2022 Recycle Regatta
2022 Recycle Regatta
The 3rd Annual Recycle Regatta closed on March 31, 2022. Congratulations to all of our racers!
About the event: Students in grades K-12 are invited to compete in this free virtual regatta. First, build a model sailboat out of recycled and repurposed materials. Then, race your boat to victory while learning all about engineering, mathematics, sailing, buoyancy, and stewardship. Classrooms, boating centers, families, and all community organizations are encouraged to take on the challenge. Contact us for more information about partnership opportunities, and watch our Kickoff Event below to get started!
Submit your official entry to 2022 Recycle Regatta below.

Thanks to our 2022 co-hosts Educational Passages, New England Science and Sailing, and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association!
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
THANK YOU to all of our 3rd Annual Recycle Regatta participants for your support and engagement. This year, we had over 125 entries!
MINIBOAT
(GR K-2)
MOST CREATIVE: Matthew G.
MOST SEAWORTHY: Pete (39 cm/s)
OPTI
(GR 3-5)
MOST CREATIVE: Ellie, Maleia, Kayden
MOST SEAWORTHY: Freya B. (30.7 cm/s)
HARTLEY
(GR 6-8)
MOST CREATIVE: Jonathan J.
MOST SEAWORTHY: Dayten V. (48.2 cm/s)
LASER
(GR 9-12)
MOST CREATIVE and MOST SEAWORTHY: Chris (58.11 cm/s)
SAVE THE DATES
2022 Recycle Regatta Kickoff Event
The 2022 Recycle Regatta Kickoff Event will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 from 3:30 - 4:00 pm Eastern on the Recycle Regatta Facebook Event Page. Regatta hosts will go over the rules, dates, and free educational resources available including the Teacher Toolkit which is new for this year’s event participants!
NOTE: Entry forms will not be made available until this date, but you can start building and testing anytime!
Online Experiential Learning Programs
NESS will host two open enrollment online experiential learning programs on March 15 for students who are interested in learning more about sailing, ocean currents, and more. Cost is $15.00 per participant (scholarships may be available, contact Nina for details).
- Grades K-5 will be 4:00 - 5:00 pm,
- Grades 6-12 will be 5:15 - 6:15 pm (all times are Eastern).
To register for one of the two sessions on March 15, you will need to create an account and sign up once logged in at the link below.
Rules and Guidelines
There are a few guidelines and requirements to follow, and we’ve listed them below. You can also download them here (click on button to the right) and print them for easy reference as you engineer your submission!
- Start by making a blueprint on a scrap piece of paper, or on the Data Form in the PDF linked above. Engineers always plan before starting to build! This can be a drawing, list of materials, or a write-up of what you plan to do. Your sailboat submission should be small-scale (less than 40 cm long) and uncrewed.
- Gather materials (safely!) that are recycled or discarded. We do not want you to buy materials.
- Set up your testing bin, and be sure to note the size, as your boat should fit inside your testing bin and have at least 25 cm left to move. If it is too large, it will be difficult to calculate speed.
- Build a prototype, you might end up changing your design and that’s perfectly okay.
- Test your design! See how the boat moves, floats, and sails! Does it stay upright? Does it float? If not, change your design until you have the perfect vessel!
- Test and document your speed for at least 3 trials (see submission form on website and Data Form). To test speed, place your boat in testing bin with water and markers for a distance (try 1 foot with a ruler). Then create “wind” using your breath by blowing on your boat or using a reusable straw. Document how much time it takes to travel that distance. Submit your best 3 trials on the entry form. Use the formula Speed = Distance/Time to calculate speed. All speed calculations should be done in cm/second. Write down your results.
- Improve your design based on the testing process and start the testing process again! Can you make your boat go faster by changing the design?
- Submit your entry form by MARCH 31 on the website. Each fleet will have two winners – Most Seaworthy (Fastest) and Most Creative. Submissions will be accepted from February 15-March 31.
We encourage you to be a steward of the environment in addition to an honorable mariner. Your boat must be built from recycled or discarded materials- i.e. objects that have already been used at least once. The Recycle Regatta team strongly discourages participants to buy new materials for this project. Design is left to engineers! Let your imagination take over. These lists are not all inclusive! Our goal is to convert and repurpose waste to create fantastic boats!
Materials you may use in boat construction:
- Plastic
- Cans – aluminum, tin, any that will float
- Duct tape
- Cardboard
- Glue
- Fishing line
- Other recyclable/discarded items with positive buoyancy (they float)! Check these guidelines for more information on what can and cannot be recycled.
- Decorations and crew costumes are allowed and encouraged!
Materials you may not use in boat construction:
- Wood
- Rubber
- Inflatables – raft, pool toys, etc.
- Fiberglass
- Caulking compounds
- Electrical systems
- Engines – gasoline powered, battery powered, etc.
- Paint or varnish (can be used for decoration, but not for waterproofing)
- Raw materials made out of recycled content (Trex decking, etc).
Please read the following carefully. Failure to comply with safety requirements will result in disqualification.
- All participating mariners must wear a personal floatation device (PFD) in the water, near the water, or on a dock. If you are testing a boat in a controlled location (such as a bathtub), a PFD is not required, but an adult should be present.
- Animals cannot occupy a boat.
- Sunken or discarded boats must be recycled if possible.
- You must have a means of recovering your vessel after launch, from the surface of the water, or, if your vessel sinks, from Davy Jones’ Locker.
- Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Participants are expected to maintain the decorum and dignity expected of a Inappropriate behavior at the discretion of the Recycle Regatta team will not be permitted and will disqualify your entry.
- Measure and record a specific distance that you know your boat is able to travel. Mark this distance (ex. tape on the side of the tub/testing bin as a start/finish line). Measure this distance with a ruler, meter stick, tape measure, or other device.
- Time how long it takes your boat to travel that entire distance.
- Speed = Distance/Time. So, if your boat traveled 10 centimeters in 2 seconds, you would set up your equation as 10 centimeters/2 seconds. Your final speed would be 5 cm/second. This answer came from dividing 10/2 and combining the units used. Check out the Recycle Regatta website for extra help with speed calculations!
- Calculate your speed for 3 trials.
- Find the average distance, time, and speed! We use averages to summarize a group of data or measurements. Mean average= total sum of the three trials divided by 3. Let’s look at an example of finding our average distance in cm.
- Add together the 3 distances that we measured: 3cm + 7cm + 6cm = 16cm
- Then take that total, and divide it by the number of trials: 16cm / 3 trials = 5.333cm
- Here you have your average distance, 5.333cm!
- Challenge yourself! Convert from speed in cm/second to Knots. Sailors and mariners use a special type of unit to talk about speed. These units are called knots! They take into account nautical miles, which are used in distance measurements out at sea. We’ve given you the conversion formula for knots, if you want to see how your boat would compare to a life size sailing vessel!
- Knots = Nautical Miles per Hour.
- Take your speed in cm/second and divide it by 51.4444: 5.333cm/s (speed) / 51.4444 = 0.1036 knots.
- The speed in knots might seem small, but remember, you are calculating your speed in nautical miles/hour!
2022 Entry Form
The submission period for the 2022 Recycle Regatta is now closed. Thanks to those that entered!
Calculating Boat Speed with Hula Popper
Ocean Currents and Miniboats At Sea with Moana and Cassie
The Engineering Method with Sunshine
The Physics of Sailing with Sassy
Marine Debris with Moana and SoCal
Buoyancy with Striper and Sassy
2022 Recycle Regatta Hosts

New England Science & Sailing (NESS) is a nationally recognized and award-winning ocean adventure education non-profit with a mission to empower students with a love of learning through ocean-based experiential programs that serve schools, teachers, and families. For more information, visit www.nessf.org.

Educational Passages is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire ocean stewardship through unique global experiences. Participants connect through the building, launching and tracking of six foot long unmanned and satellite equipped “miniboats” that sail themselves to distant shores. To learn more about Educational Passages and its Miniboat Program, visit www.educationalpassages.org/start.

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. For more information visit www.namepa.net.
The 2021 Recycle Regatta
The 2021 Recycle Regatta had four fleet competitions: MINIBOAT, OPTI, HARTLEY, and LASER. Check out the winners below:
MINIBOAT
- Most Seaworthy: Kenley

- Most Creative: Thayer

OPTI
- Most Seaworthy: Brody

- Most Creative: Jason

HARTLEY
- Most Seaworthy: Yian

- Most Creative: Jaliyah

LASER
- Most Seaworthy: Patrick

- Most Creative: Katie

2021 Winner Announcement Video
2021 Kickoff Event Video
The 2021 Recycle Regatta was hosted by New England Science and Sailing, Educational Passages, and North American Marine Environment Protection Association. It was also supported by the West Marine BlueFuture Fund. This fund is dedicated to supporting community-based organizations empower students with marine science and sailing education.
The 2020 Recycle Regatta
The 2020 Recycle Regatta had three fleet competitions: SAILFISH, SQUID, and SHRIMP. Check out the winners below: