In May 2017, Patriot Pride was launched as part of the Educational Passage Programme. The Educational Passages programme promotes ocean and environmental literacy by allowing different schools across America to sponsor a boat that is then launched in the Atlantic and tracked via GPS. The Patriot Pride was sponsored by Leavitt primary school in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the miniature sailboat spent over 100 days at sea.

In early September 2017 the Patriot Pride began approaching the southwest corner of the UK but when the boat reached the coast transmissions stopped and it was presumed lost. However, the Patriot Pride has since been located by Angus Baily and a group while they coastering/cliff jumping in North Cornwall.  Though the unfortunate boat had been smashed upon the rocks a section of the bow, two parts of the stern, and the deck were successful located by Angus and his group.  Unfortunately due to stormy condition parts of the storm and deck were unable to be recovered.

Angus and his group may have had no idea about the origins of the boat had it not been for Fiona Crouch, Marine Biological Association (MBA) and Project Manager of H2020 Sea Change, who had been on the beach following the miniboat’s GPS signal. Upon seeing four people in wet suits scrambling across the rocks Fiona asked if they would be willing to look for the boat beyond the otherwise impassable rocks. This information proved to be vital as according to Angus “[H]ad she not given us the pointer we would have just walked passed [the] boats parts and just thought it was junk washed ashore.”

For more information about the Patriot Pride’s journey visit: http://educationalpassages.com/boats/00-175320742/