The M/B Yaquina Neversink, an educational uncrewed “miniboat” (=M/B) embarked on a journey off the coast of Oregon last year. 
Built in the summer of 2024 by high school students during a Marine Engineering Camp (pictured right with the miniboat in 2024) with the Lincoln County School District’s Summer Learning Experience and Oregon Coast STEM Hub, the boat was outfitted with solar powered GPS tracking and sensor technology. It sailed for 240 days and 16,295 km, arriving in Palau on May 19 and setting a new record for the Miniboat Fleet.
The 1.5m long miniboat was deployed by scientists and crew on the NOAA R/V Bell M. Shimada on September 21, 2024 and was set up to collect critical ocean data, including air and water temperature, to enhance marine science education and research.
Students and the public were tracking the boat from the Educational Passages website (educationalpassages.org/boats/yaquinaneversink/). 
In November, it sailed as close as 5.5 km from landing in Hawai’i, but then turned and went between the Island of Hawai’i and Maui, then continued on a path southwest across the Pacific. Upon landing in Palau on May 19, it not only set a record for a new country reached by the Miniboat Program, but it was also confirmed that the voyage is the farthest GPS-tracked linear distance of a miniboat ever recorded (9,930 km start to finish).
Pictured above is the Yaquina Neversink in Palau, with Kayla Remoket of the Palau Community College Cooperative Research & Extension (middle), along with Kayangel State Awareness Officer Kirby Jones and Kayangel State Ranger Neal Riungel who recovered the vessel on May 20.
“The Central Coast community has been closely following the journey of the Yaquina Neversink and excitedly awaits news on the possibility of connecting with Palau students to repair and relaunch her,” said Oregon Coast STEM Hub Director Kama Almasi. When the Neversink landed, Almasi reached out across the Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center network. Meanwhile, Oregon Sea Grant Associate Director of Education, Tracy Crews, reached out through the National Sea Grant network. The response was immediate, and in the end, contacts through the National Sea Grant network resulted in recovery of the boat within six hours.
Educational Passages is a nonprofit organization advancing ocean and environmental literacy around the globe. At the heart of their mission is the Miniboat Program, an extraordinary initiative where students and community members build, launch, and track uncrewed 1.5 meter-long miniboats equipped with satellite transmitters. These wind and solar powered vessels sail real ocean currents, connecting people across continents in a shared journey of discovery. “It has been a pleasure to work with the Yaquina Neversink crew – from the staff at Oregon STEM Hub, the students from Lincoln County Schools, to the scientists that launched it,” said Cassie Stymiest, Executive Director of Educational Passages. “And now we welcome a new chapter and new members to the crew in Palau – a new country for us! This is what it is all about – discovery and connection.”
The Oregon Coast STEM Hub is one of thirteen STEM Hubs in the Oregon STEM Ecosystem. This Hub is part of Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University and has the mission of building opportunities for Oregon Coast students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to introduce them to STEM workforce opportunities.
The project team would like to thank the following for their contributions: Oregon Community Foundation for the kit and supplies, the Oregon State Legislature for funding the Summer Learning Experiences for youth, and Maker Buoy for the technological support, as well as other partners.
To learn more about the Educational Passages of the Yaquina Neversink miniboat, visit educationalpassages.org/boats/yaquinaneversink. To get involved in the project, contact cassie@educationalpassages.org.
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About Educational Passages
Educational Passages is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to connect students around the world to the ocean and each other. Teachers purchase kits with boat parts and supplies, and students build them, fill them with messages and trinkets, install the provided GPS, and send them out to sea to ride the ocean currents and wind. Students follow the track on the miniboat’s very own webpage, and teachers integrate ocean currents, geography, and other topics into their curriculum to connect the miniboat mission. When the boats land, the sticker on them says to bring the boat to a nearby school and connect classrooms. Since 2008, Educational Passages has worked with teachers and students around the world to launch over 217 miniboats, reaching over 36 countries. To contribute to this project and help more students take part, please consider making a donation.
For additional information about Educational Passages, please visit www.educationalpassages.org or call (US) 207-619-1259.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Contact: Cassie Stymiest, Educational Passages
Email: cassie@educationalpassages.org
Phone: US 207-619-1259
