Bing tracking

Our Boats

The Water Striders

Taking some inspiration from those cool little water strider bugs that scoot across the surface of the water, in 2021, the River Semester built two new vessels that were custom-designed for students and guests to travel down the Mississippi River.  These boats have the wonderful addition of sail power, are much more stable than the monohull canoes, and can carry more gear than the canoes used in previous expeditions.  For a discussion of the design process, see this blog entry.  The building and launching of the boats is documented in this video.  We will continue to refine the design and look forward to seeing more sail-powered vessels on the Mississippi in the years ahead!  Here are a few photos of the boats in action during the 2021 Expedition:

 

At anchor during the first shakedown cruise of Water Strider I.
Both Water Striders pulled ashore on Lake Pepin, under the rainbow.

 

Under sail on the Lower Mississippi River.