The Crew
Stories of sea, family and future.
“Every boat has a soul.
The Mahayana also has a heart: her crew”.
FRANCESCO NANNI – Capitain
It all starts from him.
Francesco has been sailing for over forty years. The sea is not just his profession—it is his home.
Founder of The Blue Dream Project and captain of the Mahayana, he has crossed the Atlantic Ocean multiple times. His most recent crossing, in 2018, was a symbolic journey: bringing Mahayana from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to Porto Santo Stefano, Tuscany—a return home after years of work and dreams built plank by plank.
In the 1990s, he lived in the Grenadines, in the Caribbean, where he focused on building and maintaining wooden boats while working as a skipper. It was there that he refined his knowledge of traditional sailing, learning to read the wind, the sky, and the sea like few others can.
On board, he is a guide, a teacher, and a point of reference.
His experience can be felt in every maneuver, in every course plotted on the horizon.
ALEJANDRO NANNI – Deckhand
Ale did not choose the Mahayana.
He grew up with her.
Francesco’s son became part of the project from an early age. At just ten years old, he took part in building the boat, moving to Canada with his father and experiencing an extraordinary childhood between school and the shipyard.
He did not take part in the entire Atlantic crossing, but sailed the leg from the Azores to Porto Santo Stefano—a symbolic passage, a true rite of initiation.
Since 2019, he has worked on board every summer as a deckhand. With each season, he has gained experience, confidence, and skill. In his eyes, you can see the same determination as his father.
One day, the helm might be his.
MELISSA NANNI – Deckhand
Between 2013 and 2016, she traveled back and forth between Rome and Lunenburg to contribute to the construction of the Mahayana—an effort driven by dedication, long journeys, and shared dreams.
Since 2019, she has spent several weeks on board each season. Then, in 2024, she decided to take a further step and become a permanent member of the crew.
With a degree in Natural Sciences, a certified diver, and a whale watching guide, she brings on board a deep knowledge of the marine ecosystem. Every sighting becomes a story, and every encounter with cetaceans a moment of awareness.