May 29, 2020
T he C olumbia P ress
8
Missing travel? Take a journey with maritime museum’s miniboats
Columbia River Maritime
Museum and Pacific Power
invite the public on an adven-
ture that can be taken from
one’s easy chair.
The adventure begins today,
May 29, via livestream. It’s
the first in a series of three on-
line distance-learning events
involving the 5-foot boats,
which are equipped with
global-positioning
satellite
system.
The
“Mighty
Miniboat
Float” program provides an
unusual educational opportu-
nity that introduces students
to ocean science, internation-
al exchange, and all STEAM
fields (science, technology,
engineering, arts and math).
Hosts for the online sessions
are Nate Sandel, the muse-
um’s education director, and
Alisa Dunlap, Pacific Power’s
North Coast community man-
ager.
Student shipbuilders, rep-
resentatives from the Co-
lumbia River Bar Pilots,
Shaver Transportation, and
other guests will participate.
“Miniboats have the power
to create a substantial and
lasting impact, and we are
delighted to bring their might
into local homes to help in-
spire even more students and
families,” Sandel said. “We’ve
seen these boats capture the
imagination of our students,
but also many people from
around the world who en-
How to ‘ride along’
Photos courtesy CRMM
Above: A crowd gathers at Columbia River Maritime Museum at
the beginning of the launch ceremony in January. Below, left: A
Columbia River Bar Pilot takes one of the miniboats for launching
off the coast. Below, right: Nate Sandel, CRMM education direc-
tor, addresses the crowd, which included Sen. Betsy Johnson.
counter the boats, help with
a rescue, or simply follow the
boats’ progress online.”
The museum’s Miniboat
Program is in its third year,
with more than 59,000 nauti-
cal miles traveled to date. Pa-
cific Power began providing
support for the program this
year, including company en-
gineers who helped students
install solar panels on mini-
boat decks.
“These students will become
our future engineers, problem
solvers, and leaders, and it’s
The livestreamed series can
be viewed on the museum’s
Miniboat Facebook page and
YouTube channel. More details
are on the museum’s website.
• A Miniboat’s Big Adven-
ture, noon to 1 p.m. today, May
29. The first livestream covers
the Wy’East relaunch near
the Port of Vancouver from a
Shaver tugboat.
• Thar She Blows!, noon
to 1 p.m. June 5. The second
livestream introduces the role
of wind and currents, as partic-
ipants check in on the fleet and
discuss the vessels’ progress.
• The Mighty Columbia,
noon to 1 p.m. June 12. The
third livestream explores how
a busy river works, in a look at
the industry and communities
that depend on the region’s
biggest river. It includes inter-
views with bar pilots, ship cap-
tains, and tugboat operators.
why programs like this mat-
ter to Pacific Power and busi-
nesses across Oregon,” Pacific
Power President Stefan Bird
said.
Through the program, stu-
dents take on roles as quarter-
masters, sail designers, keel
engineers, cargo trackers,
and documentarians. Along
the way, they learn real-world
skills and make friends over-
seas while they track the
boats, which are packed with
mementos curated by the stu-
dents.
This year’s boat were made
by seventh graders at War-
renton Grade School, fifth
graders at Columbia City El-
ementary School and seventh
graders from Wy’East Middle
School in Vancouver, Wash.
The three schools are part-
nered with schools in Japan.
The boat launched by
Wy’East washed ashore after
its ocean launch earlier this
year. They’ll relaunch the boat
on the Columbia River to-
day, before making a second
launch attempt at sea.
The Miniboat Program was
developed by the Columbia
River Maritime Museum in
partnership with the Japa-
nese Consulate in Portland,
Educational Passages, and the
National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration.
Following the 2011 earth-
quake and tsunami in Ja-
pan, debris from the country
washed up on Oregon and
Washington shores. One of
the items, a fishing vessel, is
on display at the Columbia
River Maritime Museum. The
boat and its journey across
the Pacific Ocean became the
inspiration for the Miniboat
Program.
Since the program’s 2017
start, 1,213 students on both
sides of the Pacific have
launched 24 miniboats.
Cyclist: Wyoming man begins four-state journey from Clatsop County
Continued from page 1
Orlando and thought I should
turn it into a fundraiser.”
Money raised from his ride
will go to the Alzheimer’s As-
sociation Wyoming chapter to
increase awareness of the dis-
ease and fund research.
Alzheimer’s is the sixth lead-
ing cause of death in the Unit-
Patrick Graham takes a selfie
while riding with his friend, Mark
Wells, across Montana last
summer.
ed States, taking more lives
each year than breast cancer
and prostate cancer combined,
said Janet Lewis, executive di-
rector of the Alzheimer’s As-
sociation’s Wyoming chapter.
In one of his first blog posts,
Graham writes, “Coming out of
a quarantined lifestyle, courte-
sy of COVID-19, I fear that it
may be easy for all of us to slip
back into a life of complacency.
A life where we continue to live
in a culture of indulgence and
How to help
To donate or learn more, go
online to cycleforlife.club/2020-
ride.
Checks also can be sent to
Cycle For Life, 1607 Capitol
Ave., 2nd Floor, Cheyenne WY
82001.
consumerism. … Like a thief,
stealing our ability to appreci-
ate the world around us.”
Graham will post updates,
photos and videos from the
ride documenting his progress
throughout the journey. Ped-
al power keeps his electronics
(phone, computer, camera)
charged during the ride.
“Diet and exercise play a
key part in preventing your-
self from getting Alzheimer’s,”
Graham said. “I can’t change
how everybody lives, but this
is on the rise because of mod-
ern-day conveniences. We
grab food on every street cor-
ner.”