Students’ Mini-Boat and Drifter Launched from R/V Neil Armstrong

By ooistaff | November 13, 2022 |

On Sunday November 13, 2022, the Pioneer 19 Team and crew of the R/V Neil Armstrong switched gears from their Pioneer recovery operations to launch a mini-boat and a drifter. Both were constructed by high school students from Waterford, CT, with the help of fourth grade Waterford students, who decorated its sails and hull. The boat is part of the Educational Passages program run by Cassie Stymiest in which the Connecticut high school students participate. The drifter is part of the Student Drifters program developed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and now administered by the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation.

The boat, named Lady Lance, contains art inside and messages focused on climate hope and ocean optimism. The students will track the boat’s progress across the Atlantic, as well as the drifter, with the help of James Manning, a retired NOAA employee. Students in Michael O’Connor’s Early College Experience Marine Science Class at Waterford High School built the boat and will follow its progress for the remainder of the school year. The students will follow the progress of both, using GPS telemetry.

The mini-boat was successfully launched from the deck of the R/V Neil Armstrong on Sunday November 13. The boat hopes to make its way across the Atlantic as did its predecessor. Credit: John Lund ©WHOI.

“We are delighted to be able to support the work of the Waterford students,“ said John Lund, Chief Scientist of the Pioneer Array recovery team aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong. “Their interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm for this project is contagious, and we all will be tracking Lady Lance as she moves through the Atlantic. We also hope that some students are so inspired by this work that they go on to be scientists.”

Lady Lance is the second of such trans-Atlantic launches. The first occurred in 2016 when Lady Lance’s sister ship, Lancer, was launched from the R/V Neil Armstrong. (A good explanation of the winds and currents Lady Lance may encounter is provided at 8:30). The boat’s journey will be influenced by the wind, while the drifter’s journey will be dictated by the currents, allowing for comparisons of conditions in the ocean region.

Lancer ultimately landed in Galway, Ireland, where it was found by a young girl who was also a Sea Scout. People in Connecticut and Galway raised money to have it refurbished and it was re-launched by The Irish Marine Institute. From Ireland, the boat made its way to the United Kingdom where it landed in Plymouth, England. The boat was refurbished by the Ocean Conservation Trust at the National Aquarium in Plymouth and served as a focus for their STEMFEST, which hosted more than 50 school groups from around the UK. STEMFEST students created projects that will be sent in an upcoming Lancer launch at the end of November. An affiliated project, Project Ocean Climate Nexus (Project OCN), is hosting a conference at the National Aquarium in March. Participants will see student research based on the data produced by the mini boats and drifters, students from the US and UK presenting projects.

The Spanish Institute of Oceanography will launch Lancer at the end of November, nearly in sync with Lady Lancer’s launch from the opposite side of the Atlantic.

A drifter was also successfully launched to spread messages of hope about the ocean across the Atlantic. Credit: John Lund ©WHOI.

“While the students have put hard work into the development of these instruments, the real hard work begins upon launch. They will be following the boat and drifter, analyzing data from the boats and adding those data points to other data available from sources like the Pioneer Array and other data sets that are publicly available, to ask questions about the physical and chemical functions of the ocean and atmosphere,” said Michael O’Connor, Waterford High School Marine Science teacher. “The project serves as a launching point to do some independent analysis and to connect with and contribute to the world through science, art, and technology.”

The students have provided digital ways for everyone to follow along with these trans-Atlantic crossings: