Beyond the Blue: Palau Mapping

Serendipity sometimes makes for the most beautiful stories. Back in May, as I sat working at my computer in Rhode Island, a newsletter came in from my colleague Cassie Stymiest, executive director of Educational Passages, a not-for-profit organization that coordinates the launching and tracking of student-built and designed miniboats. Across the globe (in 36 countries and counting!) students and teachers work to equip these boats with a variety of sensors and data-collecting instruments. Once released into the sea, students can track the paths of their boats and study currents, water parameters, and other dynamics of the ocean. Students also share messages inside their boats, often making exceptional connections with their counterparts in other countries once their boat makes landfall in a new location. As a life-long marine science educator and member of the NOAA Ocean Exploration education team, I’ve been intrigued by this program for years.

The May newsletter was announcing the incredible 240-day journey of miniboat M/B Yaquina Neversink. This miniboat was originally built by a group of high school students as part of a summer learning experience coordinated between Oregon Sea Grant’s Oregon Coast STEM Hub, Lincoln County School District, and Educational Passages.

The newsletter shared that after a September 2024 launch from NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada off the coast of Oregon, this small vessel had travelled a record-breaking 10,125 miles (16,295 kilometers) all the way to the shores of Kayangel, Palau. Serendipitously, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer happened to be heading to Palau to conduct a series of mapping expeditions around the same time as the miniboat’s arrival! Immediately excited about the coincidence and the possibilities, I jumped to connect colleagues an ocean apart.

To make a long story short, colleagues from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, Educational Passages, and our operations and expedition team aboard Okeanos quickly put their heads together to see what could be done to help this miniboat continue its journey. They arranged for the very seaworthy M/B Yaquina Neversink to go through repairs in Koror, Palau, be loaded onto Okeanos Explorer, and eventually be relaunched during the first Beyond the Blue: Palau Mapping expedition.

Kama Almasi, director of the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, and Trish Mace, director of University of Oregon’s Charleston Marine Life Center, both made the lengthy trip to Palau and worked with experts from Palau’s Coral Reef Research Foundation, as well as local students and families, to repair the miniboat and replace sensors and electronics. A group of Palauan students decorated a new sail, as the original was quite damaged from the long journey. Look at this gorgeous new sail, ready for its next adventure!

According to Brynn Demei, chief of curriculum and materials at the Palau Ministry of Education, this sail illustrates Palauan commitment to conservation, an appreciation for the exceptional nature of the island, and the bounty that its waters provide to support Palauan livelihoods. The traditional artwork on the sail frame depicts fishes, clams, and a unique form of currency called rai stones — all of which are symbolic. The fishes symbolize unity, the clam represents sustenance and the history of Palau, and the stone currency depicts the strength of the Palauan community as a whole. Demei had the pleasure of working on the artwork alongside students in the community, including her own niece and nephew.

As the expedition progressed, we all anxiously awaited for launch day to arrive. The mission team onboard Okeanos was waiting until the ship was at the point of its journey that provided the best opportunity for the M/B Yaquina Neversink to “catch its next current.” On August 10, 2025, NOAA Corps Operations Officer Jane Saunders shared the good news of a successful launch, as well as some details:

• Launch time: 0915 (GMT+9)
• Coordinates: 05-16.6 N, 133-51.4 E (southwest of Palau)
• Weather conditions: glassy seas, southwest breeze blowing at 3 knots, 28.6°C air temperature

It was a perfect day!

Teams both on ship and on shore were excited to make this connection, support Educational Passages, and to work in cooperation with local communities in both Oregon and Palau to make this a reality. This little miniboat has helped make and grow connections and friendships between colleagues from the U.S. west coast, to those onboard Okeanos, our friends in Palau, and so many students across the Pacific! Congratulations everyone!

Now that M/B Yaquina Neversink has started its journey (check out the image – courtesy of Educational Passages – to the left showing the view from the miniboat hours after launch), we look forward to following along to see where M/B Yaquina Neversink goes next!

By Susan Haynes, NOAA Ocean Exploration