Blue Water Black Magic — Design a yacht

Ahead of the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland, Workshop e was engaged by the New Zealand Maritime Museum to enhance the visitor experience within the Blue Water Black Magic exhibit by introducing relevant new content, delivering new interactive and media methods and refreshing the displays. Satellite was tasked with refreshing the “design a yacht” interactive, modernising the experience to deepen the relevance of the exhibition.

The brief was to utilise four separate 43” ELO screens, located under the NZL32, to help visitors gain a greater insight into the characteristics of an America’s Cup boat and develop a better understanding of the differences in performance brought about by new designs and prevailing wind conditions.

The resulting interactive allows visitors to select from elements of contemporary America’s Cup boat design — primarily hull shape, foils, and sail size — within the Class Rules that are set by defenders of each America’s Cup.

By comparing and understanding how their yacht performs against others, visitors are able to gauge their success and see how their design stacks up in the given wind conditions.

Photography: David St. George, Sam Hartnett courtesy Workshop e