GBR Challenge competition

Aimed to encourage youngsters to gain an interest in yacht design

CREW Challenge, an education project which introduces youngsters to Creative Research and Experimentation on the Water, was launched at the London International Boat Show by GBR Challenge, the British team for the America's Cup. Children, who take part in the Challenge in teams, have the chance to enter a national competition to win the unforgettable prize of a trip to the Louis Vuitton Cup in New Zealand in October 2002.

The project focuses on one of the most exciting and secretive areas of the America's Cup - the boat design. The GBR Challenge design and technical team spent long hours designing, building and testing model hulls before submitting the final designs to the boat building team at the beginning of November 2001. The design cannot be discussed with anyone and no one outside of GBR Challenge is allowed on the base where the Cup boat is being built.

Designed to introduce children to the principles of sailing and yacht design, the project is aimed at 9 to 13 year olds who will learn about the history of the America's Cup, discover the basic principles behind boat design and work in teams to produce and test an America's Cup style hull. Entries into the competition will be scrutinised by members of the GBR Challenge design team with the finals taking place at Qinetiq, the America's Cup boat tank testing facility in Gosport, at the end of June 2002.

The project tackles several areas of the national curriculum within Design and Technology, Science and ICT (Information Communication Technology). Taking the boredom out of the average physics lesson, the activities provide youngsters with an exciting and hands on way to learn, the principles of floating, sinking, stability, friction and material properties and much more. The teams then go on to design and build their own boat hull based on what they have discovered.

Downloadable from the internet, the project consists of four lesson plans that include activities such as drag and drop diagrams, true or false answer questions and multiple choice questionnaires. Diagrams, animations and photographs clearly illustrate the principles being investigated throughout the project.

Throughout it's development, the project has had input from Jo Richards, GBR Challenge Design Team member, who said, "When the ideas behind the project were first explained to me, I got really excited. It took me back to my childhood when I made boats out of any material I could get my hands on. It was really good fun running through the activities and providing a few pointers for the project's writer - the kids are going to love it!"