Meet
The Crew
The family behind Big Lost
Four very different people figuring out one unconventional life together.
Conor Malone
Captain
Conor spent most of his life building things. Raised in Sun Valley, Idaho, he started working in the concrete trade at 16 and eventually built a successful residential construction company of his own.
Then, in 2024, he traded blueprints for charts and finally chased a dream he'd had for years: sailing across oceans with his family.
If something breaks aboard Big Lost, Conor is usually the one figuring out how to fix it. If the weather turns, he's studying the forecast. And when there's a difficult decision to make, he's often the steady one reminding us to work the problem in front of us.
But this life has challenged him too. Sailing across oceans, raising kids aboard, and being responsible for a boat and the people on it means there is always something new to learn.
When he's not fixing, navigating, or sailing, you'll probably find him underwater with a speargun — his latest obsession and one more thing he's learning along the way.
Kelly Malone
First Mate
Kelly has never been very good at sitting still — or doing anything halfway.
She grew up around the water, sailing through the San Juan Islands with her family, but eventually made her home in the mountains of Idaho. Over the years, life became a mix of raising kids, building businesses, skiing, hunting, traveling, and chasing whatever adventure came next.
Extremely hard-working and fiercely competitive, Kelly has always been willing to take big risks when she believes the reward is worth it. Walking away from a successful, comfortable life to sail around the world with her family may have been the biggest one yet.
Aboard Big Lost, Kelly is the planner, researcher, storyteller, and usually the one asking, “What if we did this?” She handles much of the logistics behind their life afloat while documenting the journey and sharing what the family is learning along the way.
But choosing this life has also meant learning to let go of having everything figured out. Ocean crossings, changing plans, boat problems, homeschooling, unfamiliar countries, and living together in a very small space have a way of making sure there is always something new to learn.
For Kelly, that may be the best part of this whole experiment: discovering what happens when you’re willing to work hard, take the risk, and choose the less predictable path.
Finn Malone
Bosun
Finn is the thoughtful one in the family — kind, curious, and usually armed with a random fact the rest of us didn't know we needed.
He has always been a natural athlete and loves anything that gives him a challenge, but he’s just as happy disappearing into a video game or sci-fi novel. He’s a science kid at heart, endlessly curious about how things work and why.
Moving aboard Big Lost as a teenager meant trading a pretty normal life for one that looks very different. School happens at the salon table, friends can sail away to another country, and home is constantly moving. Some parts of that have come easily. Others haven't.
Along the way, Finn has learned to sail, crossed oceans, explored places most people will never see, made friends all over the world, and started learning the hands-on skills that keep a boat moving — from servicing engines to helping troubleshoot whatever inevitably breaks next.
And while his parents may have chosen this unconventional life, Finn is figuring out what it means for himself — what he loves about it, what he misses, and who he's becoming because of it.
Madeline Malone
Able Seawoman
Maddie has always been the one most likely to say yes first and figure out the details later.
She’s adventurous, outgoing, creative, and fiercely independent. Whether she’s driving the dinghy through a reef pass, making art, finding kids to hang out with in a new anchorage, or keeping the crew well stocked with homemade chocolate chip cookies, Maddie has a way of making wherever we are feel like home.
Life aboard Big Lost has given her a childhood that looks very different from the one she left behind. School happens wherever the boat happens to be, friendships can span oceans, and an ordinary afternoon might involve sharks, a deserted island, or hopping in the dinghy to explore somewhere new.
Along the way, Maddie has learned to sail, crossed oceans, become a confident dinghy driver, explored new cultures, made friends around the world, and discovered just how capable she can be when she's given the freedom to try.
And while growing up this way means giving up some of the things that come with a more conventional childhood, Maddie seems determined to make the most of the one she has — usually with a smile, a new friend, and another adventure already in mind.
