What remained of the Rye Riptides when it at last washed ashore after 8,000 miles at sea.
The intrepid little vessel measures only 5.5 feet long and consists of a mast, hull, and keel.
Once a boat is completed, Educational Passages launches it.
What remained of the Rye Riptides when it at last washed ashore after 8,000 miles at sea. (Photo: screenshot viaEducational Passages)
Each boat is equipped with GPS so that the students can track it, wherever it drifts.
The GPS path of the mini-boat Rye Riptides.
Students sent their decorations to Stymiest, who affixed the finishing touches.
The GPS path of the mini-boat Rye Riptides. (Photo: screenshot viaEducational Passages)
In October 2020, the boat was launched into the Atlantic Ocean with the students watching over Facebook.
Shortly thereafter, the GPS pings started coming in.
Rye Riptides traveled along the Gulf Stream, a powerful ocean current, for 462 days.
After September 30, 2021, the boat stopped pinging, possibly indicating it had been destroyed.
Rye Riptides had landed at last after a journey of 8,000 miles in Smla, Norway.
Stymiest began searching for a local resident to retrieve the boat.
Mariann Nuncic and her son Karel, a sixth grader, happened to live nearby.
They retrieved what was left of the now barnacle-covered Rye Riptide.
The mast and hull were lost, but the capsule of mementos remained.
Karel took the boat to his class to open it.
Inside, the students discovered leaves, U.S. quarters, and an autographed face mask.
After a long journey, the Rye Riptide has brought two classes of young people from different countries together.
Its now sixth- and seventh-grade creators are excited about the boat’s successful journey.
They even plan to Zoom with their new Norwegian friends.
To learn more about the Rye Riptide and other amazing mini-boat journeys, check out Education Passages’website.
A sixth-grade student in Norway has discovered a miniboat launched by New Hampshire middle schoolers.
