By Gary Anderson

October 22 - A new competition for schools called Sail Art has been launched with the help of Olympic champions Sir Ben Ainslie and Iain PercyMulti Olympic gold medallists Sir Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy are backing a national competition which will see three designs by schoolchildren chosen to adorn the sails of star class boats that will be raced at the London Boat Show next year.


The Sail Art competition is being run by the Campaign for Drawing charity and Fine Art Sails in support of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF), set up in honour of the British sailor following his tragic death in May during training for the America's Cup in San Francisco.

The competition is open to 28,000 UK schools and every child in the country, and will see designs from three age categories - seven to 10-years-old, 11 to 14-years-old and 15 to 17-years-old - chosen to adorn the 10 metre tall sails of three Olympic star class boats which will be taking part in competition in London on January 4 and 5 next year.

The theme of the competition is "Legends of the Sea" and youngsters are being encouraged to design their ideas around sea gods, mythical marine creatures, Atlantis and other ocean related topics.

Three lucky winners will have their designs adorn the sails of the Olympic star class boats taking part in the London Boat Show in January 2014Three lucky winners will have their designs adorn the sails of the Olympic star class boats taking part in the London Boat Show in January 2014


























"Sailing is a fantastic sport in many ways but not just on the water," said four-time Olympic champion and America's Cup winner Sir Ben.

"It's a way youngsters can express themselves.

"The sail is a great canvas for kids to paint all over and express themselves in different ways.

"I'm very excited about that".

The first prizes will also include a day sailing with Olympic sailors, including Sir Ben and Percy, Staedtler art materials worth £250 ($403/€293) for the winning schools, and a special invitation to the London Boat Show in January 2014 to watch the Fine Art Sails regatta.

"My idea with this competition is to let every child in the country know about sailing, not just as a sport but as a potential career path," said Michael Ross, who founded Fine Art Sails last year to help create better ties between the international sailing community and the world of fine art.

"Not every school has sailing as an activity, but every child in the country has art lessons.

"This competition will bring sailing into every child's art class".

As well as the three winning student artworks being hoisted onto Olympic star class sails for the regatta, three new established artists' work will join four sails from last year's regatta by Goldie, Julian Opie, David Begbie and EINE.

Sir Ben Ainslie dedicated his America's Cup win to his late friend and Team GB teammate Andrew SimpsonSir Ben Ainslie dedicated his America's Cup win to his late friend and Team GB teammate Andrew Simpson


























"One of the things I really love about sailing is the ocean," said Percy, who won two Olympic sailing titles with the late Simpson and along with Sir Ben and Simpson's widow Leah, set up the ASSF to help encourage and support youngsters looking to pursue a career within the sailing world.

"The beauty of it.

"The power of it sometimes.

"I want young people in this sailing art competition to capture it for us".

Schools are permitted to submit one entry per age category and closing date for entries is 2pm on November 29.

For more information on the competition click here.

To view a video of Sir Ben and Iain Percy introducing the Sail Art competition click here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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