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

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

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

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

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

Seychelles

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

Trip: Seychelles #1

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

Trip: Seychelles #2

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

Trip: Seychelles to Madagascar

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

Madagascar

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

Trip: North Madagascar #1

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

Trip: North Madagascar #2

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

Trip: North Madagascar #3

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

Passage: Madagascar North-South

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

Trip: South Madagascar #1

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

Trip: South Madagascar #2

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

Trip: South Madagascar #3

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

Trip: South Madagascar #4

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

East & South Africa

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

Trip: Madagascar to Mozambique

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

Passage: Mozambique to South Africa

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

South Africa & Atlantic Crossing

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

Passage: South Africa

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

Passage: Atlantic Crossing

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

More Details:

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

Interested?

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

Or send us an email to expedition@greencoco.org

Let’s Go! Following the Stoke…