Sea Eagle

The SEA EAGLE is a miniboat built by students at Episcopal School of Jacksonville, in Florida.

About Us

As they were starting to build their own boat, another miniboat named HOPE washed ashore on a beach right near them in Jacksonville.

So, it was brought to their school so students could connect with those in Boston, MA (where Hope was originally from)…

The SEA EAGLE was ready for launch in 2023, but the weather was too tricky for a launch, and we all wanted to see the boat sail farther than Florida, so a lot of emails were exchanged. Eventually, when another miniboat from South Carolina (GRYPHON CRUISER) ended up on nearby Daytona Beach, Ann Ritchie, the miniboat captain from that school (Beaufort Middle School, SC) drove down to Florida to pick up the Gryphon Cruiser, Sea Eagle, and Hope!

They made some repairs to the boats, and they were brought to the port of Charleston, SC by May 20 and loaded on cargo ships to head to the Gulf Stream. Jay Stewart helped to get them all aboard vessels for launch.

The SEA EAGLE went with GRYPHON CRUISER on the M/V Flevogracht, and HOPE went on the M/V Hawaiian Highway.

May 20, 2023 – Launch Day

The two miniboats were launched on May 20, 2023 around 22:00 UTC.

We all want to thank Master Revenko and crew, Jay Stewart at the Port of Charleston, Ann Ritchie and crew at Beaufort Middle School, Janet Buford and crew at the School in Jacksonville, and all who have helped to continue this project and connect us all.

February 4, 2025 – Close to landing in France

Sea Eagle sailed across the Atlantic and came within two miles of landing in France, only to sail back out and into the English Channel… where will she go next?

September 4, 2025 – LANDFALL IN FRANCE!

After its long trek across the Atlantic, the Sea Eagle circled the Bay of Biscay multiple times. Finally, on September 4, 2025, she made landfall on Cap de L’Homy Beach in Lit et Mixe, France.

September 5, 2025

Baptiste, the lifeguard on duty, found her on the morning of September 5 and emailed us!

The local police posted a video about the finding:

The story was also picked up by a local radio station: Une petite embarcation, mise à l’eau il y a deux ans en Floride par des élèves, s’échoue à Lit-et-Mixe |A small boat, launched two years ago in Florida by students, is stranded in Lit-et-Mixe

September 11, 2025 Updates

The Episcopal School of Jacksonville shared the news online: Marine Biology’s “Sea Eagle” Miniboat Lands in France After Two-Year Ocean Journey

And we posted the full story of the adventure, from blank miniboat to intrepid ocean explorer in our recent podcast episode:

September 15th Update

Sud Ouest published a new article highlighting M/B Sea Eagle’s exciting recovery, “14 000 kilomètres plus tard, une balise venue de Floride s’échoue sur une plage des Landes” (English translation:“14,000 kilometers later, a beacon from Florida is stranded on a beach in the Landes”).