It’s amazing how something so small can become something so big—like a ripple that becomes a wave. That’s exactly what happened with a miniboat, a fishing tournament, and a community that believes in the power of connection.
It all started during the 2023 Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, when a miniboat was discovered off the coast of North Carolina while the crew of SHIFTING GEARS was trying to catch a big fish. What they caught instead, was the AIMS INFINITY.
The AIMS INFINITY miniboat was built by 3rd graders of Howe Hall Arts Infused Magnet School (AIMS) in Goose Creek, SC during the 2022-2023 school year. It was launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration only 5 days earlier.
Among the many who took interest in the recovery was Mr. Charles “CP” Perry. Inspired by the mission behind Educational Passages, CP has since helped make countless connections for our program, and also generously sponsored a new build that would spark a new wave of educational opportunities—not just in the Outer Banks, but around the world.
In February 2024, CP’s connection to Mr. Dale Britt of Weldor’s Ark, allowed teacher Mrs. Swanson from Morristown Beard School in NJ to launch their 11th miniboat, the Crimson Cyclone, just outside Oregon Inlet off the shelf break (it had landed in Pine Knoll Shores in December 2023). Over a year later now, and this miniboat is still at sea, drifting off the coast of Europe.
- The Crimson Cyclone has its very own miniboat magic story – check out the intriguing story in the Beachcomber’s article, Celebrating Sea Connections: From Mini Sailboats to Messages in a Bottle which was featured in their Beachcomber magazine on pages 18-23.
In June, I traveled down to NC and attended the 2024 tournament. I was able to meet CP and the rest of the crew, including Mr. Terry Labonte, Lance Bradley, Tommy Rice, and Patrick “Pizza” Kannan. It was fun to experience the tournament in person, but also to meet so many wonderful people while there.
In September, CP made a generous donation with the proceeds from his book, Big Fish Better Boats, to bring the Miniboat Program to Manteo Middle School in Dare County. CP’s friend Skip Smith (Custom Shoutout) also donated so the students could have a high tech boat with sensors.
Local writer Corinne Saunders quickly joined the miniboat team and has shared progress from the students throughout the project: outerbanksnews.org/post/we-re-not-putting-it-together-the-kids-are-miniboat-kit-arrives-in-manteo.
Just a few weeks after the Manteo build was a “GO”, as if it was magic, two miniboats made landfall in the Outer Banks. The Lancer, which had been sailing around the Atlantic since 2016 (and was launched south of New York!), landed on September 21. The Stormy Normy landed on September 30. Both boats coincidentally landed in Corolla, NC – just a few miles from CP’s house.
CP drove up and recovered Stormy Normy, and brought it to Manteo Middle School, so they could see what a fully assembled miniboat was like! They also got to connect with Davidson Day School in Davidson, NC. Lancer went to the Waters Edge Village School in Currituck County.
In December, we flew down to North Carolina and visited Manteo Middle School with CP. It was great to see the progress and talk with the students. Corinne shared about the visit: outerbanksnews.org/post/we-re-not-putting-it-together-the-kids-are-miniboat-kit-arrives-in-manteo.
We also accepted a $12,000 grant from the Big Rock Foundation in Morehead City that Giving Tuesday! The goal is to bring the Miniboat Program to Carteret County – making the full span of the Outer Banks now connected with our program.
Students at Manteo Middle and Beaufort Middle worked on their boats throughout the school year.
Fast forward to this week – March 26 and 27, 2025 – progress over the last few months is celebrated as the Croatoan’s Revenge (Manteo Middle’s boat) and the Swansonator 3000 (Morristown Beard’s 12th boat) were both launched from the F/V FISHIN FRENZY by CP and crew. This was a special moment for CP to see the dream from 2023 come full circle, but also for Mrs. Swanson as she drove down from NJ to launch her namesake boat along with the crew.
Both of these miniboats are fully outfitted with sensors to collect temperature data and pictures from the deck (see below!). We also launched a MakerBuoy Drifter alongside the Swansonator 3000 to compare tracks!
As these ocean adventures are just beginning, it is nice to reflect upon how their stories started – how ripples can make waves…
So, here’s to the people and places that came together to turn a miniboat recovery into a movement! And here’s to the next wave of adventurers who will follow the journeys of Croatoan’s Revenge and Swansonator 3000—because sometimes, all it takes is one small boat to make a big difference.
Until Next Tide,
Cassie
