The Crew

Peter T. M. Brandt, Jr. – Cap’n

Peter, coming from a long line of Peters, is the undisputed skipper of Coco. Even before Peter was born, he was destined to be a sailor, and he went on to spend most of his summers with a floating floor beneath his feet.

For as long as anyone can remember, Peter has been confident and ambitious, always staying true to his motto: go big, go large, or have fun trying! The realisation of the CoCo expedition of 2014/2015 to the West Indies is proof of just that.

There was never a doubt in Peter’s mind as he went of to start his naval education at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy. There he obtained navigational skills and certificates to pilot everything from a rubber duck to a VLCC oil tanker, leading education in leadership, and most importantly, a really nice gold buttoned suit with a complimentary hat and sword.

Lieutenant Brandt is thereby a highly qualified skipper and will lead his trusting crew half way around the world and back.

Sebastian G. Winther-Larsen – Logistics

Sebastian is a colourful addition to the crew with a variety of skills, bottomless knowledge of all kinds of random topics, as well as an exceptional sense of humour. Growing up on the peninsula of Bygdøy, Sebastian was always close to the saltwater of the Oslo fjord and he could never have enough of the marine element.

Having competed in several classes of dinghy racing, Sebastian thought he knew what he was getting in to when accepting an invitation to sail the ARC. Being made aware of the vital differences between inshore dinghy racing and open-ocean yacht racing, Sebastian showed resolve when he went off to Bergen to school himself properly by being a programmer at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy’s navigation simulator.

Sebastian is always adaptable and learns quickly. After a few summers aboard CoCo, he has proven to be an indispensable part of the crew. With an MSc in Economics and Finance, the crew feel confident to have Sebastian handle the logistics of the voyage.

Henrik Hartmann – Second in command

Henrik is currently studying to become a civil engineer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His engineering skills spans a vast variety of fields, and the rest of the crew feels considerably more safe being aware of the fact that there is an engineer around. For most problems Henrik is the “go-to-guy”, as long as the problem is applicable in the real world and not of a “does a circle have the same properties in six dimensions as in two dimensions” kind. 

As a man of impeccable principles and moral standards, many have found Henrik to be of the trustworthy type that one rarely comes by these days. Thus, it does not come as a shock that he has been elected president of the student association and at one time helped turn boys into real men as a petty officer in The Royal Norwegian Navy. 

Henrik is also a bit of a showman and can be relied upon to provide entertainment as well as reason and dependability on the expedition.