ドリーム大久喜 (Dream Okuki)

Cedar Park Middle School (Oregon, US) & Okuki Elementary School (Japan) - Columbia River Maritime Museum

Updates:

1st Voyage

  • About the boat and participants

    Hull #011 was built by the students of Cedar Park Middle School in Beaverton, Oregon and was named ドリーム大久喜 (s/v Dream Okuki) by the students of Okuki Elementary School in Hachinohe, Japan. She is part of the Transoceanic Classroom developed by Educational Passages and the Columbia River Maritime Museums Mini-Boat Program.

    The Oregon students placed letters and locally significant gifts in the cargo hold for the Japanese students to open upon its arrival in Hachinohe. The students in Japan will place letters for their new American friends in the cargo hold to be opened on arrival onshore in North America.

    NOTE: Okuki Elementary School is located in a fishing village that was affected by the Tsunami of 2011. In March and April of 2013 two kasagi (wooden crossbeams on torii gates that mark the entrance to Shinto shrines) washed ashore on the Oregon Coast. In October of 2015 both kasagi were returned to Okuki and can again be seen from Okuki Elementary School.

    For more information on the return of the kasagi visit:

    The Columbia River Maritime Museum would like to thank:

    • Consular Office of Japan in Portland, Oregon
    • Mr. Kimura, Hachinohe Board of Education
    • Ms. Ogawa, NHK World
    • Mrs. Kasuga, City of Hachinohe
    • Mr. Nakamura, Ookuki Branch of Minamihama Fishermen Cooperative
    • Columbia River Maritime Museum Mini-Boat Program Sponsors
    • Educational Passages
    • The City of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan
    • Osawa Yasutaka- Okuki Elementary School
    • Kazuhito Hirayama, Principal of Okuki Elementary School

  • December 18, 2017 – Delivering the boats across the Pacific

    The Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Education Director delivered the S/V Dream Okuki to Okuki Elementary School. The Japanese students opened the cargo hold to find gifts from the students of Cedar Park Middle School. The students at Okuki then got to work decorating the the sail and epoxying the name on the transom.

  • December 19, 2017 – Launching Ceremony

    All the participating Mini-Boat schools in Hachinohe, Japan gathered at Okuki Elementary for a very special launching ceremony attend by government officials, members of the community, and national and international press.

  • December 20, 2017 – Launch Day

    She was placed in the water by Mr. Nakamura’s (head of Okuki Branch of Minamihama Fishermen Cooperative) crew 20km into the Pacific Ocean where the offshore currents converge.

  • March 2018 - Still reporting

    Of the five boats launched off Japan by the Columbia River Maritime Museum, this is the only one still reporting. Where will she go next?

  • April 2018 - No longer reporting

    Dream Okuki was the longest sailing miniboat from the 2017 fleet launched off Japan in December 2017. The last report was sent on 04/05/2018 at 01:00 GMT.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Miniboat Program was developed in partnership with Educational Passages and the Consular Office of Japan in Portland. Students in the Pacific Northwest build unmanned sailboats equipped with GPS transmitters, one to launch from the coast of North America and the other to send to their partner class in Japan for launching. While the boats are at sea, students on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean will track their movements. Using real-time data on ocean currents and weather, students will share their predictions on where the boats will go next, and hopefully create lasting friendships.

The mission: to get the boats to cross the Pacific Ocean.

The outcome: through hands-on activities and meaningful opportunities, students are enlightened and empowered.