Lancer

Waterford High School (Waterford, CT)

Updates:

2016: The LANCER Adventures begin

The Educational Passages miniboat Lancer is the first miniboat to circumnavigate the Atlantic, has connected 5 countries so far, and connected thousands of people around the world.

2016: Waterford High School (Connecticut, USA) student Kaitlyn Dow (pictured, right) wanted to study ocean currents, so the school bought a miniboat and a drifter to help. They were launched together from the R/V Neil Armstrong during its very first science verification cruise.

2017: Kaitlyn met Méabh Ní Ghionnáin (pictured, left) in Galway, Ireland after she found the Lancer near her home and were able to raise funds to visit.

The boat was repaired and relaunched by many community members, and the R/V Celtic Explorer relaunched it. This second voyage brought the miniboat to Plymouth, UK.

 

2022: With Project O.C.N., the National Marine Aquarium & Ocean Conservation Trust helped students all around the UK through STEMfest learn about the Lancer, and upgraded it with sensors so it could collect more information about the ocean. It was relaunched for a third voyage off the coast of Tenerife, Spain by the R/V Ángeles Alvariño.

2023: The Lancer made its way to the Bahamas and was recovered on Earth Day. Along the way it collected lots of data, including pictures of birds that were resting on the deck. Then, Kaitlyn, who was now in the Coast Guard, transported the Lancer back home. A new set of students worked on upgrading the boat during the 23-24 school year.

2024: The R/V Endeavor relaunched the Lancer for its fourth voyage in September, not far from where it was first launched in 2016.

Read all the details in the links below!

  • About Us - Kaitlyn Dow's Research Project

    In 2016, student Kaitlyn Dow started a project at Waterford High School (WHS) to better understand how winds and currents move in the ocean, called “WHS Drifter Studies” (see picture of poster below).

    Most of the story was also relayed through Kaitlyn’s Twitter account for the project: @DrifterWhs.

    Thanks to teachers Mike O’Conner at Waterford High School and Martha Shoemaker at Quaker Elementary School for their collaboration, the uncrewed miniboat and a surface drifter were built by their students and by April 2016, were ready to be set to sea.

    The Day interviewed Kaitlyn and others involved in April before the deployment. Read the article, Waterford High School student to track boat launched over continental shelf.

  • May 7, 2016 - Deployed by WHOI and R/V Neil Armstrong

    This is a special boat with three world-class marine science universities, a new research vessel, and a Student Drifter involved.

    The miniboat and drifter were delivered to the R/V Neil Armstrong in Woods Hole, MA on April 30, 2016. The Armstrong is UNOLS’s newest research vessel operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

    On May 7, 2016 the miniboat and drifter were deployed from one of the first missions to be conducted during the inaugural research cruises for the new R/V Neil Armstrong.

    The deployments were made on the afternoon of 7 May 2016, near the shelfedge south of Martha’s Vineyard. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) (@WHOI) posted on Twitter saying, “@DrifterWhs: Your boat was deployed from #RVNeilArmstrong today! Let the #oceanscience begin.

    Here’s a video of the miniboat and surface drifter being deployed thanks to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

    Drifters Away! from Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. on Vimeo.

    One of the systems that has become integral for ocean research is “telepresence” – where researchers, classrooms and the general public can connect to the ship in real time via the internet. This cruise was a the test run for that telepresence for the Armstrong.  The land base of operations for those cruises is URI’s Inner Space Center.

    Some of the people involved in setting up this deployment were:

    The boat is reporting 3 times per day at approximately 0Z, 0800Z, and 1600Z. The drifter is reported every two hours.

  • May to September 2016 - Tracking across the Atlantic

    Kaitlyn’s Twitter feed @DrifterWhs was active during the year as the drifter and miniboat traveled in different directions. Read the posts here:

     

    The miniboat was launched alongside a surface drifter as a way to study wind (miniboat, blue line) versus currents (drifter, white line). The two objects took separate paths with the miniboat ending up in Ireland, and the drifter in the middle of the ocean before it stopped reporting its location.

  • September 2016 - Approaching the Emerald Isle

    On September 6, 2016, with Lancer having crossed the ocean in a little more than four months and approaching the Emerald Isle,  Mike and Kaitlyn sent an email to the Irish Minister of Education, Angela Mahase, and many others to note the Lancer’s approach to their shores. He writes “A fleet of miniature unmanned sailboats is preparing to invade the West Coast of Ireland.  Not to worry, this is a friendly invasion.  They are either just off the coastline or might have even made landfall by the time you receive this. We are hoping you or anyone else could recover our boat before it gets damaged in the surf. This is part of a hands-on learning program we are doing at Waterford High School.  We sent one boat but are writing this to let you know of the possibility of more on the way. We are learning about oceanography, earth science, geography, navigation, and hope to have a meaningful international relations experience as well. If you click on this link you will see a map indicating where our boats are. Our boat is the Lancer.  The Osprey and the Atlantic Flame also have possible trajectories toward the Irish Coast within weeks.  Click over the boat location to find the longitude/latitude. We are hoping students could meet her as she comes ashore or maybe your local fishermen can pick her up before she comes ashore. You’ll find information about us in the watertight compartment and how you can email us for more information. Please take our boat to a nearby school so your students can learn as well. It might be neat if the Lancer somehow made its way to Waterford, Ireland.  Let’s work together, fix her up as needed and get her back to sea to continue her voyage. We’d love to see pictures and have a chance to Skype with you. Thank you, Michael O’Connor, Science Teacher, Waterford High School”

    Later that same day, Mike and Kaitlyn also emailed the mayor of Waterford, Ireland in attempt to get him interested.

    The next morning, on September 7, 2016,  we heard from Edna Nolan, the managing director of the Coastways Surveys in Ireland telling us they already had their eye out for the approaching boats and they happen to be working on the west coast this particular week! The Minister of Education’s secretary, Derek Newcombe, acknowledged Mike’s email. Martha Shanahan with the local press in Waterford CT reported she is already preparing for a followup story if and when Lancer lands.

    Mike sent additional emails to other Irish contacts who had been recently  involved in the search and rescue of previous mini-boats this year either landing (Marlin Spike Miller, Red Storm) or coming close to Ireland (West) all with their own story to tell. We subsequently heard from Mick Sheeran from EcoMarineTours with “That’s all fine Mike. We will keep an eye out for them. We found the last one on Inish Vickillaun [ Blasket Islands, Co.Kerry] and is still in my back yard needing some TLC including new weighted keel and transmitter and glassing in deck etc. Let me know if you think they are approaching the Blaskets and would be glad to intercept before they make a rough landing again. Best Regards, Mick Sheeran aka Captain Whales Galore” but, as Mike O’Conner noted in a response, the Lancer will most likely land, if at all, further to the north.

    On September 8th, 2016, Mike sent a challenge to all the Waterford Ct schools in his district to predict where and when Lancer would land. Prizes will be awarded!

    On September 12, 2016, after the website tracking site being down for a few days due to a fire at the NOAA/NMFS headquarters, we saw that the Lancer, along with a few other mini-boats is getting closer.  Mike reports “Two of the boats are currently 75 miles off the west coast and one is 100 miles off the south.”  He then took the courageous step in providing a prediction on where they might land. “ I could be way off on my predictions, but here goes.  My best guess for arrivals would be: The Lancer – 16-17 Sept. along the coast of Mayo – maybe Inishkea Islands; The Osprey – 16-17 Sept. south of Galway; The Atlantic Flame – 19-20 Sept. south coast – Waterford maybe”.  We also got some predictions from our friend Mick Sheeran (aka Captain Whales Galore) in the Blasket Island. He replies with: “My money is on Osprey 2/1 to land on the Blaskets [ probably Beginish], Co Kerry and Lancer 5/1 to land on the Maharees Islands, Co. Kerry.”

    Determined to contact all potential mariners on the Irish coast, Mike made contact with the “Commissioners of Irish Lights” and got a response from a Mark Devlin as follows: “The Commissioners of Irish Lights is vested under Section 634 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 with the responsibility for superintendence and management of all lighthouses and other aids to navigation for Ireland (North and South) and the adjacent seas and islands.  We are responsible for discharging the Irish Government’s obligations under the SOLAS Convention 1974 to provide marine aids to navigation (AtoN) in the Republic of Ireland and the UK government’s SOLAS obligations to provide marine AtoN in Northern Ireland. Part of that Marine network is indeed the lighthouse at Blackrock County Mayo.  In November 1974 the Light keepers were withdrawn from the station as part of the automation process at the time.  I have attached a history of the lighthouse in question. Unfortunately, there will be no one at the station for your student to contact once they are within range, in fact none of our lighthouses are permanently manned.”

    On September 17th 2016, after a week or two of stalling offshore as if to build the suspense, the Lancer finally made her approach towards Galway.  With the sun rising, she was a few kilometers off  a rather sparsely-populated island just west of Connemara.  Thanks to some superb efforts by Mike to alert the natives, another series of emails insued. We heard from Cormaca Macdonncha, for example, who reported “We are on watch on Galway Bay … good luck.”  We heard from Capt Alex Blackwell, the master mariner with White Sea Horse publishing company, who reported “How very exciting! I have passed it on to several friends in Galway area to forward to Inis Mor. Hopefully we will find your boat. If I hear anything, I will surely let you know. I will be in Galway myself on Sunday. Congratulations on a successful Atlantic crossing – we have done so on a slightly larger sailboat a few times and it can be quite harrowing at this time of year.”  Kailyn Dow reported: “I contacted a pub in Galway through Facebook and they posted it on their page and in 20 minutes 5 people have shared it and over 20 likes.”  Someone named Aongus from a bar in the Aron Islands reported “I’ve told our pilots to keep an eye out. If they spot anything i will let you know.”  Breandán Ó Conghaile responded with “I’ll spread the word. Sounds like an amazing project, good luck with it.”

    We even heard from mini-boat enthusiast from other parts of Europe who were following the story. Evy Copejans, one of our marine-educator colleagues from Belgium, reached out to the National University of Ireland in Galway with: “If you have any contacts of the local coast guard/(research) vessel who can pick up a miniature sailing boat that crossed the Atlantic, please contact the school below. Many thanks for helping us retrieve this unique piece of education material!” Luis Sebastião, from Portugal’s Institute for Systems and Robotics, sent out an similar email to nearly a hundred contacts.

  • September 17, 2016 - Recovered in Ireland

    With nearly everyone on the west coast of Ireland having been alerted, we awaited to hear of little Lancer‘s fate. After multiple jubilant email exchanges across the Atlantic once the boat made landfall, we heard again from Edna Nolan with “Hello Folks. Great to hear she has landed on the Coral Strand. We have surveyors working in this part of Galway next, they could pick her up and bring her to Waterford Institute of Technology near our office and I’ll speak to a lecturer colleague about relaunch etc.”

    At 1534Z, it was reported to Kaitlyn’s Twitter account that Lancer had been recovered!

    Turns out that Kaitlyn’s post to a local pub was received, and the owner of the pub contacted her sister, Neasa Ní Chualáin. Neasa and her family, including husband Stiofán and 8 year old daughter, Méabh, went down to the coast to search for the boat.

    The next morning, September 18th, 2016, we got the following letter:

    Hello Michael! We are delighted and very excited that we recovered the boat. The girl who recovered the boat is my daughter Méabh Ní Ghionnáin, who is 8 years old. She can’t wait to return to school tomorrow morning (with boat in tow!) and tell her story and what a story. She is already booked for an interview with RTE Raidió na Gaeltachta our national Irish Language Radio Station tomorrow at approx 09.40 GMT. The Lancer sailed into Droim, Leitir Móir which is in Conamara, County Galway. A Gaeltacht region where our native tongue is Irish. We first heard of the Lancer’s voyage from my sister Clíona, whom Kaitlyn contacted via FB messenger last Friday. Using the drifter project link online we checked out Lancer’s location Friday night but it was still southwest of the Aran Islands. We couldn’t believe it when the gps tracker showed the sailboat literally in front of a little island that we gaze at everyday from our livingroom window! Alas we couldn’t see the boat but we discussed possible locations along the local shore that it may have sailed to.  Méabh and her Dad Stiofán, walked down to a rocky shoreline east of that little island (Oileán Anamna) and there she was – a little weather beaten, having sailed through three thousand miles of storms and high seas! Méabh was beside herself opening the boat to see what surprises from across the wild Atlantic were hidden below! Wow, a teddy, an octopus, pencils, a t-shirt, UCONN memorabilia and the best thing a memory stick laden with treasure from the elementary students.  We imagine this will be such a great project for Méabh’s class, replying to Kaitlyn and the other the students but also in re launching the Lancer and preparing her for the next leg of her exploration. 

    We will discuss it with the her school first but I am sure they will be very interested in being involved in such an exciting project. Our family have a huge connection with the sea and with the USA!  We have close family in Massachusetts and relatives in other states. Méabh’s Dad is a fisherman. Her grandfather used to fish and her great grandfather and great great grandfather were fishermen too! Her grandfather and uncles own and sail Galway Hookers – traditional wooden work boats that have survived on the Galway coast. These can be seen on my twitter account @nedstaf  Yes we are ok with you using the images and I will forward more. Great to hear from you and feel free to ask us any further questions. All the best, Neasa Ní Chualáin Méabh’s Mother. 

    Here is what the boat looked like when they found it:

    https://twitter.com/nedstaf/status/777190803131293696

    Media quickly picked up the story and an article was posted by September 18, 2016 by the Patch: CT Teen Creates Unmanned Sailboat that Reaches Ireland.

    On September 19, 2016, The Day wrote a follow-up piece, High schooler’s unmanned sailboat completes journey across Atlantic from Waterford to Irish coast.

  • September and October 2016 - School and Atlantic Connections

    On September 22, 2016, Mike got the following email from Ireland:

    “Hi Michael, My name is Rita Ni Fhlatharta and I am Méabh Ní Ghionnáin’s teacher in Scoil Naisiunta Thir an Fhia (Tir an Fhia National School).  Méabh finding the Lancer has created a lot of excitment in our school this week.  We have all enjoyed watching the Lancer’s sea journey from Connecticut to Garumna Island, Co. Galway on the west coast of Ireland. We are a small rural 3 teacher school.  An island school situated in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) area of Connamara, Co Galway, Rep. of Ireland. All our students speak the Irish language and they speak English as well of course!   Our students are looking forward to connecting with your school electronically in the coming weeks. Regards, Rita”

    On September 23rd, 2016, the conversation continued on many fronts. We got word from Neasa, Méabh’s mother, that she may be taking her daughter with the boat to the Annual European Marine Educators Conference in Belfast in early October!  They will meet with Dick Balwin, the Belfast Maine founder of Educational Passages who will be attending.  Next week Meabh will be making a presentation for her local Sea Scouts and is very excited about it. We also heard from Ciaran (TruLight Marine) who works on traditional Irish wooden boats apparently called “Galway Hookers”. He is willing to assist in the Lancer refurbishment.  It turns out that Neasa’s father is the owner of “Trulight”, one of these 80 year old vessels.  In multiple conversations with Mike back in US, working out various logisitics like turning the transmitter off, Neasea reports “ My husband Stiofán will try to remove the gps transmitter shortly…….he is downing hatches on his own currach at the moment as it’s blowing a gale here. I have contacted my friend in Foras na Mara (The Marine Institute) and I am confident they will help us out in setting the Lancer out to sea.”

    The Connact Tribune wrote about the story on October 8, 2016, Miniature yacht laden with gifts lands on the Connemara coast. 

    October 2016 – EMSEA Annual Conference

    By coincidence, Dick Baldwin, founder of Educational Passages, was invited to attend the European Marine Science Educators Conference in Belfast Oct. 4-7 and present the miniboat program to educators there. So Méabh and her mother traveled to Belfast with “Lancer” to meet Baldwin and attended the convention.

    https://twitter.com/nedstaf/status/783634115404959744

    After the conference, a fundraiser was started to raise money for Kaitlyn to visit Ireland and meet Maebh.

    The Day shared about the fundraiser on October 9, 2016, Fundraiser launched to connect Waterford student with boat and 8-year-old Irish girl who found it.

    NOAA NEFSC published an article on November 8, 2016 about the boat and drifter: Unmanned Sailboat and Surface Drifter Cross Atlantic, At Different Speeds: NEFSC oceanographer keeps track of drifters and miniboats.

    By December 23, 2016, The Day reported how the fundraiser was successful, Waterford student who launched boat to Ireland is going there to get it back.

  • Voyage 1 - Complete

    Read above for the full story of the first voyage of the Lancer.

A Second Voyage: 2017

  • February 2017 - Repaired by Connemara Sea Scouts

    The Lancer sailboat was repaired by Ciaran Oliver and James Rattigan from Port of Galway Sea Scouts. Read more from Afloat: Ireland’s Sailing, Boating and Maritime Magazine: Five–Foot American Transatlantic Yacht Repaired By Connemara Sea Scouts.

  • February 2017 - Méabh and Kaitlyn Meet in Ireland

    In January 2017, plans were underway with Mike and Kaitlyn’s families to travel to Ireland in February. Mike’s email reports: “Kaitlyn and I will be traveling to Ireland next month and she got some press about it. We will also be on a local tv show tomorrow.  I’ll send a link when they post…. Kaitlyn will be writing a children’s book about the journey. We also will be writing an article for seven seas magazine.”

    Méabh Ní Ghionnáin from Galway, Ireland met with Kaitlyn Dow from Connecticut, USA at the Marine Institute for the first time after Méabh had found Kaitlyn’s 1.5 metre unmanned Lancer sailing boat washed up on her local beach.

  • April 20, 2017 - Maebh meets with R/V Celtic Explorer Captain and Crew

    Méabh Ní Ghionnáin from Droim, Leitir Móir, Galway testing the miniature Lancer boat in Galway Bay prior to it being delivered to the R/V Celtic Explorer:

    Read more about this picture on the Marine Institute website here, and press release about the launch off the R/V Celtic Explorer here

    Galway Bay Boat Tours shared this post and said, “We were delighted to have had the opportunity to work on this little boat. Great idea and huge potential in terms of education for the scientists of the future. The little boat ‘Lancer’ came all the way across the Atlantic last year and was relaunched again last week. Where will it end up next?” — at Midway Point of the Wild Atlantic Way – The Village Salthill.

  • April 22, 2017 - Lancer Relaunched

    During the Spring of 2017, she was refitted with a new sail, paint, and batteries and, on 22 April, deployed at position 52˚16.1’N, 033˚11.4’W at 1015 UTC from the Marine Institute’s research vessel R/V Celtic Explorer.

    Film footage of the Lancer being deployed off the R/V Celtic Explorer provided by Louise Manifold.

    In June of 2017, Kaitlyn shared about her project at the World Science Festival:

  • August 2017 - Recovered in Plymouth, UK!

    At the end of July 2017, after traveling another 6,500+ kilometers, we saw she was headed towards the south coast of England. Mike O’Conner contacted several new agencies, listservs, local pubs, and Facebook contacts (as he had done prior to her Irish landfall) in an effort to rescue her.  After reporting within a half day sail from Plymouth Harbor, she went silent for a few days and we imagined she might have crashed on the rocks somewhere and disappeared.  But then, on the morning of Aug 4th,  she reported from a field of anchored boats at the mouth of River Yealms near the small port of Newton Ferries!

    On August 4, 2017, Plymouth Herald published a story about the landing: Unmanned boat lands near Plymouth after epic voyage: Satellite tracker shows tiny yacht is now in the River Yealm.

    Thanks to our Belgium colleague, Evy Copejans, folks were contacted at Plymouth’s Marine Biological Association who, in turn, contacted the Yealm Harbour Authority and the Yacht Club but it was the article published in the local Herald and discussion at a local pub that provided the ultimate contact.

    After seeing it free floating in the harbor and then hearing these discussions at the pub, two patrons returned to the harbor and recovered her. Here is the result:

    The boat was brought to a nearby school until connections were finally made in 2022. Read next section to learn more!

  • Voyage 2 - Complete

    Read above for the full story of the second voyage of the Lancer.

Voyage 3 westward across the Atlantic: 2022-2023

  • October 2022 - Project O.C.N. Part 1 with Ocean Conservation Trust brings Lancer to the spotlight (Part 1 of 3)

    Connections were made in 2021 that brought the Lancer to the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. There, the Ocean Conservation Trust took on the task of getting the boat the support it needed. Enter, STEMfest!

    PROJECT O.C.N. 

    As part of an international effort, Educational Passages is partnering with the Ocean Conservation Trust to launch Project O.C.N – an international, multi-stage program of events and activity designed to support student and teacher engagement with the topic of climate change through the lens of Ocean Literacy.

    PART 1: Project O.C.N kicked off in October with STEMfest. In person, 1,200 students from around the UK visited the National Marine Aquarium and participated in special workshops about art and science and got to see the Lancer up close.

    The STEM Club at Tor Bridge School worked with others at STEMfest and the OCT/NMA team to upgrade the Lancer with a large cargo hold that will house a new solar powered GPS transmitter and sensors.

    Also, back over in Connecticut, Waterford High School students are preparing the Lady Lance, sistership to the Lancer! It will be launched off the same vessel as the Lancer‘s first voyage back in 2016, the R/V Armstrong.

    Also during STEMfest on October 20, 2022, students at Tor Bridge got to meet with students at Waterford High School and share with them updates on their work. During the Zoom session, we also got to connect with Kaitlyn and Méabh (pictured below in Zoom screen grab with current class of Waterford High School and Mr. O’Connor), who were the project leads in the US and Ireland back in 2016 and 2017. 

  • November-December 2022 - Project O.C.N. Part 2 with Ocean Conservation Trust relaunched Lancer from Tenerife (Part 2 of 3)

    PROJECT O.C.N. 

    As part of an international effort, Educational Passages is partnering with the Ocean Conservation Trust to launch Project O.C.N – an international, multi-stage program of events and activity designed to support student and teacher engagement with the topic of climate change through the lens of Ocean Literacy.

    PART 2: Live from Tenerife! video series (which you can catch up on afterwards) follows the OCT team as they join the Lancer in Tenerife, and work with Scientists from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and students from the Canaries to complete the final checks before the Lancer sets out on her epic return across the Atlantic.

    Tuesday, November 29 – Meet the Team at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography

    Virtually meet the experts at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and get an inside look at their amazing science facility – Catch up on the video here:

    Wednesday, November 30 – Live from the beach!

    You will get the opportunity to see the Lancer, complete with its new tracking equipment and brand-new sail made by pupils in Tenerife – catch up on the video here:

    Thursday, December 1 – Live from the Expedition Boat!

    Meet the team responsible for the launch of the Lancer, as it starts its journey across the Atlantic – catch up on the video here:

    Friday, December 2 – Live from Santa Cruz de Tenerife!

    Hear an update on the Lancer’s journey and the next steps of the project – Watch the live video here Friday 2nd December 2:30pm UTC.

     

    To read more about Project O.C.N., how to get involved, and what Part 3: Ocean-Climate Nexus Conference is all about, visit the Ocean Conservation Trust website here.

  • December 2022 - March 2023 - Project O.C.N. Part 3 with Ocean Conservation Trust (Part 3 of 3)

    PROJECT O.C.N. 

    As part of an international effort, Educational Passages is partnering with the Ocean Conservation Trust to launch Project O.C.N – an international, multi-stage program of events and activity designed to support student and teacher engagement with the topic of climate change through the lens of Ocean Literacy.

    PART 3: Connecting students, learning, and Ocean Climate Nexus Conference

    Option 1: Track the Lancer from the classroom

    The Lancer’s journey is being tracked on the Educational Passages website: Lancer – Educational Passages. This can be easily accessed from the classroom or as an independent study project for students keen to follow the journey. From map-based work to data analysis and graph plotting, there are lots of engaging activities that can be carried out with your pupils.

    Option 2: Work with a partner school

    Why not carry out the above activities whilst partnering up with another school from around the Atlantic? Climate change is a global issue, so this is a great opportunity to connect to a class in another part of the world to share your perspectives on climate change, and perhaps even develop a joint project together. If you choose to get involved, we will endeavour to partner you up with a well-matched school, whose pupils are of a similar age group and share the same interests as your class. You can sign up on the button at the Project O.C.N. webpage here.

    Option 3: Get involved with the Ocean Climate Nexus Conference

    As part of this international effort, the OCT is proud to be hosting the first Ocean-Climate Nexus Conference at the National Marine Aquarium on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March 2023. The conference is intended to put student voice and expression at the heart of the conversation about climate change. Through their participation in this event, young climate ambassadors from around the world will come together as a digital and physical community to share their experiences, innovations, and aspirations around climate change.

    If you choose to attend in person:

    • Pupils can develop a science fair project to present at the conference. Their project could be a model, a play, a video, a piece of art – the list goes on! Pupils can also attend talks from leading climate scientists and will get the chance to explore our immersive exhibits.

    If you choose to get involved digitally:

    • Pupils can develop their science fair project digitally by submitting it to our O.C.N Gallery. Their project could be a short video or animation themed around the topic of climate change. Pupils will also be able to watch live-online presentations from leading climate scientists and join a free Virtual Tour of the UK’s largest public aquarium.

    Pupils will need to be in groups of no more than 12 and can be in any year group. There is no limit to how many groups can sign up from your school!

    —-

    To read more about Project O.C.N., how to get involved, visit the Ocean Conservation Trust website here.

  • Pictures from the deck

    The Lancer was relaunched on December 1, 2022 with two GPS systems onboard. The sensor system also has a camera that is installed on the deck. We’ve already taken a few pictures of Lancer out at sea, which you can see for yourself here. Special thanks to Wayne at MakerBuoy for capturing all these great pictures!

    This is the first picture of the boat taken right after it was set to sea on December 1:

    These were taken 1 hour apart on December 6:

    A full moon behind Lancer’s sail was captured on December 7:

    A really nice backlit image from December 14:

  • March 2023 - Tracking the Lancer Across the Atlantic

    The Lancer was launched on its THIRD VOYAGE December 1, 2022 by the R/V Ángeles Alvariño thanks to the support of the Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (IEO-CSIC) and with a brand new decorated sail by the students at Colegio Cisneros Alter in Tenerife (pictured below).

    On this voyage, and thanks to the Ocean Conservation Trust team and students at Tor Bridge in the UK (pictured below), the Lancer now has a MakerBuoy sensor pack installed, so it is collecting extra data as it sails. Click on the tab above, “Sensor Data and Images from the Deck” to learn more.

    On March 16, 2023, thanks to the camera connected to the sensor pack, we recieved an alert that the pitch reading on the boat was really high, which meant that the boat was either on its side or upside down. We requested a picture to see what was going on, and the image showed that the boat had dismasted (which means the mast came off). Looks like the sail may still be attached though?

    Here is what it looked like on March 7:

    And here is a picture from March 16:

    To hear more about this story, and learn more about the pitch readings on the sensor packs, have a listen to the March 24th Miniboat Traffic Report Episode from the Educational Passages Podcast:

    Another cool thing was captured with the camera on March 26:

    The bird rested on the deck for a few hours, and even stayed for the sunset:

    To hear more about the images from the deck, and our bird riders, listen to the April 22, 2023 podcast episode:

  • April 22, 2023 - Approaching Long Island in The Bahamas

    SEEKING ASSISTANCE WITH RECOVERING 1.5m UNCREWED MINIBOAT NAMED LANCER NEAR LONG ISLAND, BAHAMAS

    UPDATE APRIL 23, 2023: BOAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED

    The miniboat is named “LANCER,” and is part of an educational project originally from the US. with partners in Ireland, the UK, and Spain. Students and participants involved in the project are seeking assistance to recover the boat if it is safe and possible to do so. 

    The miniboat was launched in the Atlantic Ocean in December 2022 from the Canary Islands. On April 22, 2023 the boat was traveling toward Long Island in the Bahamas. 

    The boat weighs about 50 pounds and has dismasted, so the sail is dragging at the bow. To the right is a picture of the boat before it was launched for reference. Also shown is a picture from the deck with the onboard camera.

    We invite you to read the full story above and follow the track here at educationalpassages.org/boats/lancer/.

    This will make the third crossing of the Atlantic for this boat. The boat is filled with messages of hope for the ocean and materials from the US Ireland and England. The goal is to connect students internationally around the project. We are asking that if the boat lands on your shore that you could get the boat to a local school for students to open.

    Please contact Educational Passages for more information and if you know anyone that can assist in a recovery to avoid damage to the vessel. We will advise and assist with next steps after recovery is confirmed.

    It is an uncrewed vessel, like a message in a bottle. Thank you!

  • April 22, 2023 - Recovered near the Bahamas!

    The third voyage of the Lancer across the Atlantic is now officially complete! BIG THANKS to Zoe Cartwright and her husband Roger and their company, the Long Island Bahamas Boat Rentals who took their whole afternoon to recover the miniboat. What a way to celebrate EARTH DAY than by recovering the Lancer before it found the rocks overnight. Now the story can continue and we can connect all of the students in Connecticut (USA), Galway (Ireland), Plymouth (UK), Tenerife (Spain), and now The Bahamas.

    Thanks to Zoe and Roger, the boat was brought to nearby NGM Major High School who will inspect it and respond to the messages inside from students all around the Atlantic.

    Here’s the full story, April 24, 2023:

    Student-built Miniboat ‘Lancer’ Recovered in The Bahamas after Unassisted Voyage Across the Atlantic

    After 142 days at sea and traveling over 9,700 km from the Canary Islands, the Lancer, a 1.5m long uncrewed student sailboat (miniboat) was recovered before it made landfall near Long Island in The Bahamas on Earth Day, April 22, 2023. It was recovered by local community members Zoe and Roger Cartwright of Long Island Boat Rentals who brought the boat to nearby NGM Major High School who will inspect it and respond to the messages inside from students all around the Atlantic.

    Educational Passages worked closely with the Ocean Conservation Trust to upgrade the Lancer to prepare it for this journey, which is the third one since 2016. It was launched on December 1, 2022 off the coast of the Canary Islands by the R/V Ángeles Alvariño thanks to the support of the Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (IEO-CSIC) and with a brand new decorated sail by the students at Colegio Cisneros Alter in Tenerife. But the preparations began much earlier with Project O.C.N – an international, multi-stage programme of events and activity designed to support student and teacher engagement with the topic of climate change through the lens of Ocean Literacy.

    Project O.C.N kicked off in October with STEMfest. In person, students from around the UK visited the National Marine Aquarium and participated in special workshops about art and science. Virtually, classrooms from around the world are invited to take part in Virtual STEMfest with a tour, condensed workshop, and special viewing of the miniboat Lancer. Students at Tor Bridge Primary School took the lead to upgrade the miniboat with a new cargo hold and tracking technology. In October, during STEMfest, they virtually connected with Waterford High School (who were building a new miniboat at the time).  

    The Lancer had onboard, in addition to messages from students, two tracking systems. Each had a GPS transmitter, and one was connected to a sensor system. This allowed for students and the public to follow the journey as the tracks and data were made available on the Educational Passages website, The sensor system also included a camera, which provided new information about what is happening to the miniboats at sea, including how they roll, when something happens to the sail, and when animals like birds are resting on deck. The sensor packs on Educational Passages miniboats are thanks to a partnership with Maker Buoy, and the goal is to share the data to help researchers better understand the ocean.   

    It all began in 2016, when student Kaitlyn Dow started a project at Waterford High School (WHS) in Waterford, CT USA to better understand how winds and currents move in the ocean, called “WHS Drifter Studies.” Working with teacher Mr. Mike O’Connor, a miniboat and surface drifter were built and decorated by students at WHS and nearby Quaker Elementary School. They were both launched in May of 2016 from one of the first research cruises of the R/V Neil Armstrong with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The miniboat landed in Galway, Ireland in September and was recovered by then 8-year old Méabh Ní Ghionnáin and family. Many connections were made, and eventually Kaitlyn Dow was able to travel with teacher Mike O’Connor to meet Méabh in 2017. People in Connecticut and Galway raised money to have it refurbished and it was relaunched by the Marine Institute and crew of the R/V Celtic Explorer in April of 2017. By August, it had landed in Plymouth, UK. 

    In 2021, new connections were made with the National Marine Aquarium and Ocean Conservation Trust. They put together the Project O.C.N. Initiative which kicked off another chapter in the story of miniboat Lancer. “The OCT team and continued engagement of the original school in Connecticut has really taken this project to the next level, and living up to the goal of connecting people around our shared Atlantic. Now the boat will be used as a teaching tool, to connect students in the USA, Ireland, UK, Spain, and now the Bahamas. What a great way to celebrate Earth Day and remind us how we are all connected around this beautiful blue planet,” said Cassie Stymiest, Executive Director of Educational Passages. 

    Educational Passages would like to thank Ocean Conservation Trust for their generous support and dedication to this project, but also to the many people and partners that have helped to keep the story going. To explore the full story and tracks, please visit https://educationalpassages.org/boats/lancer/. To explore other miniboats at sea, including a new one from Waterford High School (Lady Lance) that was launched from the US only a few weeks before Lancer was relaunched, please visit https://educationalpassages.org/events/atsea/. 

    For additional information about Educational Passages and the Miniboat Program, please visit www.educationalpassages.org or contact Cassie Stymiest at Educational Passages.

  • Voyage 3 Complete: Canary Islands to Bahamas

    Read above for the full story of the third voyage of the Lancer.

A 4th Voyage begins: 2024

  • November 2023 - Featured on BBC2 Documentary and Connecticut Sea Grant Magazine

    After reaching FIVE countries since 2016, the miniboat Lancer continues to connect!

    In November 2023, Lancer was featured in a BBC2 Documentary with our friends at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, UK.

    Lancer to be Featured in ‘Secrets of the Aquarium’ Documentary

    Soon after that, a special article was also written in the Connecticut Sea Grant Magazine Wrack Lines (Vol 23, number 2, 2023/24 issue): The Serendipitous Transatlantic Tale of One Tiny but Mighty Boat by Syma A. Ebbin.

     

  • Drifter Study

    The Lancer was relaunched in 2024 along with a MakerBuoy drifter to learn more about wind and currents. Here is an embedded map of the last 30 days of tracks (note these data are not QA/QC’d and include transit points):

  • Data from the Sensor Pack

    Data from the Sensor Pack:

    The location reports from the main GPS will show on the map at the top of this page here (which updates hourly with new positions if available). Here below is where you can see 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 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.

     

  • September 8, 2024 - Launched off the R/V Endeavor during NES LTER Cruise

    Since 2016, the LANCER has connected 5 countries over 3 voyages. During the 23-24 school year back at Waterford High School in Connecticut, the LANCER was repaired and made ready for a 4th voyage.

     

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Educational Passages (@miniboats)

    In early September, it boarded the R/V Endeavor and joined scientists heading out for the NES LTER cruise. While out at the Northeast Shelf Break, they launched the Lancer on September 8. They also launched a MakerBuoy drifter with it, so we could replicate the first mission of Lancer from 2016 that had a Student Drifter launched with it. This drifter is high tech, and matches the sensors onboard the Lancer, so there will be lots of analyzing and learning to do!

    Submit your predictions of where you think Lancer will go next here, and contact us to sign up for news and updates. 

    Big thanks to the WHS crew for keeping this project going (especially Mike O’Connor), the crew of the R/V Endeavor, and the science crew at NES LTER. To see where another miniboat went after launched from the LTER cruise back in 2022, check out the DATA JAM: https://sites.google.com/view/nes-lter-schoolyard-datajam/home and look for Miniboat Voyage data sets!

     

  • September 21, 2024: Recovered in North Carolina!

    On its FOURTH voyage, the Lancer took an unexpected path to… North Carolina! It landed on a sandy beach and was taken to nearby Waters Edge Village School in Corolla. Explore the story map below to learn about how it got there, and what the students found inside the cargo hold…

Please consider supporting the Educational Passages Miniboat Program and the continued adventures of LANCER. Together we can continue to inspire students, support educators, and connect communities.

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This webpage is dedicated to the Lancer miniboat which was first prepared by Kaitlyn and other students of Mike O’Conner’s at Waterford High School (WHS) in Connecticut, USA in coordination with younger 4th grade students at the nearby Quaker Elementary School in 2016.

Lancer was first launched from the R/V Neil Armstrong in 2016 by Kaitlyn Dow as a science project at Waterford High School in Connecticut, USA…

Landed in IRELAND after 132 days at sea sailing east. Méabh recovered it and then shared it at EMSEA conference in Belfast

Kaitlyn and Méabh met in 2017 and the boat was later relaunched by the R/V Celtic Explorer

2nd voyage ended in Plymouth, UK on August 4, 2017

STEMfest and Project OCN upgraded Lancer with sensors and relaunched it from the R/V Angeles Alvarino in Canary Islands, Spain in 2022 thanks to the Ocean Conservation Trust and National Marine Aquarium

Lancer sailed west across the Atlantic while collecting temperature data and pictures from on deck camera the whole way. It was successfully recovered in the BAHAMAS on Earth Day 2023 thanks to Long Island Boat Rentals

Kaitlyn, while now in the Coast Guard, brought Lancer back home at the end of 2023

A new group of students at Waterford High School prepared her for a FOURTH voyage during 23-24 school year

Near the same launch spot as 2016, Lancer was relaunched during the NES LTER cruise on September 8, 2024 from the R/V Endeavor (thanks to NSF and WHOI)

Lancer did not go the same way as before, but instead went to North Carolina! Another successful recovery, though, and a new school is brought on board the project: Welcome Aboard, Waters Edge Village School