Updates:
1st Voyage
About the Crew
Our crew is comprised of high schoolers in a summer science camp at the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (Reserve) in Charleston, Oregon. Summer camps at the Reserve are named for crab life stages, with our youngest campers’ namesake being Zoea. Our high school campers are the oldest and their camp, Magister, takes its name from the Oregon state crustacean, Metacarcinus magister, or Dungeness crab.
The crew is supported by Reserve staff, interns and by the University of Oregon’s Charleston Marine Life Center (CMLC). We were fortunate to receive a miniboat package funded by the Oregon Coast STEM Hub (OCSH), whose staff have provided training, guidance and materials to help our crew be successful!
Our crew’s time together is short, so we prepped some of the materials in advance, but that has not diminished the enthusiasm for the project! We jumped straight into work on the boat on day one. Luckily, we had a great first-hand story about the recovery of another Oregon miniboat to inspire us! Trish Mace, Director of the CMLC, joined the director of the OCSH Kama Almasi, on a journey to Palau to retrieve the Yaquina Neversink. Trish talked to the campers about the miniboat’s path across the Pacific Ocean and how it was found when it landed in Palau. She also showcased the kids who decorated a new sail representing Palau, and shared about its second launch near Palau from NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer.
Our crew had many ideas and wishes for where our miniboat might travel. To get an idea where this uncrewed vessel would move once it was launched, the Univ of Oregon’s Dr. Alan Shanks shared his vast knowledge of Pacific Ocean currents, wind patterns and other oceanic factors that could affect where the miniboat goes. Dr. Shanks answered questions from students, interns and staff about a variety of oceanographic issues.
The crew has attached the keel and painted the hull with marine anti-fouling paint. The sensors have been hooked up and tested and are in the process of being attached. The deck design is laid out on large paper and the sail decoration is nearly complete. The crew settled on designs that represent Oregon, the coast and our specific part of the coast. We are excited for kids from another place to see our representation of the Oregon coast, a place we all love so much.
The Name
Our crew had many ideas, including several tied to mythology and the ocean. We settled on Sloughinator because we wanted something that was connected to the South Slough Reserve estuary, as well as a name that would inspire our miniboat to persevere, fighting the rough seas to survive and make it across the ocean to somewhere “cool”, aka exotic and different from where we are located.
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The Building Process
It was a packed 4-day camp, and the team stepped up and did an amazing job getting
the Sloughinator ready to be launched. The deck was painted with a scene depicting
the ocean toward the stern, and the sky and forest toward the bow. Connecting the two,
on both sides of the hatch cover, are channels through the estuary. Around the edge is
“hello” in different languages spoken by people around the Pacific. The sail highlights
species significant to our area: Dungeness Crab, Douglas Fir, Great Blue Heron, and
Chinook Salmon. The tech team drilled, “foamed”, reconnected, and glued to get the
sensors in place for their final test. Here’s our first picture taken by the Sloughinator!
The students gathered items to put in the cargo hold, including postcards of local
animals, a small crochet octopus, sand from a nearby beach, a signed bag, and notes
from the crew. After the camp ended, two high school students interning at the CMLC
helped with the final sealing of the hatch cover. Now the M/B Sloughinator is ready to
go!
August 29th Update:
Oregon Coast STEM Hub’s newsletter featured many “miniboat madness” summer updates, including one of MB Sloughinator!
“The Magister science camp with Slough Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and Charleston Marine Life Center created the masterpiece known as M/B Sloughinator! This beauty boasts ecosystem decor representative of Oregon and is on board the Tugboat Natoma for launch in about a month.”
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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.
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September 1, 2025: Launched!
The Sloughinator is at sea! The wonderful crew of the Sause Bros. tug Natoma launched her at 7:45am PDT, about 300 miles off San Francisco (38 12.1N, 130 22.2W). She took to the sea with 4 ft WNW swells, with a 10 knot northerly wind. Captain Jon Hathaway and Cook Jorge Damian got her in the water, with Chief Engineer Elijah Miller filming. Nick Preston, Sause Bros. Port Captain NW, arranged for the transport of the Sloughinator from Charleston to Portland, where she was loaded on the Natoma, before its transit to Hawaii. We are very grateful to all, and are excited to follow the Sloughinator’s journey! Safe seas Sloughinator!
Charleston Marine Life Center shared their launch announcement on Facebook, as well as, Oregon Coast STEM HUB:
The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and the University of Oregon’s Charleston Marine Life Center, supported by the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, are hosting this program. The Reserve and the CMLC are both located in Charleston, Oregon.
The crew would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their support and contributions: Oregon Coast STEM Hub: Kama Almasi, Jenn Frey; Univ of Oregon: Dr. Alan Shanks; Educational Passages: Cassie Stymiest; Launch assistance: Sause Bros., Inc.
