The regatta is an educational project designed by GVSU Engineering Professor Shirley Fleischmann, who previously taught at the U.S. Naval Academy. Fleischmann organized the regatta at the Naval Academy for six years. This is the seventh year she has run the event at Grand Valley. The tangible result of this project is 26 highly original designs. They test hull resistance in a 12-foot tank built and donated by S2 Yachts of Holland, Michigan.
Students test the sails, which they made themselves, in a wind tunnel.
Based on these tests, students use scaling laws to predict how the hulls and sails of a full-scale boat will perform. This is all put into a report which is graded. The Wooden Shoe Regatta includes competitions for style and speed. The boats will be on display at GVSU s Eberhard Center in downtown Grand Rapids on Tuesday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Room 616. The speed competition takes place in a tank over an 8-foot course and will be held on Wednesday, July 30, in Room 713 at 3 p.m.