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The Explorer: CoastX News
October 2025
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EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
EXPLORATION & INNOVATION
CoastX was founded and launched by entrepreneurs, ocean scientists/engineers, artists, and educators because we knew…
We must inspire the next generation of ocean innovators and entrepreneurs by providing immersive, on-ocean experiential learning programs in ocean science, engineering, art, and entrepreneurship. CoastX programs spark curiosity, creativity, and confidence to drive change and prepare students for marine studies, successful careers in the blue economy, or whatever path they will forge with an entrepreneurial mindset. We serve middle and high school students in Southern Maine and the Seacoast of NH.
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August Ocean Exploration Program:
Students Inspired Seeing Below the Surface & Hands-on Ocean Science
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August’s cohort of middle and high school students kicked off the week with a tour of UNH’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, and a “learn to fly” session driving remotely-operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) in the huge engineering pool. The next day, they boarded M/V Utopia and departed Kittery on a journey of real ocean exploration!
Students used the ROVs and a baited underwater camera to study a variety of habitats, observing underwater wildlife, including dozens of lobsters! Students also learned to test ocean water chemistry by safely deploying a variety of oceanographic equipment from the boat. A highlight was building their own plankton nets, then using them to collect samples for viewing under the microscope. They explored eelgrass beds with ecologists from the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership. Students also learned basic seamanship skills by navigating with maps and GPS, tying knots, and participating in person-overboard rescue drills led by our expert boat captains.
On the last day, students got to witness the power of the sea, thanks to Hurricane Erin, and the adaptability required in all safe seafaring. Large waves breaking on Wood Island meant that we had to depart early and could not land in the afternoon. The afternoon group made up for it by exploring a new location upriver, where they used an ROV to recover a lost sailboat roller furler from the bottom, cleaning up that section of the river.
| | Student's Narrate Their Exploration | | | |
We are excited to announce that our newest program, CoastX Blue Innovation, is launching in January!
Open to Middle and High School Students
Students will work with entrepreneurs in a One-Day+ Workshop to understand the fundamentals of ideation and then work with entrepreneur mentors over the course of 8 sessions (after school) to build on their ocean-focused idea for a product or service, including prototyping, market development, and business plan writing... with an option to enter national competitions... and launch!
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| | | Locomotive 3666 Photos from the Joseph A. Smith Collection | Locomotive 3666 off the bridge. Pencil Drawing 15”x 12” By; Richard W. Symmes | Matt Scheuer next to one of Locomotive 3666’s main drive wheels. Picture taken 9.9.25 |
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"In Our Neighborhood"
Piscataqua Train Wreck
Written by Matt Scheuer
On a dark September night in 1939, steam-driven locomotive 3666 billowed smoke as she slowly pulled a routine passenger train northbound over the Piscataqua River atop a damaged, poorly maintained wooden trestle bridge where the present-day Sarah Long Bridge now stands. Without warning, the strained wooden pilings gave way, plunging Locomotive 3666 and two train cars into the rushing tidewater. Two crewmembers perished. Miraculously, no passengers were in the forward cars and all were rescued from the back of the train, which remained on the bridge. To this day, below busy car and boat traffic, Locomotive 3666 still rests on the murky bottom next to the bridge.
That’s the story anyway. There were rumors the train was removed during bridge construction, relocated, or simply rusted away. CoastX twice tried to locate it, but conditions proved difficult with limited visibility, strong currents, and proximity to the bridge. Determined to solve the mystery, CoastX cofounders Jim Case and Matt Scheuer planned a carefully timed dive mission between tides. Scanning the area with sonar, they noted several anomalies and anchored on the most promising one.
Descending through the dark, murky water, the outline slowly emerged—there it was! The locomotive, encrusted with mussels, sponges, and sea stars, lay on its side in 45 feet of water. The heavy iron boiler, wheels, and side rods were still plainly identifiable 86 years later. Jim’s 360° camera captured video and data to create a 3D photogrammetry scan, while the vibrant mussel bed ecosystem covering the wreck showed how life had reclaimed the site. After about 30 minutes, the tide began to change and it was time to ascend—a successful dive.
Now that we know exactly where to find Locomotive 3666 and how to time the slack tide needed to reach it, we hope to explore the site next year by ROV with CoastX students.
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We Are Growing:
Volunteers Needed for 2026
We are looking for team members with EXPERIENCE in the following areas to help:
- Innovation/Entrepreneur Mentors
- Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Operators
- Graphic Design/Marketing/Social Media
- More opportunities coming after we finalize the 2026 programming!
THANK YOU!
Email your area of interest and resume to: volunteers@CoastX.org
| | | Support Students' Passion for the Ocean | |
We get stopped all the time by people wanting to buy a CoastX hat.
Our hats will be for sale again for the month of November! You can pre-order now.
Hats $45.00 +Shipping/Fees
November 1st-30th ONLY
| | Board of Directors: Diane Sanzone | | |
CoastX is thrilled to welcome Diane Sanzone to our Board of Directors! Diane is a passionate champion of ocean environmental issues and education. She brings a lifetime of expertise in sustainability, impact assessment, permitting, environmental compliance, ecological studies, stakeholder engagement, and ESG. As Director of Marketing and Sales for Telecommunications Infrastructure and Energy Support Systems at Ramboll, she has spent her career helping some of the world’s largest energy, industrial, and telecommunications companies solve complex environmental challenges.
Her scientific background is equally impressive—she previously led the National Park Service’s Arctic Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program, covering 19.1 million acres, and was a Fulbright Scholar to Iceland. Diane’s experience spans continents and oceans, from academic research at the Marine Biological Laboratory to leadership roles at SubCom, AECOM, and Kleinfelder. Based in Portsmouth, NH, Diane is an avid ocean enthusiast, cyclist, and runner, often spotted along the seacoast at sunrise.
We’re excited to have her perspective and passion on our board as we continue advancing our mission! See Diane's full Bio here
| | Thank You to Our Corporate Sponsors & Partners | | We’re incredibly honored by the enthusiastic response to our first summer of on-water programs! Thank you for your support—it’s deeply affirming to see our vision resonate so strongly with so many parents and their middle and high school students-- and our corporate sponsors and partners. | | |
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Thank you for your interest in CoastX. We would enjoy sharing more about what we do, answering questions on our programs, and keeping you updated on upcoming programs and dates. Let us know if you would like to partner with CoastX.
info@CoastX.org
PO Box 244
Kittery Point, ME 03905
CoastX is an IRS-determined non-profit 501(C)(3), so your donations are tax deductible. EIN number is 99-2674132
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