ITS Maritime Challenge Team Join International Atlantic Challenge 2008

Iman D Nugroho

The Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) of Surabaya's prepares team to join international maritime game called International Atlantic Challenge (IAC) in Jakobstad City of Finland on July 27 until August 3. The Team which called ITS Maritime Challenge (IMC) will use 12 meters boat which originally design by them selves.


IAC is an international experiential education organization operating in many nations. Atlantic Challenge International programs practice, share, and encourage the rise of the skills of the sea including boat building, sailing, rowing, and seamanship. Its activities bring youth together with the intent of fostering cultural and global understanding.

The “roots” of the Atlantic Challenge movement come from the teachings of Kurt Hahn (1886-1974), one of the twentieth century’s greatest educators. Hahn firmly believed in the value of experiential education and that self discovery comes through challenge. David Byatt, Atlantic Challenge International Trustee from the UK, had the good fortune to be educated by Hahn in the late 40’s, and to teach at Hahn’s school, Gordonstoun, for over twenty years. David has this to say about Kurt Hahn:

Hahn felt that the way to satisfy this desire for a challenge and to meet it in a harmless and formative way was to send young people out into the hills and onto the sea so that they might be challenged by the forces of nature and learn to meet with them and treat them with respect. In so doing they would learn about themselves and their fellows at the same time.

Although Hahn himself was not a recreational sailor, he understood what experience at sea could do for those who ventured forth, and who are challenged and developed as a result. To preserve the spirit, Atlantic Challenge International sponsors a friendly contest of seamanship in Bay gigs, held in a different host country. Lance Lee (USA) and Bernard Cadoret (France) initiated Atlantic Challenge in 1986, when gigs from these two countries competed under the statue of liberty. Over 12 nations and 55 Bay gigs have been built worldwide.

ITS IMC which all around with 17 college students, 13 men and 4 women, has officially launched this Wednesday, May 14 by ITS Vice Chairman, Prof Dr Ir. Suasmoro DEA. He hopes IMC will struggle hard to reach the best position on that event. ”I give my trust to this team, I knew that they have prepared everything and will never give up even they facing very bad situation,” he said.

By joined in this event, Suasmoro said, is not only continuing ITS tradition to be Indonesian representation team on international events, but also train their soft skill. Hopefully, students especially members of IMC can get many advantages from it. “For example, the IMC can build connection with students around the world, its very useful for their futures,” he said.

Team adviser Dhaniel M. Rosyid said IMC can be student’s leadership and teamwork training arena, two most important elements in student’s future. Otherwise, Dhaniel hopes IMC can be one of ITS’s achievements and makes this country proud with it. On 2004, ITS team became a winner for the same even which held in France. Unfortunately on IAC 2006 in Genoa, Italy, ITS team only got fourth place of 14 participants from 14 countries.

Much hope means hard work for IMC. The team which built in November 2006 used tide selections to found 17 IMC members from 77 applicants. After they were trained for eight months, finally IMC announced 17 best students to join IMC in Jakobstad, Finland. “After we were chose, we must get involve in our two different training programs, “sea training” and “land training”,” Fadwi Mukti Wibowo, IMC Team Coordinator said.

They were taught many things on that training season. On “Sea training” for example, IMC members have to learn how to use oar, ride a sailboat, sea navigation and many thing which useful on sea. “Land training” focus on physic and rope skills. “Its very hard training, but it will very useful for us,” Fadwi said. He wishes his team can reach The Spirit of Atlantic Challenge Award, the “roll trophy” of IAC (piala bergilir).

For reach their dreams, IMC have to try harder. When 17 best students chosen, they faced hard train. Such as ride a sailboat in three different weathers, rainy, summer and windy, which might happen in Finland. “We were trained in a maximum hot weather or sail the boat through two meters wave,” Fadwi said.

Beside prepared their physic, IMC have rebuilt and repaired their sailboat. Learn from previous team, which got broke pole, they designed stronger pole and sail to keep work even wind blows fast. The team have remade their oar too. They use lighter and stronger woods with wider point. “We combine jati and pinus tree woods which will produce more power but less energy,” he said.

Now, the 11,29 meters long and 6 meters high sailboat is ready to use. Shipping through Helskinsky to Finland, IMC’s sailboat called MERDEKA, scheduling arrives on Jakobstaad on July 15. “We’ll try to show the world that we are really-really come from maritime country,” he said. Not only that, IMC have plan to show their art talent by perform Karawitan or Javanese music, Reyog Ponorogo and Malang Mask dance.