Sharing our passion for sailing is what we strive for at Hobie. Partnering with the America’s Cup over the past two years has allowed us to bring our love of sailing to youth around the world.
When Bermuda was chosen as the destination for the 2017 America’s Cup, Hobie was asked to participate in a youth educational initiative, The America’s Cup Endeavour Program. The goal is to leave a sporting legacy in Bermuda once the Cup is completed. Hobie Waves were then chosen to help teach local Bermudian youth about sailing, to foster a love for the sport and to leave a strong, positive impact on the community.
America’s Cup News put it into perspective. “AC Endeavour provides opportunities for every young person in Bermuda from 9 to 12 years old to try sailing for the first time, and learn a range of sailing and personal skills that will stay with them for life. Importantly, AC Endeavour is also an educational initiative, enabling students across Bermuda to learn more about sailing through a cross-curricular STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education program.”
Sir Russell Coutts, CEO of the America’s Cup and the most successful sailor in America’s Cup history is the lead brainchild behind this program.
“In many ways sailing is an ideal sport to explore each of these subjects and learn the basic principles of physics, geometry, and math very naturally. Sailing a boat efficiently requires both physical and intellectual responses – concepts like buoyancy, the geometry of sailing and the fact that you can only sail at certain angles to the wind – all of these are core parts of sailing and great ways of learning those skills,” Coutts explains.
He believes “that sailing is a tremendous platform through which we can inspire and educate young people and encourage them to think about some things differently.” He hopes that this program will “provide kids with the pathway to become a professional America’s Cup sailor!”
Or that is at least a long-term goal, but for now, “I want to make sure as many young people in Bermuda as possible have the chance to experience the AC Endeavour Program. I know they will love it!” says Coutts.
Even though all eyes are on Bermuda, AC Endeavour does not let that limit the reach of the program. During the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series, Hobie participated in Cup events in Chicago, New York and Toulon, to continue sharing a passion for sailing with all of the local communities the Cup visited.
Fast forward to Bermuda, June 2017.
This month, 24 youth sailors will be heading to Bermuda to compete in the Hobie Wave Junior Regatta alongside the ACC boats. Selected from countries around the world, these sailors will have the opportunity to attend the premiere sailing event in the world and meet their sailing heroes.
These youth sailors will “experience the incredible atmosphere of an America’s Cup Final and they will be competing in their own right on the same racecourse. This is a huge opportunity to take part in what will be the biggest, best America’s Cup yet, and another important part of the AC Endeavour Program” shares Coutts.
RELATED: Meet the Sailors of the America’s Cup Endeavour Junior Hobie Wave Regatta: Europe
Although education is the primary focus for AC Endeavour, the Junior Regattas will be an exciting complement to the main event. Twelve pink Hobie sails will dot the race course on June 24th as part of the halftime show during the America’s Cup finals.
“It isn’t just the educational elements of the AC Endeavour Program that I am excited about, it is also many intangible lessons that can be learned through sailing” states Coutts.
Surprisingly, the most important aspect of the program isn’t sailing. Teamwork is.
Coutts explains, “Teamwork is a core element of sailing, and the AC Endeavour students learn about that and leadership, they see the value of good communication skills and perhaps most powerful of all, how they learn to integrate with each other and discover things for themselves. That is a fantastic thing to see in practice and, in my opinion, utterly invaluable.”
With the 35th America’s Cup underway, Hobie is a proud partner of the AC Endeavour program and the legacy it will leave behind. Check back on our blog for further updates about the program and our competitors in Bermuda.
