Yaquina Neversink

1st Voyage

• The journey so far...

  The Oregon Coast STEM Hub started working with the Lincoln County School District in the summer of 2024. The crew working on the project described their miniboat name’s meaning as follows: “Our team built the boat at Hatfield Marine Science Center, which is situated along Yaquina Bay on the central Oregon Coast. Yaquina Bay is named for this area’s first inhabitants, the Yaquina, Yacona, or Yaqo’n Indians, so the first name of the boat represents our bay and honors the Native Americans whose land we now live on. We chose ‘Neversink; because we are confident that our boat will long be seaworthy.”

  September 14, 2024 Update

  September 17, 2024 Update

  September 21, 2024

  Yaquina Neversink was set to sea on September 21, 2024. We received the following note from the crew of the R/V Shimada that launched her: “It’s been a beautiful, sun-filled day with low swell so a great day to start its journey!! The vessel it was deployed from was the R/V Shimada.”

  

  Lincoln County students, Yachats volunteer add “Yaquina Neversink” to worldwide fleet of tiny research vessels

   

   

• Images from the Camera on Deck

  Data from the Sensor Pack:

  The location reports from the main GPS will show on the map at the top of this page here. In addition to reporting location with a secondary GPS tracker, a sensor system was also installed and collected air temperature, water temperature, and orientation of the boat, which reported until April 2, 2025. We are not sure why the data stopped transmitting but hope to learn more if the boat is ever recovered. If you are interested in looking at the data in a different format from the whole voyage, contact us.

  There is also a camera on deck. We took a picture on September 23 and 26, but was not able to get another image after that.

  

  

   

• November 21, 2024: Approaching Hawai'i but continued on

  THE FOLLOWING WAS UPDATED AND MINIBOAT IS NO LONGER APPROACHING HAWAII

  November 21, 2024 Update: Approaching Hawai’i

  SEEKING ASSISTANCE TO POTENTIALLY RECOVER “YAQUINA NEVERSINK” – UNCREWED STUDENT-BUILT MINIBOAT

  EDUCATIONAL PASSAGES AND OREGON COAST STEM HUB LAUNCHED A 1.5m UNCREWED GPS-TRACKED SAILBOAT ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 OFF THE COAST OF OREGON. 

  THE BOAT IS NOW APPROACHING THE ISLAND OF HAWAI’I ON NOVEMBER 21. THE GOAL IS TO CONNECT CLASSROOMS, SO WE ARE SEEKING ASSISTANCE TO RECOVER THE BOAT SAFELY.

  KNOWN DATA AS OF 11:20Z NOVEMBER 21, 2024:

  POSITION: 20.031402111053, -154.80800628662 (ABOUT 20nm FROM LAND)

  ESTIMATED SPEED: 1.7kts

  HEADING: 210.6°

  ESTIMATED LANDING LOCATION IS CIRCLED. NOTE THAT MANY FACTORS CAN INFLUENCE THE MINIBOAT’S PATH INCLUDING WEATHER AND TIDES. THIS IS ONLY A PREDICTION. CONTACT EDUCATIONAL PASSAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION AND UPDATED LOCATION REPORTS. THE GOAL IS TO RECOVER THE BOAT AND CONNECT CLASSROOMS. IF YOU CAN ASSIST, PLEASE LET US KNOW. THANK YOU!

  See educationalpassages.org/boats/YAQUINANEVERSINK/ for MORE INFORMATION AND INTERACTIVE MAP

  If you have any information about the area or can assist with recovering the uncrewed vessel, please contact Cassie from Educational Passages at cassie@educationalpassages.org. It is an uncrewed vessel, like a “message in a bottle”. Pictures show the boat when it was first launched. Current condition may differ.

• December 2024: The adventure continues!

  After coming within THREE nautical miles of Hawaii on November 21, the miniboat Yaquina Neversink took a turn and went around the island!

  Thank you all who were keeping a close eye out and who helped spread the word. The adventure continues!

• April 7: Traffic Report Update

   

  View this post on Instagram

   

  A post shared by Educational Passages (@miniboats)

• May 19, 2025: Recovered in Palau!

  

  Educational Passages and Oregon Coast STEM Hub partnered with Lincoln County School District to build a 1.5m uncrewed GPS-tracked sailboat, which was launched from the R/V Shimada on September 21, 2024 off the coast of Oregon.

  After 240 days at sea, the boat, named by the students as Yaquina Neversink, made landfall on Kayangel, Palau on May 19, 2025.

  Thanks to the quick work of the Oregon Sea Grant network, connections were made and a successful recovery of the boat was reported on May 20! We’d like to thank Kayla Remoket of the Palau Community College Cooperative Research & Extension, Kayangel State Awareness Officer Kirby Jones, and Kayangel State Ranger Neal Riungel (all pictured here) for their support and leadership to recover the boat (and for the pictures). Next it will go to a nearby school so students can connect!