BOAT SET AFLOAT BY NEW HAMPSHIRE STUDENTS DISCOVERED BY STUDENT 8,000 MILES AWAY
Some young explorers managed to tour the world and engage with different cultures while staying safe at home, even though it got more challenging after the pandemic closed borders and increased risks in 2020. For two years, a number of Rye Junior High School fifth-grade students in New Hampshire built a tiny boat that was equipped with a GPS tracker and brimming with souvenirs. The ship was launched on October 25, 2020, and after more than a year at sea, it finally landed on the rough shore of a Norwegian island.
Only 5.5 feet long, the daring tiny boat is made up of a mast, hull, and keel. A Rye Junior High School fifth-grade teacher bought the boat kit from Educational Passages' "mini boat" program in 2018. In addition to giving kids the chance to construct and customise their own boat, the group aims to teach them about our oceans. When a boat is finished, Educational Passages puts it into service. Every boat has a GPS installed so that the kids may follow it wherever it goes.
Construction of the Rye Junior High School boat, called Rye Riptides, was halted by COVID-19, but Cassie Stymiest, executive director of Educational Passages, stepped in to assist. The last touches were applied by Stymiest, who received the decorations from the students. With the students keeping watch over Facebook, the boat was lowered into the Atlantic Ocean in October 2020.
The GPS pings began to come in shortly after that. For 462 days, Rye Riptides followed the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current. The boat stopped pinging after September 30, 2021, which might mean it was destroyed. When a final ping registered on January 31, 2022, the kids and Educational Passages were on the verge of giving up on the little boat. After 8,000 miles of travel, Rye Riptides had finally touched down in Smøla, Norway.
Stymiest started looking for a local to come get the boat. It just so happened that Mariann Nuncic and her sixth-grader son, Karel, lived close by. They recovered what remained of Rye Riptide, which was now coated in barnacles. The capsule of souvenirs survived, but the mast and hull were gone. To open the boat, Karel brought it to his class. The students found an autographed face mask, leaves, and U.S. quarters inside.
The Rye Riptide has finally united two groups of young people from several nations after a protracted voyage. The boat's successful cruise has thrilled its creators, who are now in the sixth and seventh grades. With their new Norwegian friends, they even intend to Zoom.