Annual NESS Recycle Regatta

In an effort to bring ocean-based experiential learning to students and families at home, the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS), in partnership with Educational Passages (EP) and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), is sponsoring the second annual virtual Recycle Regatta!

Participating K-12 students will design and engineer a sailboat out of common recycled materials. Students will test their boats and calculate nautical speed using mathematical applications. Students will submit their data and race against other competitors across the world. Two prizes will be awarded per fleet, one for fastest boat and one for the most creative design. Students will compete in a fleet based on grade level:

Miniboat: grades K – 2
Opti: grades 3 – 5
Hartley: grades 6 – 8
Laser: grades 9 – 12

Submissions will be accepted from March 1 – March 31 and winners will be announced mid-April. Entry into the Recycle Regatta is free for students.

K-12 teachers looking to bring the STEM concepts of the Recycle Regatta to the classroom are invited to participate in NESS’s Sailing at Home Online Experiential Learning course (www.nessf.org/online) at a discounted rate. K-12 teachers who schedule an online program in February and March 2021 will receive a $50 discount. This live, NESS instructor-led program is hands-on and engaging, and is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Interested teachers may contact Nina Quaratella, Education Specialist, at nquaratella@nessf.org.

To prepare for the regatta, students are invited to view our array of free educational videos related to the engineering method, buoyancy, recycling, marine debris, and ocean currents on the NESS YouTube channel. Engage with competitors on the Recycle Regatta Facebook event page!