Patriot Pride

In May 2017, Patriot Pride was launched alongside Dirigo and Black Rock from the State of Maine Training Ship into the Gulf Stream.

In early September 2017, we saw the Patriot Pride approaching the southwest corner of the UK and sent an email to all the miniboat enthusiasts in that area with a copy to Nicole Pedego, the middle school teacher from Las Vegas who sponsored the boat. She noted in her response “We are tracking it!! Very excited t hat our little boat made it across the Atlantic!” .   We got also got enthusiastic response from Jon Parr who is the deputy director of the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth England and the Horizon 2020 Sea Change Co-ordinator (www.seachangeproject.eu) developing Ocean Literacy in Europe.  He contacted his colleagues at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Near midnight 8 September 2017, we saw she made landfall on what appears to be a rugged “St Agnes Heritage Coast” near the small farming neighborhood of “Crosscombe”.  The following morning, Fiona Crouch noticed the fix, made a valiant attempt to find it, and sent the photos of the rough surf and coastline.

As of this writing (11 Sept), after a few days of no transmissions, we were thinking it may be destroyed by the surf and at least partially submerged but are nevertheless hoping that someday a beachwalker adventuring there during a very low tide might come across the battered Patriot Pride and report to us.
On 13 September, it happened. Fiona was back for another look when she spotted a group of wet-suit-cladded people in the water, asked for their help, and, sure enough,  Angus Bailey and friends found the Patriot Pride in several pieces scattered around the rocks! See photos below.

Abby Crosby, a Marine Conservation Officer for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, volunteered to take the miniboat wreck into the local St Agnes schools.