Panda Express

1st Voyage

• About Us

  As part of our Curry Public Library 2025 Summer Reading Program, the miniboat project was open to interested kids throughout our community- with a focus on students ages 10-18. It was truly a community collaboration, facilitated by library staff and partners from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. Even a couple little ones stopped by to help out with the sail decoration, writing messages and drawing pictures to put in the cargo hold.

  

  

  

  The kids held what they called a “boatstorm” (pictured above) and came up with a handful of names. A bit irreverent and a bit cute, the name “Panda Express” felt like it had something for everyone and was voted upon for our miniboat’s official name.

  We want to thank everyone who stopped by to help or admire the boat! We had assistance from our local middle school science teacher, Mr. Siminson, the grandfather of a crew member, who stepped in to assist with tech, Randy Skinner, local Freeman Marine employees, Ron Dykes who helped assess the Express’s weak spots.

  A special thank you to every parent who made sure their child made it to our weekly meetings and to every library employee who worked around the boat and its supplies all summer. Last, a huge thank you to Jenn and Kama from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub. None of this would have been possible without your help and support.

• August- October Updates

  August 29th Update:

  Oregon Coast STEM Hub’s August 2025 newsletter featured many “miniboat madness” summer updates, including one of M/B Panda Express!

  “We had fun this summer with Curry Public Library’s summer camp creating the majestic M/B Panda Express (pictured)! Folks of all ages joined us in this collaborative effort and we are currently planning her launch date—hopefully September!”

  

  September 26th Update:

  M/B Panda Express is on display at Oregon State University (OSU) side by side with the R/V Taani simulator.

  Pictured is Senator Brock Smith doing a great job piloting the R/V Taani out of Yaquina Bay, while attending the Oregon Coast Economic Summit.

  

  October 18th Update: 

  Express was delivered to UnCruise Adventures to be launched soon (fun fact: Back in 2022, they launched the Butterfly of the Sea which traveled all the way to the Philippines!).

  Stay tuned for more photos and updates soon!

• November 2025 Launch!

  On November 3rd, M/B Panda Express was launched out to sea by UnCruise Adventures’ Safari Explorer thanks to Captain Rob Mizer and his crew.

  Captain Rob reported “Panda has set out upon the seas of the N. Pacific Ocean. It was a sunny afternoon at 12:26 UTC-10. Winds were 10kts from the SE and the seas were 7-9ft from the North at 12 secs.”
  
  We wish Panda Express smooth sailing for its journey ahead. Stay tuned for more updates as the adventure has just begun!

• OCEAN SCIENCE DATA FROM ONBOARD SENSOR PACK

  The map below is showing the data reporting from the second GPS which is connected to a custom sensor package. In addition to reporting location with a secondary GPS tracker, this system is also collecting air temperature, water temperature, and orientation of the boat. Please note that the map below will only show the last 7 days of data and may include invalid points and data. If you are interested in looking at the data in a different format from the whole voyage, contact us.