It all started during the 2023 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, when a miniboat was discovered off the coast of North Carolina while the crew of SHIFTING GEARS was trying to catch a big fish. What they caught instead, was the AIMS INFINITY, a miniboat built by 3rd graders of Howe Hall Arts Infused Magnet School (AIMS) in Goose Creek, SC. It was launched only 5 days earlier. 

Among the many who took interest in the recovery was Mr. Charles “CP” Perry. In February 2024, CP’s connection to Mr. Dale Britt of Weldor’s Ark, also allowed teacher Mrs. Swanson from Morristown Beard School in NJ to launch their miniboat, the Crimson Cyclone, just outside Oregon Inlet off the shelf break (it had landed in Pine Knoll Shores in December 2023). In December 2025, that miniboat made it all the way to Morocco!

Check out this intriguing story about an unlikely connection that got Dale “hooked” in the Beachcomber’s article, Celebrating Sea Connections: From Mini Sailboats to Messages in a Bottle, or listen to the story on our podcast:

CP also made a generous donation with the proceeds from his book, Big Fish Better Boats, to bring the Miniboat Program to Manteo Middle School in Dare County. CP’s friend Skip Smith (Custom Shoutout) also donated so the students could have a high tech boat with sensors.

Just a few weeks after the Manteo build was a “GO”, two other miniboats made landfall in the Outer Banks! The Lancer, which had been sailing around the Atlantic since 2016 (and was launched south of New York), landed on September 21. The Stormy Normy landed on September 30. Both boats coincidentally landed in Corolla, NC – just a few miles from CP’s house. 

These other miniboat arrivals are helping more students connect and learn, and they all need our support to keep them going.

Join us!