Bethany and Kyle Gerecke have never been afraid of an unconventional path. Before St. Augustine became home, Bethany and Kyle Gerecke owned a bakery in Missouri, sold it, and decided to take a sabbatical at sea. That season eventually brought them to St. Augustine, where they lived aboard a boat, built community, and discovered the coastal lifestyle that would keep calling them back. Years later, the same spirit of adventure that first led them here has become the foundation for something much bigger: a mission rooted in stewardship, sustainability, and restoration.
Once Was Lost began in the simplest way: with walks on the beach, cleanups, and a growing awareness of how much plastic was washing into the places they loved. Bethany first saw possibility in what others saw as waste. She collected pieces of ocean plastic, photographed them, and turned them into art. That creative instinct grew into jewelry and small handmade pieces, giving discarded materials a second life while helping people see the problem in a more personal way. But as the piles of plastic grew, Kyle began thinking beyond individual pieces. If they could turn trash into earrings, what else could it become? That question pushed their work from art into engineering. Kyle began experimenting with ways to shred, clean, melt, and remold plastic on a larger scale, eventually leading them toward their current focus: building small-scale recycling equipment that can help communities process plastic locally instead of relying solely on distant, industrial systems. Their work has already taken them to Bimini in the Bahamas, where they are helping establish the country’s first plastics recycling facility by supplying equipment, training, and support.
Then came another boat.
Kyle had always kept an eye out for vessels, and one listing on Facebook Marketplace immediately stood out. It was the Moulin à Vent, posted alongside vintage images of Jacques Cousteau aboard. The boat had once played a meaningful role in Cousteau’s environmental innovation. After the Calypso and before the Alcyone, the Moulin à Vent served as a transitional vessel used to test Cousteau’s first “turbo sail,” a rigid sail technology designed to reduce fuel consumption in shipping. During a transatlantic voyage from Morocco to New York, the sail faced three tropical storms, was eventually torn away, and sank. Still, the voyage proved that the technology worked, with the potential to reduce fuel use by up to 30 percent.
For Bethany and Kyle, restoring the Moulin à Vent is about more than saving a historic boat. It is about reviving a symbol of possibility. Cousteau’s vision was ahead of its time, and today, similar wind-assist technology is being used again on large ships around the world. The Gereckes see the boat as a bridge between history and their own mission: protecting the environment, reducing waste, and helping communities care for the places they call home.
The boat is currently in Key Largo, and the restoration is a family effort that requires long drives, creative scheduling, and plenty of faith. With six children, including a new baby, the logistics are not simple. But Bethany and Kyle have never lived by a conventional script. Their hope is to eventually bring the vessel to St. Augustine and use it as a platform for cleanups, education, awareness, and community engagement.
Through Once Was Lost, they want to show that discarded plastic can become lumber, bricks, building supplies, equipment, livelihoods, and hope. And through the Moulin à Vent, they are telling a story that feels deeply connected to their mission: something once forgotten can be restored, reimagined, and used again for a greater purpose. For more information on the Gereckes and the Once Was Lost initative, consider checking out their website.
