Sunset Sailor

Columbia River Maritime Museum and Pacific Ridge Elementary School

Updates:

1st Voyage

  • Voyage 1

     

     

    March 17, 2025 Christening Ceremony

    Sunset Sailor is a miniboat built by students of Mr. Miller’s 5th grade class at Pacific Ridge Elementary. The name was chosen because it matches the design of the sail. With the sun shining on its red deck and hull, Sunset Sailor was christened at Columbia River Maritime Museum on St. Patrick’s Day 2025, which we hope will provide this miniboat good luck!

    The students delivered Sunset Sailor to the Columbia River Bar Pilots boat Astoria. Thanks to Columbia River Bar Pilot Michael Tolley, the students got to take a boat tour too.

    We are awaiting favorable weather conditions, easterly wind, outgoing tide, and swift current to take the Sunset Sailor into the Pacific Ocean from the deployment location of 5 miles beyond the mouth of the Columbia River.

    Check out their social post:

  • May 2025: Launch, land, and recovery

    May 4, 2025 – Launched!

    The Sunset Sailor Set Sail at 19:55, May 4, 2025 (Local Pacific Time)
    CR Buoy bearing 080 at 10 miles
    46-09.15 N
    124-25.58 W

    May 5, 2025

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from Columbia River Maritime Museum:
    Welcome to Columbia River Maritime Museum miniboat fleet S/V Sunset Sailor!

    Boat Educator, Olive DelSol guided another classroom through ten weeks of directed in-
    classroom instruction, completed a christening ceremony, and delivered S/V Sunset Sailor

    to the deployers. One of Pacific Ridge Elementary Schools 5 grade classrooms was the
    winter host classroom for DelSol to teach about the Pacific Ocean, assemble the miniboat,
    and perform numerous experiments. The students were joined by Seaside Superintendent,
    Seaside Mayor, family, friends, and museum staff in celebrating their accomplishments.

    During the ceremony, one group of students engaged the attendees in a sing along to
    summarize the process:
    Build the boat, build, build, the boat
    Sand the boat, sand, sand the boat
    Paint the boat, paint, paint the boat
    Show the boat
    Sail the boat, sail, sail the boat

    Immediately after the ceremony the students and attendees escorted S/V Sunset Sailor to
    Pilot Boat Astoria. They were able to tour the vessel with Bar Pilot Michael Tolley. The
    Columbia River Bar Pilots launched S/V Sunset Sailor on Sunday, May 4 , 2025 during
    favorable winds. Just before 8:00 PM, at 46 degrees North and 124 degrees West, Sunset
    Sailor was gracefully launched into the Pacific Ocean just ten miles from the CR Buoy.

    These uncrewed miniboats are equipped with GPS trackers that anyone can access and
    follow on their journey. Tracking of S/V Sunset Sailor will be updated on Educational
    Passages website. The Columbia River Maritime Museum Miniboat Program is in
    partnership with Educational Passages.

    Contact Information:
    Katy Menne, Education Director | Menne(at)crmm(dot)org | 503.741.7056
    Olive DelSol, Boat Educator | DelSol(at)crmm(dot)org | 503.791.8665

    May 12, 2025 – LANDED!

    One week after launch, M/B Sunset Sailor landed at Rainbow Rock, OREGON, U.S.A.

    May 14, 2025 – Repairs!

    Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Boat Educator, Olive DelSol, has successfully recovered the miniboat from Brookings, OR. U.S.A and took it to Kalamiopsis School for educational outreach.

    Sunset Sailor is now at Hatfield Marine Science Center for repairs to the mast and mast step before they relaunch it on a trip later this year.

    Stay tuned as Sunset Sailor undergoes necessary repairs before a relaunch!

  • Voyage 1: Complete

    Click on the titles above to explore the 1st voyage of the M/B Sunset Sailor

2nd Voyage

  • June 17, 2025: Relaunched off the coast of Oregon

    A big thank you to Hatfield Marine Science Center for repairing the Sunset Sailor and inviting her aboard the R/V Sally Ride along with the M/B Hesperia!

    At 10:40 AM today (6.17) S/V Sunset Sailor was relaunched into the Pacific Ocean by the crew of the NOAA ship R/V Sally Ride.

     

    Sunset Sailor grounded in early May in southern Oregon and had been undergoing repairs with students at Hatfield Marine Science Center. The crew of R/V Sally Ride relaunched our miniboat as well as one from Hatfield Marine Science Center about 30 miles off the Washington Coast (47 04.20 N, 124 54.84 W).

    It is equipped with a new sail! This sail was a combination effort of all three miniboat classrooms from school year 2024-2025 and includes a nod to S/V Flames Unite, our miniboat that washed ashore in the Philippines earlier this year.

  • June 20, 2025: Recovered near Ocean Shores, Washington

    After only 3 days at sea, the Sunset Sailor found her way to Ocean Shores, Washington where she was picked up at sea before landing. We’ll post more information when it becomes available!