Beam Reach: Sustainability ship

WARNING: This is an outdated web page! Visit the current site for timely information.

1-800-839-7495

The 42' foot catamaran Gato Verde

The sea component of the Beam Reach undergraduate program takes place aboard a catamaran called Gato Verde ("Green Cat" in Spanish). The vessel sleeps up to 10 people and has a flexible layout (shown below) that enables us to live, learn, and conduct science comfortably during the 5 week voyage.

Normally used for ecotours, Gato Verde is propelled primarily by the wind, but can also be powered by twin diesel engines that burn 80% biodiesel. The Captain of Gato Verde, Todd Shuster, is enthusiastic about making Gato Verde even more green and looks forward to interacting with innovative students. Join us in studying and improving this "sustainability ship!"

Request more information | Sign up on our mailing list

Gato Verde under sail.

Learn more about the program

Inspiration:

"Chronicling the passage of whales has led me to an understanding that we, as a species, now stand at a crossroads. We can face the possibility of our own extinction and work to avert it, or we can follow the more traditional path of earth's organisms and fall blindly over the edge. If there's one trait that characterizees human beings, it's the will to survive. This, I believe, will motivate us to work with the natural world rather than oppose it, which is all we need to do to give the children of earth -- of all species -- the opportunity to thrive."
-- Alexandra Morton in penultimate chapter of "Listening to Whales"