Lost at Sea?

For centuries, people have been fascinated by the idea of putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into the sea in the hopes that someone will find it. In 2020, students at Rye Junior High School in New Hampshire did something similar. Instead of a bottle, they filled a 1.5 meter (5 foot)-long sailboat with mementos and launched it into the ocean. The students hoped to use tracking technology to follow the boat’s journey across the sea and learn where it ended up.

The students built the small vessel, which they named the Rye Riptides, using a kit from a Maine-based organization called Educational Passages. The group helps students learn about wind and currents using “miniboats” designed to sail with moving ocean waters.

Sheila Adams, the students’ teacher, warned that the Rye Riptides might get lost at sea. As the boat sailed the high seas, it could encounter any number of problems, from rough weather to technological issues, that could end its voyage. So the class knew not to get their hopes up. “I really thought it would sink,” says Kiera Hagen, who was a student in Adams’s class during the project. But the boat’s journey surpassed expectations. It showed how the ocean connects everyone on the planet—and forged a surprising friendship with kids 13,400 kilometers (8,300 miles) away.

For centuries, the idea of putting a message in a bottle has fascinated people. They toss the bottle into the sea and hope someone will find it. In 2020, students at Rye Junior High School in New Hampshire did something similar. Instead of a bottle, they used a 1.5 meter (5 foot)-long sailboat. They filled it with trinkets and launched it into the ocean. The students would follow the boat’s journey across the sea with tracking technology. They hoped to learn where it ended up.

The students named the small boat Rye Riptides. They built it with a kit from a Maine-based organization called Educational Passages. The group helps students learn about wind and currents using “miniboats.” These are designed to sail with moving ocean waters.

Sheila Adams was the students’ teacher. She warned that the Rye Riptides might get lost at sea. As the boat sailed the ocean, it could run into problems. Anything from rough weather to technological issues could end its voyage. So the students knew not to get their hopes up. “I really thought it would sink,” says Kiera Hagen. She was a student in Adams’s class during the project. But the boat’s journey exceeded all hopes. It showed how the ocean connects everyone on the planet. And it started a friendship with kids 13,400 kilometers (8,300 miles) away.

The Rye Riptides began its voyage aboard a ship at sea so it could be launched into the swiftest part of the Gulf Stream. This current flows up the east coast of the United States. “An ocean current is like a river in the ocean,” says Rick Lumpkin, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Riding such a current would give the boat the best chance of reaching a distant shore.

There are two types of ocean currents. Surface currents are driven by Earth’s rotation and the wind. In the Atlantic Ocean, these forces move warm water northward from below the equator. As this water moves north, it becomes colder. The lower temperature causes its density, or mass per amount of volume, to increase. Some water freezes, releasing its salt. The higher salinity of the surrounding water makes it even denser. The heavier water sinks and flows southward as the second type of current—a deep current. Eventually, this water reaches warmer areas and resurfaces as it becomes less dense, continuing the cycle. This constantly moving system circulates water around the world (see The Global Ocean Conveyor Belt).

The Rye Riptides began its voyage on a ship at sea. That way, it could be launched into the fastest part of the Gulf Stream. This current flows up the east coast of the United States. “An ocean current is like a river in the ocean,” says Rick Lumpkin, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If the boat rode such a current, it would have the best chance of reaching a distant shore.

There are two types of ocean currents. Surface currents are driven by Earth’s rotation and the wind. In the Atlantic Ocean, these forces move warm water northward from below the equator. As this water moves north, it becomes colder. The lower temperature increases its density, or mass per amount of volume. Some water freezes and releases its salt. The higher salinity of the surrounding water makes it even denser. The heavier water sinks. It flows southward as the second type of current—a deep current. In time, this water reaches warmer areas. It resurfaces as it becomes less dense, and the cycle continues. This system is constantly moving. It circulates water around the world (see The Global Ocean Conveyor Belt). 

As the Rye Riptides followed the currents, its sail would catch the wind, speeding the little boat along. The bottom of the boat had a structure called a keel in case the vessel overturned during a storm. “The keel was weighted, so if the boat did flip over, it could right itself,” says Rye student Aidan Piela. An onboard transmitter broadcast the boat’s coordinates to a satellite every few hours. In case someone found the boat at the end of its journey, the students placed a letter inside, along with items from where they live, like acorns, leaves, and state quarters.

As the Rye Riptides followed the currents, its sail caught the wind. That sped the little boat along. The bottom of the boat had a keel. This structure would help if the boat overturned during a storm. “The keel was weighted, so if the boat did flip over, it could right itself,” says Rye student Aidan Piela. The boat also carried a transmitter. It sent the boat’s location to a satellite every few hours. The students hoped someone would find the boat at the end of its journey. So they placed a letter inside. They added items from their area, like acorns, leaves, and state quarters.

With the voyage underway, the students used an online tool to track the miniboat’s location. They also checked wind speed, water temperature, wave height, and the strength and direction of ocean currents. These ever-changing factors made it tricky to predict the boat’s route. “You never really knew where the boat was going to go,” says Rye student Jack Facella. “So it was always a mystery when you checked, which was fun.”

Lumpkin says that the same thing happens when oceanographers use drifting buoys to study the ocean. “You launch two things in almost the same place, and the tiniest differences can cause huge variations in where they end up.”

Sometimes, the boat’s signal would disappear and then reappear. When that happened, students figured the Rye Riptides had overturned and later righted itself. Then, almost a year into the journey, the signal disappeared completely. “It was nerve-racking,” says student Caitlin Tabit. “We didn’t know if it had sunk.” Four months passed with no sign of the Rye Riptides. Everyone thought the voyage was over.

After the voyage started, the students tracked the miniboat’s location with an online tool. They also checked wind speed, water temperature, wave height, and the strength and direction of ocean currents. These factors always changed. That made it tricky to guess the boat’s route. “You never really knew where the boat was going to go,” says Rye student Jack Facella. “So it was always a mystery when you checked, which was fun.”

Lumpkin says that the same thing happens to oceanographers. They use drifting buoys to study the ocean. “You launch two things in almost the same place, and the tiniest differences can cause huge variations in where they end up,” he says.  

Sometimes, the boat’s signal would disappear. The students figured the Rye Riptides had overturned. Later, it would reappear. That probably meant the boat had righted itself. Almost a year into the journey, the signal disappeared completely. “It was nerve-racking,” says student Caitlin Tabit. “We didn’t know if it had sunk.” Four months passed with no sign of the Rye Riptides. Everyone thought the voyage was over.

In January 2022, the boat’s signal suddenly began transmitting from a tiny, rocky island off the coast of Norway. It had traveled much farther north than anyone had expected. Educational Passages posted a request for help on the Facebook page of a nearby school in Norway (see Voyage of the Rye Riptides). Mariann Nuncic, whose son Karel was a sixth-grader at the school, saw the post. Karel and his mom traveled by boat to the island and searched among the rocks until they spotted the Rye Riptides. It had lost its sail, keel, and most of its hull, but the small cargo hold attached to the deck was intact!

In January 2022, the boat’s signal suddenly reappeared. It came from a tiny, rocky island off the coast of Norway. The boat had traveled much farther north than anyone had expected. Educational Passages found the Facebook page of a nearby school in Norway. The organization posted a request for help (see Voyage of the Rye Riptides). Mariann Nuncic saw the post. Her son Karel was a sixth-grader at the school. So Karel and his mom took a boat to the island. They searched among the rocks until they spotted the Rye Riptides. Its sail, keel, and most of its hull were gone. But the small cargo hold was still attached to the deck!

Karel brought what was left of the boat to school and opened it with his class. They found the letter and objects inside. It was like discovering a message in a bottle. Later, the Rye students spoke with Karel’s class over Zoom. “We even started to write letters to them as pen pals,” says Rye student Annalise Gritzer.

The boat’s voyage helped demonstrate why it’s important to study ocean currents: What happens in one part of the ocean can have effects far away. “It’s all one huge global system,” says Lumpkin.

Karel brought the wrecked boat to school and opened it with his class. They found the letter and objects inside. It was like finding a message in a bottle. Later, the Rye students and Karel’s class spoke over Zoom. “We even started to write letters to them as pen pals,” says Rye student Annalise Gritzer.

The boat’s voyage helped show why studying ocean currents is important. What happens in one part of the ocean can have effects far away. “It’s all one huge global system,” says Lumpkin.