Development and Initial Review of the Mark II Navy 44 Sail Training Craft

Offshore seamanship and navigation training in small sailing craft is a key component in the professional development of many midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. Spanning six decades, the offshore sail training program uses purpose designed and built craft that occupy a unique niche in the sailing world. This paper details the development and initial feedback from the fourth generation craft. As the paper also includes significant technical design detail, it can also serve as a example of modern cruising yacht design. The paper identifies the major design drivers as well as the key design decisions with the background reasoning and research. Significant technical details of the hull, appendages, deck layout and rigging are presented, along with material selections and quality assurance and control processes. Midstream design changes are explained as well as feedback from the sea trials, delivery and initial racing and sail training use. Finally, the lessons learned from the entire process are presented for consideration.