If you're new here, it's a good time to join our community. We've been working hard to develop our upcoming project, the Floating Stories Lab. As the journey is the process, we've made significant strides in clarifying our Mission, our Why, and our How.
Our Mission
To transform a pre-loved sailboat into a self-sufficient home, exploration, research and storytelling vessel.
Why?
We will undertake a circumnavigation as a family to contribute to cutting-edge science, academic research, and creative practice, to disseminate how humans can live more regeneratively.
How
We are participating in a significant, marine-environment, citizen science project with a renowned university. The partnership will highlight the pivotal role of transmedia storytelling in disseminating scientific research and fostering broader public engagement.
Angie is our award-winning, multidisciplinary storyteller and researcher. Her recent work explores climate security, indigenous-led regenerative conservation, and climate change impacts, and she is currently completing a Masters degree with SAE institute Australia focused on creative practice research. Along the journey, Angie will further her research, rooted in an auto-ethnographic methodology informed by regenerative thinking, to create a portfolio of creative works. Angie’s sights are set on a PhD, which will provide an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive theoretical framework, expand her methodological toolkit, and contribute to the global discourse on creative practice and regenerative futures.
Remy is our data expert and self-taught guitar enthusiast, crafting melodic and rhythmic journey sounds whilst exploring ways to contribute his analytical skills to the regeneration movement.
The kids will continue their schooling with the world as their backdrop, whilst participating in science and contributing valuable youth perspectives to society.
Together, we are creating an open-source global database of regeneration resources — community projects, businesses, organizations, courses.
Our blog, videos, creative projects, and community engagements will disseminate the journey, research, and scientific findings, contributing to the crafting of better futures for the coming generations.
Citizen Science
We are participating in a significant, marine-environment, citizen science project with a renowned university in the UK. The partnership will highlight the pivotal role of transmedia storytelling in disseminating scientific research and fostering broader public engagement.
Becoming a Patron will ensure you have exclusive updates about the project, which is currently in the development stage and intended to kick off in the second half of the year.
(Hint: if you enjoy the ocean, particularly sailing, this project will be of interest to you.)
Academic Research
Angie is currently completing a Masters degree in Creative Industries remotely with SAE Institute Australia. At the heart of her current academic journey is the exploration of how creative practitioners can take more active roles in driving science and envisioning regenerative futures.
Along our circumnavigation journey, Angie will further her research, rooted in an auto-ethnography methodology informed by regenerative thinking, to create a portfolio of creative works.
Angie’s sights are set on a PhD, which will provide an opportunity to develop a more comprehensive theoretical framework, expand her methodological toolkit, and contribute to the global discourse on creative practice and regenerative futures.
Storytelling
Through our media platforms, collaborations, and creative practices, we disseminate the journey, research, and scientific findings, contributing to the crafting of better futures for the coming generations, and showcasing exemplary regenerative living systems worldwide, celebrating the stories of those making a positive impact on our shared planet.
Angie is developing a documentary/documentary series about the first phase of our journey - Northern Europe to the Caribbean - fusing adventure with citizen science. Patrons will receive exclusive updates and behind-the-scenes footage.
Fundraising
50,000€ fundraising goal in 2024
We are currently in fundraising mode, seeking to match, or raise, our personal 50,000€ initial investment in the Floating Stories Lab. Our fundraising strategy incorporates public contributions (Patreon, Substack, and one-off contributions via PayPal), Sponsors/Partners (hand-selected and carefully aligned with our ethics and values), and Philanthropic Donations.
How the funds will be used:
Year 1:
Covering the boat purchase, initial refit, and annual maintenance;
Supporting Angie's research;
Contributing to our participation in cutting-edge science;
Supporting our documentary development.
Website
As our primary media hub, our website is constantly evolving, but we've made some significant updates to the Home, Floating Stories Lab, and Regeneration pages recently. We invite you to visit the site and let us know your thoughts.
What's in the immediate pipeline?
Boat shopping: We made an offer on a beautiful steel sailboat just before Christmas, but unfortunately the owner didn't accept. Her asking price was well over the market value (reflected in the fact it's been for sale for about a year, and was based on her insurance quotation) and she wasn't willing to negotiate.
So we're back to scouring through listings...We are keeping our eye on boats for sale in France, particularly on the Atlantic Ocean side, which makes it easier for us to arrange viewings.
Research: Angie is in the thick of her Masters studies at the moment, and will begin the first phase of her capstone project research in the later part of the year. Her major project is shaping up to be a portfolio of creative work and associated creative practice research theory directly related to the Floating Stories Lab.
Citizen Science: We are working closely with our partnering university (we can reveal these details to patrons in the not-too-distant future) in organising an initial workshop in the UK that will bring together various stakeholders: authorities, boat owners, local charities, and conservationists. Angie will be invited to participate in the workshop to contribute and highlight the pivotal role of transmedia storytelling in disseminating scientific research and fostering broader public engagement.
Projected Timeline:
In the meantime, we're wrapping up our life on land, and enjoying regular hikes in the beautiful Basque Country and Pyrenees on weekends. Visit our TRAVEL BLOG for stories about our wanderings, past and present.
Thank you!
We truly appreciate your interest in our project, and look forward to the journey ahead.
