SCHOOLCHILDREN in the USA were “elated” after their lost unmanned boat was picked up by a mother when it sailed onto Borth beach.

Pupils at the St Andrews School of Math and Science in Charleston, South Carolina, launched the Carolina Dreamer boat on 19 May last year as part of an educational project to help teach children about the science of the world’s oceans and act as a cultural exchange platform.

On the morning of Tuesday, 2 February, the Carolina Dreamer, which is equipped with a GPS device, transmitted her location as being approximately 10 miles to the north west of Aberystwyth, and a teacher from St Andrews, Amy McMahon, made contact with Aberystwyth Marina.

But that was to be the Carolina Dreamer’s last transmission, leading those involved with the project to believe the 1.6m-long, bright green and brown boat had washed up on Borth or Ynyslas beach heavily damaged and possibly lost forever after an eight-month journey of over 4,000 miles.

But within hours of the story appearing on the Cambrian News web site, a mother made contact with Richard Baldwin, creator of the USA-based Educational Passages project, saying she had found the boat a week earlier while walking along Borth beach with her son and that it was safe.

Helen Hinks described the “magical” moment the boat appeared to sail directly towards herself and her three-year-old son William.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Mrs Hinks, who also has two daughters, Emmi, five, and Phoebe, nine, who attend Craig yr Wylfa school in Borth.

“I quite often go to the beach with my son while we wait for the girls to finish school.

“We were looking at the waves and my son said ‘look mum there’s a boat’.

“We were so were so excited, I ran in and grabbed it.”

“It felt quite magical really — it sailed right up to us so it felt as though there was something special about it.”

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