Where did our Vision for Albatross hatch?

We were sailing off the Baja Coast, rounding the Island of Cedros on our voyage home after the Newport — Cabo race. It was beautiful, if not a little boring. I found myself thinking a great deal about how to marry unwavering idealism with practical strategies to empower and enable greener living. I meditated on our brand, what the essence of Albatross Designs distilled down to. At the core, we want to sell sustainable products that inject a little soul into otherwise mundane activities.

My train of thought was interrupted as we came upon another team’s boat making the same journey back from the race. They were moving at a leisurely pace, probably enjoying the scenery of the island coast. We sailed on, growing closer to them. Before we knew it, we were engaged in a friendly race around the island — as the old saying goes: if two boats are sailing, racing is happening! At one point, when our boats were separated by less than 20 feet, I went down into the cabin to grab some water. Then, I heard my crewmate shout out: “They’re threading the needle! They’re THREADING THE NEEDLE!”

Not knowing what he meant, I immediately hopped back on deck to see what was happening. A giant 35’ Panga with 3 fishermen aboard was coming directly at us at a considerable clip. Their plan? To maneuver in between our sailboat and the other… threading the needle. Relieved that we weren’t being hijacked, we began to whoop and holler as the fishermen passed gracefully between our sailboats with deft precision. This moment felt poignantly symbolic. It marked the end of a long stretch of meditation that swirled tightly around broad concepts like humanity’s relationship with the ocean, with living itself, and sustainable product design.

Albatross Designs designs enjoyable transitions into green living. We see innumerable opportunities around us to make livable changes that better our quality of life and significantly dampen — if not eliminate — our impact on the environment. At the risk of belittling our beloved plastic-free shavers: We are not just selling razors, we are trying to change the world.

They said red | We Say GO: