OUR MISSION
Adventure sailing, citizen science and storytelling to inspire action for a healthy ocean among boating and coastal communities.
MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION
A JOURNEY
WITH PURPOSE
Taking part, and increasing participation from others, in a smorgasbord of exciting citizen science projects through our pioneering global ocean citizen science directory
ADVENTURE SCIENCE & STORYTELLING
Advancing knowledge and understanding of our global ocean by hosting local initiatives, early-career researchers and storytellers on board FREERANGER in the places we visit.
OUTREACH &
INNOVATION
Using FREERANGER as a platform for outreach and innovation, and as a testbed for innovative research-based or green-operational maritime technologies, from the simple solutions to the high-tech.
INTRODUCING
OUR EXPEDITION SAILBOAT
Sailing vessel Freeranger is our 49' bluewater Beneteau 50 Celebration.
We started 2025 on the Pacific side of Mexico, exploring the incredible biodiversity of this coastline.
Not a day passed by where a huge diversity of wildlife wasn’t spotted, recorded, and enjoyed. In particular the regular sighting of humpback whale mums and calves was really uplifting.
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We also continued to connect with the boating community through hosted citizen science outreach events on Freeranger, the morning radio ‘nets’, and in cooperation with local partners. We also gave seminars and talks remotely with audiences at major boat shows in Vancouver and Toronto.
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After a few weeks of intense preparation based in La Cruz in the Bahia Banderas, we set off in mid-March on our Pacific crossing, a 3940 nautical mile passage between Punta Mita, Mexico and the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia.
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Along the way we managed to visit the marine protected area at the stark but beautiful
Isla Socorro; the remote and uninhabited and beautiful Henderson Island, stunning except for the very present plastic pollution; and the historic and incredibly welcoming Pitcairn Island. Henderson and Pitcairn sit in the Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve, one of the largest on Earth.
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In late April we arrived in French Polynesia's Gambier Islands, home of some of the healthiest coral reefs we have ever seen. Our longest time at sea was 22 days between Socorro and Henderson, a distance of 3,468
nautical miles (6,422 km), most of it on the high seas.
During the offshore passage we contributed to half a dozen citizen science initiatives with the intention of supporting multi-institutional researchers with ground-truthing, observations, and data collection.
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Between May and mid July we will be in the Tuomotu and Society Island groups of French Polynesia. In June we will participate remotely in the UN Ocean Conference to share stories of citizen science from the field with participants in Nice, France.
In July and August we will cross first to the Cook Islands, and on to Samoa and Tonga.
We plan to be in Fiji for September and October.
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Stay tuned for updates on citizen science projects throughout this region, as well as some really exciting initiatives with local partners that will be utilising Freeranger and her crew as a platform to support their crucial marine conservation projects.
JOURNEY 2024
Farewell Canada! Read our route through BC, Canada, California and Baja Mexico in 2024! After a year cruising in the Pacific North West we departed Victoria, British Columbia in July 2024 to sail north through the Broughton Archipelago and around Vancouver Island on the west coast to Ucluelet our last stop in Canada. While in BC we participated in citizen science initiatives on eel grass health and marine mammal populations. We departed British Columbia on September 12th and set sail on a 750nm offshore passage south to to the USA making landfall in San Francisco. During the offshore passage we contributed to six citizen science initiatives with the intention of supporting multi institutional researchers with ground-truthing, observations, data collection and ocean plastics trackers. During October we journeyed down the coast of California visiting marine and wildlife hotspots and conservation initiatives in Monterey Bay, California's Channel Islands, Newport Beach and San Diego. In November 2024 we joined the Baja-ha-ha fleet of 130 cruising yachts to sail 750nm into the Tropics and Cabo San Lucas a poignant end point of the extraordinary Gray Whale migration each year and our entry point to the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) a biodiversity hotspot due to its many endemic plant and animal species, and its unique geological features. We will be around these waters into February 2025.
JOURNEY 2025
OUR STORY
Free Range Ocean is a project by British-Canadian duo Duncan Copeland and Larissa Clark. Founded in 2023 as a not-for-profit organisation it brings together the best of our combined forty years in environmental campaigns, development and communications and channels them into a massive personal and professional project designed to positively impact the people and places we visit aboard Freeranger our 50ft expedition sailboat and home.
READ MORE
BE THE CHANGE!
EXPLORE OUR OCEAN CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT DIRECTORY TO DISCOVER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.
We've got dozens listed already from around the world that need citizen scientists to get involved in all kinds of projects - from pollution to biodiversity - at all times of the year. We welcome suggestions of new projects!
