DUENS previous Norwegian home
About Us / Our History
Michael Hobbis has been involved with the DUEN since 1978. His adventure started after meeting the previous owners and the DUEN near the deserted Island of Suvarov, a small atoll in the South Pacific. At the age of 18 he was working his passage on a sailing journey to cross the Pacific. He was on a 35ft sloop with a crew of four when he sailed into the protected lagoon to anchor peacefully next to the DUEN. Six months later, in New Zealand, he signed on as DUEN's first mate then sailed extensively for one year in the South Pacific and on to Australia.
It was six years later that Michael and Manon Hobbis bought the DUEN while it was in the Caribbean. In 1986 they sailed as part of a youth training program to New York Harbour for the Liberty Day Celebration. Since that time they have sailed the DUEN extensively from the Eastern Seaboard to the Caribbean Islands, Venezuela, Panama, Galapagos, Hawaii and Canada's Northwest. They have hosted many travelers from all walks of life who have shared a love of nature and outdoor adventure.
DUEN was actively involved with the Coastwatch marine environmental program at Lester B. Pearson United World College from 1990 to 1997. This program gave students from all over the world, as well as visitors from the local community, the opportunity to participate in activities focusing on preservation and the importance of the delicate marine environment in which we live.
Recently Michael and Manon have developed successful youth and adult marine training programs for high school and college students. They are working very closely with Ecotrust Canada in raising the awareness of the need to develop a conservation-based economy in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia.
