Calling all students, teachers, mariners, engineers, water enthusiasts, and artists! Are you looking for an engaging, virtual, hands-on challenge to do at home that also helps the environment? Repurpose materials, build a boat, and compete in New England Science & Sailing’s Recycle Regatta! We have partnered with our friends at Educational Passages to host this completely virtual event. Participating mariners will need to master buoyancy, construction, and physics to race their boat to victory! Are you ready to take on the challenge?

Engineering of NESS Recycle Regatta boats can happen at any time! We encourage you to repurpose items at home to create your boat. There are three fleets, all for “model” boats with no human captain inside.

No sign-up is required, but submission sheets for all fleets to be considered for a prize are due by July 1, 2020.

• The Sailfish Fleet is for sailboats competing for speed that use wind for power! This can include natural wind or air from your own lungs. This fleet will use testing methods and mathematical calculations to determine speed.
• The Squid Fleet is for propulsion powered boats competing for speed. We challenge you to use rubber bands to power your boat! This fleet will use testing methods and mathematical calculations to determine speed.
• The Shrimp Fleet is for boats that may not be fast, but are competing for other categories such as most colorful, artistic, largest, and slowest! Show us your creativity!

Never built a boat before? No problem! Educators from NESS and Educational Passages are here to help. Every Tuesday beginning May 19th, we will be posting helpful instructional videos on the NESS Recycle Regatta Facebook Event Page, YouTube, and our website. These will include topics such as: the engineering method, marine debris, buoyancy, ocean mechanics, and physics of sailing to provide you with the knowledge you need to engineer your vessel! 

Let us know how you’re doing! Keep us updated with photos, videos, and report either to the NESS Recycle Regatta Facebook Page or by emailing adventure@nessf.org. 

For full rules, safety guidelines, boat restrictions, judging categories, examples of boats, and general information please visit www.nessf.org/recycle-regatta. Questions? Email adventure@nessf.org or call  860-535-9362.  

Thank you, and good luck!