Design skills highlighted at annual competition

Miniature vessels raced in the Marine Institute’s (MI) flume tank on October 26 during the second annual Model Boat Race Competition

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The event, which is organized and judged by MI’s Marine Engineering Systems Design and Naval Architecture programs, encourages high school students to design and construct their own operational ship models.

This year’s event united eight schools on the Avalon Peninsula, with a total of ten teams competing. Teams are judged based on the design and construction of their models.

The overall winner of this year’s competition was Clarenville High School, who also claimed the prize for the Fastest Boat.

“This event is an excellent way to engage NL youth and educate them on the fields of Marine Engineering Systems Design and Naval Architecture. We provide a venue where high school students are able to practice their skills and gain hands-on experience,” said Ken Baker, instructor, Naval Architecture, MI. “Overall we had one sinking, one roll over … and no casualties. All the teams did a fantastic job at designing, constructing and sailing their vessels.”

Other awards went to Carbonear Collegiate for Most Innovative design, Ascension Collegiate for Best Poster Display and Holy Trinity High for Best Team Spirit.

The friendly competition promotes team work in building the operational ship models and encourages students to apply physics and mathematical principles.

Participating schools in this year’s event included: Queen Elizabeth Regional High School, Holy Trinity High School, Ascension Collegiate, St. Michael’s Regional High School, Carbonear Collegiate, Crescent Collegiate, Clarenville High School, O’Donel High School.