{"id":61452,"date":"2025-11-03T09:29:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=61452"},"modified":"2025-11-03T09:29:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:29:25","slug":"jacques-cousteau-catamaran-refit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/people\/jacques-cousteau-catamaran-refit\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Jacques Cousteau Catamaran Set for Sustainable Refit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Jacques Cousteau catamaran Moulin \u00e0 Vent boat\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-Gerecke-Family-Aboard.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><i>Moulin \u00e0 Vent<\/i> is being restored in Florida with plans for solar-electric propulsion, research missions, and youth education programs.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Once Was Lost<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>A piece of ocean-exploration history is poised for a new chapter. The historic 68-foot catamaran <em>Moulin \u00e0 Vent<\/em>, once part of Jacques Cousteau\u2019s pioneering fleet, is undergoing a full restoration in St. Augustine, Florida. The project is led by the Once Was Lost Stewardship Initiative, a nonprofit focused on ocean plastic recycling and awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"gkstfcayky\" src=\"https:\/\/cruisingworld.dragonforms.com\/gkstfcayky\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>The team launched a crowdfunding campaign on October 28 with an initial public goal of $50,000. The ultimate target is $300,000 to complete the rebuild and return the boat to service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Used as a research vessel in the 1980s, <em>Moulin \u00e0 Vent<\/em> (\u201cWindmill\u201d in French) will be transformed into a modern, environmentally focused platform for exploration and conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is no ordinary boat restoration,\u201d said Kyle Gerecke, CEO of Once Was Lost. \u201cWe\u2019re reviving a legacy and giving her a new mission for the oceans in a time when they need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plan calls for solar-electric propulsion, recycled-plastic components, and onboard media and research capabilities. Once refit, the catamaran will support marine-debris cleanup, scientific expeditions, educational programs, and documentary storytelling across the Atlantic and Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Family around a dive hatch\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Moulin-a-Vent-THE-DIVE-HATCH-2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">A historic Jacques Cousteau catamaran will sail again, a new chapter for a legendary multihull and a new mission for the oceans.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Once Was Lost<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Supporters of the campaign will receive behind-the-scenes access to the refit process, along with memorabilia and opportunities to sail aboard the vessel after her return to service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phase one of the effort includes a haul-out, structural repairs, and documentation of the work through a public mini-series and exclusive backer updates. Later phases will focus on outfitting the boat for long-range sustainable operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For details or to support the project, visit the Once Was Lost <a href=\"https:\/\/once-was-lost.com\/pages\/moulin-a-vent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inspiring the Next Wave of Ocean Stewards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cousteau\u2019s legacy has shaped generations of sailors, divers, and marine scientists. The restoration team hopes <em>Moulin \u00e0 Vent<\/em> will spark new curiosity among young ocean enthusiasts, just as Cousteau\u2019s expeditions did decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Youth outreach is planned as part of the vessel\u2019s future mission, including education programs, hands-on science, and storytelling aimed at encouraging the next generation of sailors and conservation-minded adventurers to explore and protect the sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Florida nonprofit has launched a campaign to restore a former Cousteau vessel and return her to ocean research and education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":61453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Cruising World News Desk","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_image":false,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[165],"tags":[211,1924,300,210,197,290],"class_list":["post-61452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-catamaran","tag-conservation","tag-cruising-news","tag-multihull","tag-people","tag-sustainable-sailing"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}