miniboat, part of the
Columbia River Maritime Museum's miniboat program, has fetched up in an exotic location while on its way to Japan.
This one,
S/V Liberty, launched by students from
Wyâeast Middle School in Vancouver, Washington, in the spring, was off to an inauspicious start: It crash-landed. It was repaired and relaunched in July.
This time, after over 100 days at sea, the Liberty landed 4,500 miles away on Nov. 4 on the
Ailuk Atoll. Located in the Marshall Islands, the tiny atoll has a population of only 357.
Amazingly, even after crossing a reef before landing, the Liberty arrived with minimal damage. The islanders initially left it alone for a while, fearing COVID-19 exposure, but after studying the miniboat further, they found the note affixed to it explaining the little vessel's story, and how to contact the students.