So, who is this crew doing their best to help that marvelous sailboat safely navigate the waters? We are Markus and Bettina, proud parents of four fantastic kids, and your guides through our sailing escapades. We gained our sea legs on a whim in the summer of 2011 and have not looked back since. While we love planning and organizing our adventures, we are also ready to embrace the unexpected. And we are not afraid to make those crazy, spontaneous decisions that often lead to the best stories. Come along as we navigate the high seas and the hilarity that is life aboard our sailboat Koko.

For most of our lives, we never sailed. Markus, with his amphibious upbringing in water polo and competitive swimming, could claim familiarity with water. But sailboats remained mysterious, unwieldy contraptions to both of us. The allure of gliding through the waves, driven solely by the wind, was undeniable, yet it all seemed so complex. Mastery felt out of reach.

Our fate changed after a wonderful sunset sail during a family vacation in Maine. Our kids, fully enjoying the boat ride, expressed a sudden interest in learning the art of sailing alongside their boating-novice dad. Their enthusiasm was all that was needed. A few days later, we were hunting down sailing schools. By the following weekend, we were proudly holding our ASA 101 certification (which we later on followed-up with the ASA 103 and 104 certifications).

Within the next 24 hours, in a totally crazy, unplanned and spontaneous move, we purchased a dated but seaworthy O’Day 26, proving once more that impromptu decisions often lead to the most exhilarating experiences. This marked the beginning of our unlikely sailing and cruising addiction.

The boat came with a fitting name: ‘Kokomo,’ after the fictional paradise island in the famous Beach Boys song. We liked the name and decided to keep it, believing it captured the spirit of our new seafaring journey.

Our sailing adventures began in earnest as we found ourselves thrown into the deep end—or rather, the cold, choppy waters of the Atlantic. Immediately after purchasing Kokomo, with only a few days before leaving on a family vacation, we had to sail our new-to-us O’Day 26 up the New Jersey coastline to her new home port. Thankfully, two of our seasoned sailing friends were more than up for a spontaneous adventure, their expertise being our lifeline in this thrilling yet daunting endeavor.

With the maiden voyage behind us and Kokomo safely docked in her new home, we only had a few hours before leaving on our family vacation. Little did we know, our adventure was far from over. Hurricane Irene loomed on the horizon, its menacing presence forcing a mandatory evacuation from our vacation spot just three days later. This unexpected early end to our vacation gave us the time we needed to prepare Kokomo for her—and our—first major test: enduring a hurricane just a week after we had bought her. We had no idea that the experience gained would help us a year later, making it through Superstorm Sandy. And then again, twelve years and two boats later, weathering the disastrous hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.

In those early days, we learned that sailing is not just about mastering the mechanics of wind and water. It is about embracing the unexpected, finding strength in spontaneity, and discovering that sometimes, the most exhilarating experiences come from the most impromptu decisions.

Three years later, in another bout of adventurous insanity, we added a Beneteau Oceanis 281 to our fleet, naming her ‘Kekoa.’ Juggling the demands of two sailboats in different locations, we truly immersed ourselves in the sailor’s life. But, keen on simplifying, we bid farewell to our beloved Kokomo two years later and focused our nautical dreams on Kekoa.

Our explorations took us through local waters, rivers, and bays along the Jersey Shore. We battled the frenetic traffic of New York Harbor, waved to Lady Liberty, and meandered up the Hudson. Wanting to explore the sailing grounds of Long Island Sound, we navigated Hell Gate and the East River’s current, with Manhattan’s skyline as our dramatic backdrop. These forays left us utterly smitten with sailing and hungry for more.

Fast forward a few more years, and through an astonishing twist of fate, we found ourselves united with our dreamboat, a next-generation Island Packet 349, which we named Koko. The tale of how we came to own this new-to-use beauty is best shared over a drink. You would hardly believe it otherwise.

So here we are, ready for new adventures with Koko, our steadfast vessel. We are excited to set sail together, embrace the unexpected, and discover the world anew.

If anything’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there! -Captain Ron