[12][13] In the late 1980s, Knut Utstein Kloster was cosponsoring a millennial celebration for Leif Eriksson's voyage to North America, "Vinland Revisited."

While in on its voyage, a number of prominent people visited the ship, including President George H. W. Bush in the U.S. and Fidel Castro in Cuba.

While preparing for the Smithsonian conference, owner Knut Utstein Kloster considered other ways the ship could serve a purpose.

After considering the upcoming Earth Summit scheduled for Brazil in June 1992, he worked with World City America, Inc. CEO John S. Rogers in New York and Maurice Strong at the UN to make sure the ship sailed on to Rio de Janeiro after its stop in Washington, D.C. Agreement was made with UNICEF Executive Director James P. Grant to let Gaia sail under the UNICEF banner "keep the promise for a better world for all children."

From Florida, Gaia sailed to Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Manaus, Brazil.

[19] Kloster's World City Discovery in co-operation with AFS Intercultural Programs gathered 150 school children representing 43 countries at the Gaia Camp Amazonas.