Education Program for Chesapeake stopover Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Glenn Bourke, was joined by senior officials of the Chesapeake stopover organization in Baltimore, USA, on Oct. 7, 2003 for the formal signing of the stopover agreement, and a new education program was announced for the Chesapeake stopover to be held in April 2006. Using the Volvo Ocean Race, a brand new education program will provide a portal through which students and their families can increase their understanding of the dynamics of the oceans and the Chesapeake Bay. Joining Ocean Race Chesapeake, in the development of this programme will be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (www.noaa.gov), the Consortium of Oceanographic Research and Education www.coreoceans.org), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (www.nasa.gov) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (www.cbf.org).

Baltimore's Inner Harbor Photo by Jack Hardesty

Using a set of curriculum and information on the race from www.volvooceanrace.org, these partners will use sailing and ocean racing as tools to bring children to an appreciation of the oceans and the Chesapeake Bay, while tracking the progress of the boats. Teachers and club leaders will be provided with a set of curricular materials and competition guidelines to learn about the race; its historical importance, the physics of its execution, and the calculations required to achieve success.

Schools and clubs will be invited to compete state-wide in predicting the exact time the first boat will cross the Chesapeake finish line of the leg between Rio and Baltimore. To make this prediction, students will need to examine weather, tides and currents, aerodynamics, and geography. Schools and clubs with the closest to accurate predictions will be treated to a visit from the racers themselves and a trip to see the racing yachts.

With these and other activities to be held during the event, Baltimore and Annapolis anticipate another successful visit by the Volvo fleet to the Chesapeake.

Speaking at the press conference, Glenn Bourke said, "The Chesapeake stopover in 2002 attracted 400,000 guests from around the world. After two highly successful stopovers in here, we are delighted to formalise the arrangement today for our third visit, and look forward to working with Ocean Race Chesapeake, who will once again manage the stopover. The education programme announced today is an exciting project, which will involve children and their families from the region in the event, and we look forward to welcoming everyone down to see the fleet when it arrives in The Chesapeake Bay. One aspect that really makes a stopover over special is when there is a 'home-town' boat and it is great to see the local area represented with an preliminary entry into the event and we hope they can emulate the successful Chessie Racing campaign which helped make the stopover so successful in 1998."

Mayor Ellen Moyer, commented, "The activities planned for the Volvo Ocean Race stopover on the Chesapeake highlight the significance of this event while engaging many more people in its excitement. The educational and economic components will continue to raise the profile of our region in the maritime industry. Ocean Race Chesapeake has done a wonderful job putting together a programme that will make our stopover the best ever, for the fleet and for those who follow it here.