Our Trilogy Family
In 1888, three brothers, Frank, Meade, & Austin traveled west from Minnesota and established one of the first holistic Health Sanitariums in the state of Washington. Thirty some years later, Meade's two sons, Eldon and Afton, built a fishing boat in Port Townsend, WA, and set sail for Alaska. They eventually settled in the towns of Sitka and Ketchikan. Both married, raised families, and continued the Coon Brother tradition. But it was Eldon who carried on the family's wanderlust. In 1969, a shipwreck forced Eldon and wife Jeannette to sell their home, move south to Seattle, and, with the help of their two sons Jim and Rand, and daughter Pattie, build another boat.
Christened Trilogy in 1971, their new 50' sailing trimaran carried them for two years from Alaska to Mexico, Central & South America, the Galapagos Islands, and eventually, the South Pacific. It was there they decided, because of limited funds, to sail north to Hawai‘i and work until ship stores were replenished, before continuing their "around the world" Odyssey. But, as Jim and Rand are fond of recounting, they not only fell in love with the islands, they fell in love with a couple of islands girls as well and settled instead on the island of Maui.
July 5, 1973 was the date that Trilogy Excursions officially started their all-day excursion to the private island of Lana‘i, with a full load of 6 passengers! Since that inauspicious beginning, Trilogy Excursions' "Discover Lana‘i" has become an institution, delighting thousands of visitors each year with the best that Hawai‘i has to offer.
With the passing of Captain Coon, Sr. in 1982, the business has been run by brothers Jim and Rand, and has enjoyed growing popularity with each new year. "It's not just a business, it's a whole way of life," the Coon brothers say. Their love for that way of life and their commitment to quality really shows. Whether it's their wives' homemade cinnamon rolls, served hot from the oven on every trip, a mouth-watering lunch cooked by a Trilogy Captain, or the professional and personable crew that knows everyone's name before the day is over, it is clear why so much of Trilogy's business is word of mouth. "This loyalty is not something we ever take for granted" the Coon brothers say. "Our clientele come from all over the world, but they have one thing in common: they all deserve the best that we can give them!"
