A mini boat built by Oregon students that got off course on its way to Japan was rescued 500 miles south of its launch point near Half Moon Bay by local fishermen earlier this month, with plans to relaunch it for its voyage across the Pacific.
Fisherman John Schulz was sailing with his deckhand Robert Gieskin Aug. 2 when they spotted and rescued the 5-foot uncrewed boat named Second Wind. The two fishermen found it about 100 yards from land near the area of Cowell Ranch Beach. The pair were heading home when Gieskin spotted it, and they went to investigate. They made several passes on it before they decided to pick it up and put it in their boat. They weren’t sure what it was other than it was a small boat.
“Once we got it on board, there was a laminated explanation of what was going on, and then it became apparent that it was the right thing to do bringing it in,” Schulz said.
Students from Columbia City Elementary School designed and built the boat in Columbia City, Oregon. The students then launched it off the Oregon coast as part of the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s Miniboat Program. The hands-on program has helped more than 1,200 students learn about marine science and STEM fields. Students work together to design, build, launch and navigate it across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. Several sister schools in Japan also launch boats to the United States. Since 2017, 27 mini boats have made the journey.
Nate Sandel, director of education with the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Oregon, said participating in the program allows kids to explore careers and match up with mentors to give them firsthand knowledge of the careers.
“Living on the [Oregon] coast, we really wanted to open up all these amazing careers to our kids, maybe that they don’t know about that are right there in their backyard,” Sandel said.
Sandel came down to the Bay Area to inspect the boat after getting in touch with Schulz. Sandel has helped organize the relaunch of the boat and another one found along the Bay Area coast near Bodega Bay in Sonoma County. The U.S. Coast Guard will take the boats about 50 miles offshore near the Golden Gate Bridge and launch both in the first week of September, depending on weather and wind.
Sandel praised Schulz for helping pick up the boat for Columbia City Elementary and avoiding a disaster of it crashing into the rocks near shore.
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“He was so nice and great and willing to help with everything, which is what the program is all about. It’s these communities coming together behind the tool that these students built,” Sandel said.
Schulz comes across unidentified objects all the time in the water ranging from garbage to a watermelon floating with a note praying to the gods to become famous in Hollywood.
“It was definitely different because it had a sail on it, and it was moving through the water,” Schulz said.
Schulz has not talked with the kids who launched the boat, but he and Sandel hope to set up a Zoom meeting. Schulz researched the project online and why extreme weather conditions might have pushed it toward Half Moon Bay, which piqued his interest in its success.
“I’ll probably follow this project forever, as long as I am on the planet, as long as they keep doing it,” Schulz said.
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