This story is a part of the GenOcean campaign — an official Ocean Decade campaign showcasing Decade Actions, collaborating organizations and ocean leaders that focus on youth and citizen science opportunities to help anyone, anywhere be the change the ocean needs.
Under a starlit sky in the Pacific, Larissa Clark and Duncan Copeland watch as the ocean around their boat glows electric blue — bioluminescent plankton dancing in the water. Moments like this aren’t just breathtaking; they’re part of a greater mission to reconnect people with the ocean through science, education and adventure.
In 2024, Clark and Copeland set sail on an ambitious journey aboard the S.V. Freeranger. Their vessel is more than just a boat, it’s a hub for hands-on research, a mobile classroom and a platform for innovation. Through their initiative, Free Range Ocean, they are providing unique opportunities for marine scientists, early-career researchers and everyday boaters to get involved in ocean science, while also showcasing how innovation and education can change the way we interact with the ocean.
Free Range Ocean addresses three Ocean Decade Challenges:
1 – Understand and beat marine pollution
2 – Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
10 – Restore society’s relationship with the ocean
Clark and Copeland are no strangers to the world of ocean conservation. With decades of combined experience, Clark as a communications specialist and Copeland focusing on the fishing industry, the pair is uniquely equipped to drive the mission of Free Range Ocean. Clark has spent much of her career working on sharing stories of marine plastics and environmental justice research, while Copeland’s work has focused on tackling illegal fishing, sustainable fisheries and marine policy. Their love of the ocean is matched only by their desire to share that passion and knowledge with others as well as their desire to be on the water as much as possible.
“We always dreamed of taking our family on an incredible ocean adventure powered by the wind and curiosity, and raising our children with a real world understanding of how to be resourceful, thoughtful and to respect the power of nature,” says Clark. “We also wanted our journey to have a broader impact, which is why Free Range Ocean was started. We hope to inform, inspire and enable others to have their own positive impact on our ocean with an ‘everyone and every action counts’ philosophy. Working in the environmental space, we understand that the problems and challenges can feel overwhelming and hope can be hard to find, but we like to remember a favorite quote, ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve never been to bed with a mosquito!’”
A New Lifestyle: Educating Kids, Boat Owners and Recreational Sailors
Two very important members of the S.V. Freeranger crew include Clark and Copeland’s son and daughter, Eden and Skye. Living aboard S.V. Freeranger is unlike any in-classroom learning experience, it offers direct contact with the very environments and animals these siblings are learning about plus the history, culture and ways of life the entire family gets to experience as they travel across the Pacific Ocean in 2025.
“The kids have adjusted really well to home schooling at sea,” says Clark. “There are so many resources available to support our teaching and the world is our classroom! Duncan was homeschooled for six years during a circumnavigation with his family in the 1980s and has very fond memories of the experience, so that gives me confidence in the path we’re taking. We connect with lots of other sailing families during our journey and get the kids together, whether it’s for a P.E. session or science scavenger hunt at the beach. It’s great fun and an incredible way to connect with other children from all over the world.”
Clark and Copeland are not only educating their own children, they’ve made it a priority to engage with kids and communities wherever they anchor to foster a deeper, more personalized connection between youth and ocean action. They host local trivia sessions on marine life, partner with educators to lead hands-on workshops and invite marine scientists and communicators to join their voyages.
In addition to education, they are using their experiences to shift the perceptions of recreational sailors and boaters. One example of this occurred during their journey along the coast of Mexico.
How Educational Experiences Change Perspectives
As the S.V. Freeranger made its way to Barra de Navidad, Mexico, in early 2025, the family anchored in Tenacatita, Jalisco, and were met with unusually murky waters due to an influx of plankton.
“It’s common practice for cruisers to make their own freshwater when you live aboard a vessel,” says Clark. “But no one enjoys trying to make drinking water in turbid seawater whether due to pollution, algae or sediment because the water filters get clogged! Each morning on the Cruiser Net, a daily community radio check for boats in the anchorage, people were grumbling about it. But we saw this as an opportunity to connect with this community and share the biology and ecology of what was being perceived as an inconvenience.”
After sharing some trivia on the Cruiser Net about dinoflagellates, a type of bioluminescent marine plankton that emits a bluish light when disturbed, Clark and Copeland encouraged boaters to take a swim at night to experience the phenomena firsthand. They also invited boaters in the bay to join them on board every day at noon for a week for a demonstration of a citizen science project called the Secchi Disk Study, which aims to understand how climate change is threatening the phytoplankton that underpin the marine food chain.
“It was amazing,” says Clark. “We heard whoops and ‘oohs and ahhs’ of excitement and awe once the sun went down and our neighbors jumped into the plankton-filled water. Both an underwater fireworks show and a real-life learning experience was happening right off our bow. This experiential education was one of many moments we’ve been able to facilitate through Free Range Ocean that has truly changed people’s perspective and relationship with the ocean.”
Emphasizing the previous night’s experience, the S.V. Freeranger crew and their sailing community witnessed a whale feeding on the plankton.
“This shift in perception highlights how valuable marine education is, even for those who are on the water every day,” says Clark. “It’s a perfect example of how Free Range Ocean is connecting people to the ocean in meaningful ways, showing them how they are all part of a larger ecosystem and how their understanding can positively impact their daily behaviors.”
What Free Range Ocean Offers Ocean Lovers Around the World
Free Range Ocean offers three core resources that make a significant impact on the ocean community:
- Citizen Science Project Directory
A curated guide which includes a wide array of ocean-focused citizen science projects for ocean lovers on the coast, on the water or even inland. - Test Platform for Ocean and Sailing Technologies
The S.V. Freeranger serves as a testing ground for new ocean and sailing technologies. From eco-friendly antifouling paints to innovative energy solutions, Clark and Copeland are testing and providing feedback on sustainable, real-world technologies that can help reduce the environmental footprint of sailors everywhere.
Offering a Vessel for Marine Scientists and Communicators
Free Range Ocean is also offering S.V. Freeranger as a platform for marine scientists, early-career researchers and communicators.
Get Involved with Free Range Ocean
Whether you’re an early-career marine scientist looking for a unique opportunity, a communicator eager to share your story or someone simply looking for ways to support ocean conservation, there’s a place for you in this journey. Visit the Free Range Ocean website to choose your own adventure.
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