… we also had spectacular moments with sea turtles, nurse sharks, octopus, and more.
Fish of Noronha:
This is one of the reasons why we love living on our boat: jump off the stern and swim with fish in clear water. Below Nesi there were Sergeant Major , Atlantic Chubs, Barracuda. By the shipwreck at the port we dove with French Grunts and sea turtles.
From Noronha to Galinhos:
Such a cool village! We were concerned about the rivermouth so we hired a pilot to lead Nesi into the river. But it wasn’t a big deal. Loved being anchored in this remote corner of Brasil that nobody has ever heard about.
Galinhos Village:
Galinhos is from another Era! We loved exploring this rugged zone.
Galinhos deeper in the river:
Going deeper into Galinhos river, kiting & sand boarding the dunes, and visiting villages.
Where is Nesi right now, you’re wondering? What’s life aboard like?? Since our Atlantic Crossing in January we’ve been in Brazil 🇧🇷 .
We spent nearly 3 months in the Rio de Janeiro & Angra do Reis region running co-op trips with 5 groups of members. It was a blast!
Then we started a 1,500 nautical miles, 1.5 month passage up from Rio’s bustling city to the crown jewel of Fernando de Noronha. Here’s the Map Overview:
We left in mid-May and had to ride burly cold fronts with their blustery & rainy south winds, in order to head north against the predominant winds (which blow NE in this stretch of coast). This is considered a good time of year to head north, because the cold fronts bring south wind during Brazil’s fall & winter (May to September).
Atlantic Crossing via St. Helena & Martin Vaz in January (read posts); landfall in Rio de Janeiro by mid February; then heading north by mid-May.
Below are a series of Reels showing the journey. They are 1-2 minute vertical videos best for phone viewing. If the Reels don’t sure, open the blog post in the browser.
Rio to Abrolhos: 3 day passage, 450nm
This passage was technically very difficult ! Timing the cold fronts is quite challenging — pick one that is strong enough to sail, but not too strong and chaotic… We did ok, motoring ahead of a cold front for 12hrs in total calm, then riding the frontside of the front for 1 day of beautiful sailing, before the low pressure caught up to us. Then it was wild & wooly with rain, gusty winds, and confused seas for 2 days, nevertheless, pushing us in the right direction. Complicating factors were the contrary currents off Cabo São Tomé , and the hundred oil rigs and oil supply boats in that coast that act like a minefield. We arrived in Abrolhos sailing with 15-20kts of SE wind and sunny weather — ready for a rest!
Abrolhos: 5 days in this marine national park
The Abrolhos National Park in Brazil is the kind of place sailors like us love to visit. Boat access only, way offshore (almost 40nm), with lots of marine life and historical significance. We spent 5 days exploring the archipelago. Since it is highly regulated, we were allowed to anchor in 3 places: the Ilha Santa Barbara north & south sides, and between Ilha Siriba and Redonda. All the anchorages were rolly and exposed. Snorkeling was good with large fish — but the most amazing were the birds!
Itacare: grooviest surf town in Brazil!
After a light wind 2 day + 1 night passage, we entered our first rivermouth: Itacaré. It is hair raising to go through sandbars with waves breaking on either side — happily we had a fisherman pilot us in. We LOVED our time in Itacaré , dancing to samba, eating açai, and met up with our friend Carola (who sailed on Selaví in Fakarava with us 2 years ago!), who sailed north with us to Maraú.
Peninsula de Maraú: the dreamiest spot on Brazil mainland
Our goal was to arrive in time to celebrate Sam’s birthday (Kristian’s sister). We also managed to accomplish this in Mazunte, Mexico on Aldebaran in 2015, visiting Sam for her bday there! It was a special time, spent with the Beadle family in their beach side house. Our new boat school teacher Meggane from France also came aboard. Bienvenue!
Sailing to Recife: 3 nights of glory and pain
This next stretch 3 day passage to Recife, in north east Brazil, also proved challenging. We did exactly the same technique as when we left Rio — ride a cold front with southerly winds up the coast. The first two days were glorious. Then it was rough and wet! 25-30kts of beam wind, sideways rain. Worse, we discovered that our starboard engine had a MAJOR issue — the massive bracket that holds an alternator sheared off. So we couldn’t use the engine, and had fingers crossed that we would fix it in Recife.
Sailing to Fernando de Noronha: with co-op families
This was a super memorable trip! Taylor and family from Santa Cruz came back, they joined us last year in Madagascar and now were ready for an overnight passage to Brazil’s most famous island. First time visitor Dan from San Diego is also a co-op member with lots of sailing experience, which was a big plus. We visited Olinda’s colonial town, the super tricky river entrace of Maria Farinha, and then set sail 2 nights… bumpy, fast, and great weather. Taylor’s kids were troopers — they earned their offshore badges!
Next time: see the highlights from Noronha and our travels on the north coast of Brazil hunting for kitesurf spots and the biggest sanddunes next to the water’s edge we could find!
Seychelles, 2024. We left Bird Island before sunrise and headed back seven hours towards Praslin. Our next destination? A group of islands that don’t look real… and helped recharge our stoke-o-meter!
The granite islands of Seychelles are the kind of place that makes you squint twice. Big stone sculptures rising from glassy blue water, shaped like something out of a dream—or a high-budget sci-fi set. We were half convinced the whole thing was airbrushed styrofoam. But nope. It’s rock. Ancient, stubborn, very real granite rock.
Why Granite in the middle of the ocean?
Seychelles is home to the only oceanic granite islands in the entire world.
Normally, granite lives on continents. That’s because it forms deep underground from slowly cooled magma, which eventually pushes its way to the surface—like in Yosemite, back in California.
But these granite islands? They’re a fluke of epic geological proportions.
About 180 million years ago, Seychelles was part of the supercontinent Gondwana, locked in place next to Africa, India, and Madagascar. When Gondwana broke apart, tectonic plates shifted like giant puzzle pieces. India broke off and rammed into Asia (hi, Himalayas), while Seychelles and Madagascar drifted into the Indian Ocean—taking their granite roots with them.
And just like that, a chunk of ancient continental crust ended up marooned in the middle of the sea.
Granite Above, Magic Below
Underwater, the granite creates real special formations.
We snorkeled from St. Pierre to Coco Island National Park, weaving through reefs and carving paths through underwater granite tunnels. One second you’re squeezing through a crack in the rock; the next, you’re popping into open blue playgrounds.
It felt like swimming inside cathedrals of rock with encrusted coral. Then the best part? Sea turtles, rays, and fish come right up to us. The marine life is unperturbed by our presence. These are some of the benefits of protected areas! Check out the latest Green Coco episode on Youtube to see stunning shots of turtles and granite underwater formations.
Just Us and the Ocean
Diving in these tiny granite islands helped us forget the boat problems — the busted jib furler, the alternator issues — and enjoy the moment.
We were still in our first shakedown cruise, there would be tons and tons of work ahead, but for now we could enjoy and recharge.
So yeah, when you see a pile of rocks in the middle of the ocean, take a moment and ask yourself: “I wonder what’s below the surface…?” There might be some surprises from 180-million-years ago.
Thanks for following the voyage!
—The Green Coco Expedition Team
And don’t forget to check out our latest blog posts here:
We visit Bird Island and (you guessed it) see a million birds, who sometimes fly nonstop for years! We learned that giant tortoises are currently native ONLY in Seychelles and Galapagos. And why this island used to be called “Ile aux Vaches”, or Island of the Cows. Weird… Hmmmm…. Watch the episode below or read on:
After limping into remote Bird Island with some boat issues ( jib furler failing, alternator not working, watermaker still iffy ) we weren’t exactly brimming with confidence.
But here we were, floating off a speck of sand 3° south of the equator, surrounded by seabirds, curious kids, and a strange sense of magic.
Bird Island isn’t your average stopover. It’s wild in the best way. No cars, no roads—just a grassy airstrip and a few solar-powered lodges tucked between trees. But what it does have is birds. Lots of birds.
And one bird, in particular, makes this place truly iconic: the sooty tern.
The Ultimate Flyers
With up to 1.5 million sooty terns nesting here every year, the air hums with wings and sharp cries. These birds are legends—spending years aloft without landing, sleeping on the wing, sipping dinner from the sea surface. Yet once a year, they choose this very island to raise their young.
That’s no accident.
Back in the coconut plantation days of the 1800s, sooty tern numbers plummeted—trees replaced the native brush they needed to nest, and rats ate their eggs. But in the 1970s, a small conservation lodge was built and the island rewilded. Rats were removed. Native plants returned.
Within a decade, the colony grew from 60,000 to over a million.
The revival was so impressive it landed Bird Island a spot in David Attenborough’s Life of Birds—and rightly so. It’s one of the great seabird comebacks of our time.
Tortoise Encounters
But it wasn’t just the sky that caught our attention. It was the slow, lumbering shapes meandering through the bushes.
Giant tortoises—dozens of them—roaming freely like prehistoric lawn ornaments.
Unlike Galápagos, where the tortoises are usually tucked far away in breeding centers, here in Seychelles they just… hang out. We found them under trees, on trails, even nuzzling our toes for a scratch behind the ears (which they seem to love).
It felt like sharing space, not just observing from afar.
Sea Cows and the Mystery Name
We kept wondering: why is this island labeled Ile aux Vaches—Island of the Cows—on official charts? We didn’t see a single cow.
Turns out, they weren’t talking about land cows.
This whole island is surrounded by underwater meadows of seagrass—the favorite food of the dugong, a shy, gentle marine mammal. Also known as the sea cow.
Centuries ago, these waters teemed with dugongs. French sailors named the island after them. But over time, the dugongs disappeared. Habitat loss, hunting, and the usual human footprints. Today, not a single dugong remains.
A sobering reminder: abundance doesn’t guarantee permanence.
Farewell to the Island of Birds
Bird Island was unforgettable. A place where the sky never sits still, where tortoises blink slowly under palms, and where names hold echoes of animals long gone.
In our last post, we were still fixing, organizing, prepping for life aboard. Bird Island felt like the first real breath. A chance to see why we do this—why we live this weird, off-grid, salt-crusted life.
And now? Nesi is holding together (barely), the crew is sunburned but happy, and Madagascar looms on the horizon.
Let’s see what shakes loose next.
💚 —The Green Coco Expedition Team
PS. Wondering what happened in Episodes 8 and 9? We hustled to prepare Nesi for our Shakedown Cruise, to figure out what works and what doesn’t… enroute to Bird Island.
What’s it like to move aboard a new boat with your family in the Indian Ocean, prepare the boat, and get her ready to sail around the world as fast as possible?
When we moved aboard Nesi in Seychelles in 2024, we gave ourselves just three weeks to make her sailable for a shakedown cruise, and then another five weeks before departing into the big blue, heading south to Madagascar.
The first job was to find whatever was wrong with the boat – and fix it!
The second job, however, was to change Nesi from a “Marina Boat” into an “Offshore Cruising Boat”. What’s the difference, you ask?
A Marina Boat is dependent on electricity and water at the dock, and assumes access to repair technicians and spare parts.
An Offshore Cruising Boat is nearly self-sufficient – it is designed to live at sea and in remote anchorages for long periods of time, with all the tools and majority of spare parts required to keep up the systems.
Transforming a vessel so it’s ready for the sea is what sailors call “outfitting a boat”. We tried to do it as fast as possible!
Ep8. Outfitting Nesi at Record Speed. From Marina Princess to Offshore Queen.
About Episode 8. We spent a whole week just figuring out what we purchased! Digging into storage room (aka “Magic Room”) and trying to rapidly learn & troubleshoot Nesi’s systems. After a week, we left the dock for the first time. Almost lost the brand new dinghy, what a fumble!! Discovered that anchoring & docking a 60ft boat is a whole different ball of wax! Fix fix fix, organize organize organize. We haven’t worked this hard since aboard Aldebaran when we did emergency haul out repairs in Marquesas (coincidentally with Judy and Matt, the same guests that joined us for this Seychelles shakedown cruise!) Our rigger Ian is the cavalry that comes to save us. Getting ready, biting our nails.
Ep9: The Shakedown Cruise. ‘Shake It’ And See What Breaks?
About Episode 9. Judy & Matt join us as our first guests aboard Nesi on a 10 day trip around the inner islands of Seychelles. We aren’t ready, but we go! Head to North Island for a leisurely stop, then to the remote Bird Island, the northern most point in Seychelles. As expected, equipment starts failing: we have alternator issues, bilge pump trouble, and a damaged jib furler. But magical moments keep us energized and we push through, making the most of the start of this shakedown cruise.
From Shaky Beginnings to Steady Horizons
Transitions are like organized chaos! Just getting to Seychelles across the world from Tahiti was tough, as we shared in five episodes.
Now it was pedal to the metal. Full of friction, luck, stress, and unexpected beauty. Outfitting Nesi and testing her in the field!
We reminded ourselves, “don’t sweat the small stuff”. It’s not about perfection. It’s about making the boat safe and reliable. It’s about finding weakness before they turn into problems.
This task stretched us to our very edge. We tapped hard into our experience : our 10 years of expedition sailing experience and 4 boats owned since 2003. Everything in the past contributed to our know-how … to make this possible.
But let’s not forget – we were also in the Shakedown Cruise to have fun and learn! Our next episodes cover the cool things we discovered in the inner islands of Seychelles.
What are the Seychelles famous for? What did the Green Coco team discover there?
Learn in our Expedition Letter #3: Exploring Seychelles
How did GIANT TORTOISES survive here while others disappeared forever?
Is there really buried pirate treasure on Mahé Island?
What bird lays its eggs and then flies for years without landing?? Let’s go find out…
🏴☠️ Pirates + Unfound Treasure
Seychelles was completely uninhabited until the 1770s. That made it the perfect hideout for pirates — like the legendary “Buzzard,” who’s said to have stashed treasure somewhere on Mahé Island…
Still hasn’t been found. Not saying we’re looking. (But we’re definitely looking.)
Before humans, giant tortoises ruled these islands. No predators. No rush. Just 100-year-old chill vibes.
Then sailors came. The tortoises were hunted or loaded onto ships for long voyages — slow-moving snacks at sea. Populations crashed.
But one place held on: the Aldabra Atoll. Untouched by humans, it became a sanctuary. Today, over 100,000 Aldabran tortoises live wild there — a living example of what can survive when we just leave it alone.
🐦 BIRD ISLAND: THE CITY OF SOOTY TERNS
We sailed to a speck of land and found it surrounded by seagrass…
And then: the sky exploded. Thousands of sooty terns live here! These birds live most of their lives without landing… They fly non-stop, catching fish, even sleeping mid-air. They only land to mate, nest, and hatch their babies. Once a year, here on Bird Island. That’s it!
It’s LOUD. It’s amazing.
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Thank you for being on this voyage with us. There’s more to come.
Letter #4 is already on deck — as we were preparing the boat to leave Seychelles behind…
Stay curious. Stay salty. And keep following the stoke. ⛵️💫
— The Green Coco Expedition Team
Want to See More About Our Stay on the Seychelles? Check Out Our Episode About Our Shakedown Cruise:
And don’t forget to check out our latest blog posts here:
This was a monumental move with massive logistics. We took 5 episodes to explain how we moved from Tahiti (our old catamaran Selavi) to Seychelles (our new catamaran Nesi) and started getting her ready to sail south…
Ep3. Birth of a Dream: “a school at sea”
While living in the Tuamotus with our newborn twins, we wondered what would “school” be like for these girls? We dreamed up an audacious idea: what if we built a worldschooling voyage circumnavigating the globe? What if it was a community of boats?? We envisioned having a teacher aboard, families sailing together, with a 60ft catamaran. We called it the Green Coco Expedition.
We made the pitch, fundraised thru our cooperative, and flew halfway around the world. We found Nesi—our future boat—in the Seychelles.
Ep 4. Pitstop in San Francisco: pack the entire ocean into 15 Bags
Before heading out, we had to move out of Selavi. That meant 8 air-shipped boxes, 15 checked bags, two surfboard coffins—and about 900 pounds of stuff we weren’t sure we’d ever see again.
San Francisco was our pit stop—but the chaos followed us. Visa issues, carry-on drama, ear infections, and two very tired parents navigating customs with groggy kids and a mountain of gear.
We were lucky to land in the warm embrace of our friends Adam and Kendra. Big hugs. Hot showers. Tiny winter jackets!
Ep 5. Pitstop in Bear Valley: trade the tropics for the snow
We always dreamed of a snowy cabin week, and this was our moment.
Bear Valley was pure magic. No cars. Just sleds, skis, and snowmobiles. We skied to the lodge and back to our cabin. Tubed for hours. Rode snowcats. Read library books by the fire. Celebrated the girls’ 4th birthday in full mountain style—bedhead, candles, cake, and snow falling outside the windows.
It felt like a total reset. A week unplugged, in nature, doing something wildly different from our norm. The perfect breath before the next plunge.
Ep 6. Heading to Seychelles: monster travel begins
Then came the big haul: California → Dubai → Seychelles.
We braced ourselves for the worst—sleepless kids, baggage disasters, international meltdowns—but somehow, it was… smooth. Three planes. 30+ hours. Zero drama. Wow!!
When we landed in Mahe, it all felt surreal. This time, it wasn’t just one of us scouting boats—it was the whole tribe arriving together. Our bags made it. The kids held it together. Our new chapter was actually beginning.
Ep 7. Moving Aboard in Seychelles: from dream to reality
Nesi looked beautiful in the marina—but now we had to live on her.
We quickly realized this wasn’t just about unpacking—it was a full systems overhaul. She was still a marina princess, totally reliant on shore power. To go off-grid, we had to reconfigure nearly everything.
We organized parts, food, tools, toys—over 150 storage bins tucked into every hidden space. We dealt with oppressive heat, relentless rain, flaky vendors, and rookie mishaps (like nearly losing our brand-new dinghy on day one).
But then… things started to click. We anchored Nesi outside the marina. We brought in our trusted rigger, Ian. We started solving problems. We were turning a floating shell into a real offshore cruising boat.
This move tested every ounce of our patience and courage. But in between the airport chaos and boat repairs, there were snowy birthdays, epic memories, and wild dreams taking shape.
What’s Next?
And now? We’re sailing again! Next up will be our Shakedown Cruise. We can say this: you are NEVER ready for a shakedown cruise 😅 We braced ourselves… and kept going forward, as the deadline to sail south swiftly approached.
💚 —The Green Coco Expedition Team
PS. Wondering what happened in Episodes 1 and 2? We introduced the voyage, and described the whirlwind of finishing our time in French Polynesia (after living there nearly 7 years!)
Ahoy Explorers! Come to a Tiny Archipelago Near East Africa With Us to Learn:
Why are the world’s HUGEST coconuts only growing in 2 tiny islands in the whole world?
How come GIANT TORTOISES only exist in the wild in Galapagos… and Seychelles?
This little far-flung group of islands is where the GREEN COCO EXPEDITION began. Where is this place??
After searching around the world, we found our catamaran Nesi in this archipelago. This video tells the story of us moving there from Polynesia.
This is a remote place that had no international airport until 1972. Captain K’s dad visited these islands enroute from Tanzania to India by cargo ship in the mid-60s, it probably looked very different indeed. Probably like this:
Fun Facts about Seychelles
#1. It’s a Small Country with a LOT of islands spread over 800 nautical miles.
#2. It has the world’s largest coconut, only growing on Praslin and Cousin islands. It’s got a fascinating biology.
#3. It’s the only mid-ocean islands with GRANITE in the world.
This is the good stuff that we cover in our Expedition Letter #2 — sent by snail mail to subscribers around the world. [Subscribe for $10/month. Learn more about it here.]
What the Letters look like this in real person:
Thanks friends in Morro Bay, CA for sharing your stoke!
We also include some random fun stuff for the kids, like….
How to dive without being a fish:
These are the stories to we’re sharing with our kids and we want to share it with your family too. Little tales from the places we are blessed to visit around the world in this community world-schooling voyage!
Our Expedition teacher Joelie is the artist behind these beautiful letters — customs made works of art that you can touch and feel.
Every Expedition Letter is a chance to be surprise and learn something weird and wonderful.
The world is big. You’re part of it. And there’s still so much to explore.
How do we ride the ups and downs of a 15 year circumnavigation? The first year was a battle around Africa. Now in our second year, we are licking our wounds, enjoying the gold of Brazil’s calm & beautiful anchorages 😅🏝️
Read our newsletter about the Pirate history in Brazil and how we’re now reaping the rewards of this great cruising coastline… and preparing for the next phase in the Caribbean.
Highlights:
Our latest crew included another set of 4 year old identical twin girls (!), and all types of visitors young and old.
Don’t miss: your chance to win a FREE TRIP: subscribe to Expedition Letters.
The history of colonial Paraty’s wealth, downfall, and revival
During the last 6 months we had a stellar teacher aboard Nesi: Ian Bacon from Chicago (UCSB recent grad- go gauchos!!). He was aboard during the toughest sailing stretch we’re likely to have for a loooong time. We knew this was the case, so we wanted to find a super amazing person for the role… And guess what? We got very lucky 🙂
Here’s the story — and read at bottom for Ian’s impressions of life aboard & his favorite teaching activities with the girls.
In February 2024, we moved aboard our 60ft catamaran Nesi in the Seychelles with the help of Zoe (read her post here)
We worked non-stop, full-throttle for 2 months, suffering with the summer equatorial heat, running two very eventful “shakedown trips” with co-op members, and doing a million repairs & projects on the boat.
Joelie arrived in April 2024, just as we frenetically prepared to leave the protected waters of Seychelles. No time to waste… when she arrived, I gave her a drill and screwdriver and we started installing solar panels.
Be sure to subscribe to our channel, and if you’re a family with kids, sign up for Expedition Letters here. These are awesome (screen-free) complements to our video series, you’ll love ’em. If you sign up by January 20, you’ll get a chance to nominate a teacher to receive our monthly Letters for free! Plus a chance to win a free boat trip.
“These rocks are fake. It’s just a Hollywood set for a movie,” Ian said, after we anchored next to the St. Pierre islet. “They are actually styrofoam cutouts with spray paint.” We laughed. They simply don’t look real.
We were now in the area around Praslin & La Digue islands, the most famous cruising ground in the Seychelles. We were halfway through our 12 day shakedown cruise testing Nesi‘s systems.
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.
Zoe & Naiyah in Mahe, Seychelles
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.”
Aside 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 (AquatikiII 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!
Takamaka plantation houseGirls are happy about their port holes
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 aboat , and all her systems needed tons of attention, and major upgrades to transition her from “marina boat” to “off-grid cruising boat” status.
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.
Megayachts in the Marina
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.
Screenshotwhat’s wrong with this picture? driving on the left side of the road!
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).
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!
Entering the reef pass in Moorea’s SW corner
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…
Packing up boxes to ship across the world
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…”
nice view from the work desk
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.
Kaiana is packing her box for the move— herself included!
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.
Sharing life together as community : we love it
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.
working on the mastworking on the hull
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!
After a morning surf, I saw the dolphins playing in the lagoon. See if you can spot them underwater 🙂
Then Sabrina took the girls paddling on the kayak to see the dolphins. The dolphins love playing around the calm lagoon waters by day, then heading offshore to hunt by night. Check out how they spin in the air, it’s wild!
How to view our 360 videos:
on the phone, **click on the video title top left of screen** to view the video with the Youtube App. Pan around by moving your phone, or pan around by using your fingers.
on the computer **just click play** and pan around by moving around with the cursor.
if it’s not working, update your Youtube app or browser.
Here’s a regular video shot with an iphone. The dolphin jumps are sweet! And there’s even an invisible turtle 🙂
Green Coco is an adventure sailing cooperative. We sail as a community! Arrived in French Polynesia seven years ago, now launching an around-the-world Expedition starting in East Africa. We welcome anyone to come aboard and try out the experience.
