Photo by Colleen Cavalieri.

The new design, built by Pearson Composites, will replace the well-used fleet of McCurdy and Rhodes Navy 44s. Because the McCurdy and Rhodes Navy 44s are 20 years old, they would have required an extensive refit of all the systems to keep them serviceable for the Academy. Research in the project planning stages showed building a new fleet that would last another 20 years was more cost effective than maintaining the older boats for a longer period.

''As a training platform, these workhorses must be forgiving to sail, strong, safe and seaworthy,'' said David Pedrick regarding his design brief for the MK II.

The new generation of Navy 44s was designed to be close replicas to the old ones, with evolutionary changes, but nothing revolutionary. The boats are designed to be lighter and stronger through use of improved materials. They will be faster because of weight reduction and improved design. The hulls and deck are constructed of fiberglass reinforced plastic sandwich laminate.

''They are a purpose-built boat that will function very well to accomplish the mission of training midshipmen for the next 20 years,'' said Dan Rugg, the director of the Academy’s Command, Seamanship and Navigation Training Squadron (CSNTS).

Photo by Colleen Cavalieri.

''A very strong effort was made to keep the good characteristics of the MK I, while improving safety, handling, maintenance and performance under sail and power,'' said Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Professor Paul Miller.

Between 1996 through the delivery of the first boat in October, more than 25 Naval Academy students worked on research projects related to the development of the MK II, including hull design, performance analysis, deck layout, grounding loads, hull structure and sail design.

Students in the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Department designed and conducted impact tests at the Academy tank testing facility to test the hull integrity in adverse conditions. Performance aspects of the keel and rudder with an emphasis on safety were studied. An asymmetric spinnaker was designed, built at the Naval Academy’s sail loft, and tested aboard an older Navy 44. Numerous aspects of the Midshipmen’s research were implemented in the final design of the new boats.

After the build process began, a keel modification was deemed necessary to achieve an acceptable righting moment for safety purposes, and the resulting stiffer boat was well worth the wait.

CSNTS supports the Naval Academy mission through teaching teamwork, practical aspects of navigation and leadership skills in a small unit setting aboard the Navy 44s. The boats are also used by the Varsity Offshore Sailing Team in intercollegiate big boat regattas, many of which the Naval Academy hosts. In addition, varsity Midshipmen sailing teams compete in local regattas on the Chesapeake Bay and in offshore races all along the East Coast.

The Naval Academy is scheduled to receive a total of 24 new sailboats. One boat will be delivered approximately every six weeks.

Both in competition and leadership on the water, the new Navy 44 MK II will provide a seamless continuation of sail training for young men and women at the Naval Academy.