Organised by the British Marine Federation (BMF) and Marine South East (MSE), the aim of the challenge is to introduce school children to the world of marine engineering. Marine companies across the south east link up with local schools to give the pupils an insight into the world of boat building.

Having spent the last few months designing and building solar powered, electric powered and biofuel powered boats, the pupils came together at Southwater Watersports Centre near Horsham to race against fellow pupils.

The overall prize went to Kent-based Dane Court School, the innovation award went to West Sussex-based Midhurst Intermediate School and the teamwork prize went to Newstead School for Girls, based in Kent.

Paul Dean, head of design and technology at Dane Court School was delighted with his pupils’ performance: ‘This is the second year we’ve taken part and it’s proving to be a fantastic way to get kids interested in engineering and the marine sector. They’ve been working on their boats and designs since October, with the pace of activity really heating up in the last few weeks.’