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Miniboat Raven Kaster Relaunched Off Achill Island from Celtic Explorer

2nd May 2024
The Raven Kaster, an educational “miniboat”, has been relaunched off Mayo’s Achill island from the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer
The Raven Kaster, an educational “miniboat”, has been relaunched off Mayo’s Achill island from the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer

The Raven Kaster, an educational “miniboat”, has been relaunched off Mayo’s Achill island from the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer.

The mini boat has been upgraded with solar-powered GPS tracking and new technology since its last voyage and has been set up to collect critical ocean data, including air and water temperature, to contribute to marine science education and research.

The Raven Kaster was first launched off Newfoundland’s Grand Banks in 2018 and was swept into Achill Island in Storm Erik.

The 1.5m long miniboat was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near the M6 Weather BuoyThe 1.5m long miniboat was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near the M6 Weather Buoy

It was washed up on Dookinella beach on Achill island after 102 days at sea, and found in February 2019 by local fisherman Darren Kilbane.

Canadian students Stephanie Evans and Kaitlyn Grandy of the Frank Roberts Junior High in Newfoundland who led the project back in 2018 travelled to Ireland last year, and worked with students at Coláiste Pobal Acla in Mayo to prepare it for a return to sea.

The 1.5m long miniboat was deployed into the Atlantic Ocean near the M6 Weather Buoy, during the AIMSIR (Atlantic In-situ Marine Scientific Infrastructure Replacement) survey last week.

This project is part of the non-profit organization Educational Passages, a US entity that leads the miniboat programme to provide students with hands-on learning experiences in oceanography, environmental stewardship, and global collaboration.

Congratulating the collaborative efforts of the students and the team at Educational Passages, Alan Berry, infrastructure manager at the Marine Institute said “the mini-boat project is a wonderful example of marine science literacy and citizen engagement with the oceans”.

“It supports the strategic objectives of the Marine Institute and the value of partnerships essential for sharing marine science with the wider community. For students in particular, this project provides an exciting way of seeing real life examples of how the ocean has an influence on all our lives, learning how the ocean influences our weather and climate, and the types of technology used," he said.

"Seeing the Raven Kaster relaunched by some of the same crew members that launched the Galway Sailor back in 2021, and from the same area, is a great connection for us all,” Cassie Stymiest, executive director of Educational Passages.

The Galway Sailor, a separate miniboat, was provided to Kilglass National School in County Galway, as part of Marine Institute’s Explorers education programme. It travelled 3,000 miles to the Lofoten islands where it was found in mid -2021.

. "The hard work of our students should be celebrated as they did such great work to upgrade the boat and connect with their peers," said Karen Lavelle of Scoil Pobal Acla. "Now the students can see their hard work in action and engage directly with the ocean and the technology that can truly help make a difference."

The project is supported by contributions from the Town of Conception Bay South, the Irish Embassy in Ottawa, the Marine Institute in Ireland, MakerBuoy, and other sponsors and partners.

"The relaunch of the Raven Kaster is an example of how students from Canada and Ireland can collaborate globally to learn more about our shared ocean environment," Thomas Sheppard, teacher at Frank Roberts Junior High, said.

"It is a project that shares more than just a miniboat but a history, culture and ocean,” he said."

"It is great to see the enthusiasm and dedication from students across borders working together on such an impactful project that emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in scientific endeavours," Eamonn McKee, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda, said.

Students and the public are invited and encouraged to follow the voyage in real time via the Educational Passages website (educationalpassages.org/atsea).

The Raven Kaster miniboat’s course can be tracked here

More information and data is available here

Lorna Siggins

About The Author

Lorna Siggins

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Lorna Siggins is a print and radio reporter, and a former Irish Times western correspondent. She is the author of Search and Rescue: True stories of Irish Air-Sea Rescues and the Loss of R116 (2022); Everest Callling (1994) on the first Irish Everest expedition; Mayday! Mayday! (2004); and Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib gas controversy (2010). She is also co-producer with Sarah Blake of the Doc on One "Miracle in Galway Bay" which recently won a Celtic Media Award

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Marine Science Perhaps it is the work of the Irish research vessel RV Celtic Explorer out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of marine research, development and sustainable management, through which Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. From Wavebob Ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration these pages document the work of Irish marine science and how Irish scientists have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.

 

At A Glance – Ocean Facts

  • 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by the ocean
  • The ocean is responsible for the water cycle, which affects our weather
  • The ocean absorbs 30% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activity
  • The real map of Ireland has a seabed territory ten times the size of its land area
  • The ocean is the support system of our planet.
  • Over half of the oxygen we breathe was produced in the ocean
  • The global market for seaweed is valued at approximately €5.4 billion
  • · Coral reefs are among the oldest ecosystems in the world — at 230 million years
  • 1.9 million people live within 5km of the coast in Ireland
  • Ocean waters hold nearly 20 million tons of gold. If we could mine all of the gold from the ocean, we would have enough to give every person on earth 9lbs of the precious metal!
  • Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world – Ireland is ranked 7th largest aquaculture producer in the EU
  • The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world, covering 20% of the earth’s surface. Out of all the oceans, the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest
  • The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world. It’s bigger than all the continents put together
  • Ireland is surrounded by some of the most productive fishing grounds in Europe, with Irish commercial fish landings worth around €200 million annually
  • 97% of the earth’s water is in the ocean
  • The ocean provides the greatest amount of the world’s protein consumed by humans
  • Plastic affects 700 species in the oceans from plankton to whales.
  • Only 10% of the oceans have been explored.
  • 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, equal to dumping a garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute.
  • 12 humans have walked on the moon but only 3 humans have been to the deepest part of the ocean.

(Ref: Marine Institute)

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