Educational Passages utilizes 4.5 foot-long unmanned sailboats to study ocean wind and current patterns.  Our boats rely solely on wind and current power and need no outside assistance.  They sail directly downwind month after month following the wind to distant lands.

Our Mission

Educational Passages' uniquely designed sailboats are 4.5 feet long and GPS-equipped to sail away to distant lands on the prevailing winds.  Throughout each boat's voyage, you will be able to monitor the course, position, speed, and wave height on your personal computer connected to the world-wide web.

Imagine the fun and learning potential that our boats can provide for your individualized and group projects.  You'll learn about ocean wind and current patterns, map reading, geography, oceanography, navigation, earth sciences, computer technology, and much more.

As your personalized boat closes in on a far away coast you'll want to call a nearby school or town official to arrange for her retrieval or rescue.  This makes for a wonderful group project, school class or individual science project while providing a fun challenge to see how far your boat can sail away to intriguing locations.

Company Profile

Educational Passages provides an unique platform whose fiber-glass custom hull, deck, and mast was designed with assistance from an experienced naval architect.  During our initial sea trials in 2008, off the northeast cost of North America, one of our prototype boats sailed a total of 1,993 miles over a 78-day period.  During this time, this boat reached speeds of up to five miles per hour and sailed over 9-foot waves in the notoriously treacherous north Atlantic. (read more about our boats' first attempt at a trans-Atlantic crossing).

As in 2008, the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) is lending its expertise and assistance to assure that each boat gets a good send-off for for the start of this year's attempt at crossing the north Atlantic from North America to Europe.  Each group or individual who purchases one of our uniquely-designed boats will have an opportunity to tour the MMA Training Ship State of Maine and perhaps experience the on-campus ship-simulator when they deliver their customize boat for launching while the State of Maine sails across the Atlantic on her annual training cruise.

Likely destinations for boats released in 2009 include Europe or the Caribbean Islands.  Our goal is to provide a meaningful learning experience for students and encourage them to further their studies.

Boat Specifications

55" overall length    16" beam

12 lbs. ballast           self-steering

self-righting              fiberglass hull and deck

global positioning satellite (GPS) transponder for web-based tracking

Contact Information

For further information about Educational Passages, contact Richard Baldwin, designer and long-distance solo sailor. 

Telephone

(207) 338-4087

Postal address

415 Lincolnville Avenue, Belfast, ME 04915

Electronic mail

 General Information, Sales, and Support: Richard.Baldwin@EducationalPassages.com

 

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Send mail to Richard.Baldwin@EducationalPassages.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2009 Educational Passages
Last modified: 06/01/09