Shifting Winds Affect the Mids' Sailing Program

A crew of Mids learns the ropes on a Navy 44 off Annapolis, but new academy guidelines have cut its chances of making an ocean voyage. (By Angus Phillips For The Washington Post)
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It's a $17 million investment, Cavalieri said, but without adequate funds to commission and maintain the new boats, he may be unable to put them into service.

The cutbacks also put pressure on the offshore racing program, said Jahn Tihansky, a civilian who runs that operation. "I'm concerned mostly about safety," he said. "To do what we've traditionally done -- send teams on the Bermuda Races, the Annapolis to Newport, around Long Island and other offshore races, you can't just throw the boats out on the ocean. They have to be ready.

"It seems like we've done an about-face with sailing as a training and leadership exercise," Tihansky said. "We've been doing these events for 50 years. All of a sudden we're on hold."

Fowler was unavailable to comment but the Commandant of Midshipmen, Capt. Margaret D. Klein, confirmed that sail training has been deemphasized in an effort to give mids more exposure to the fleet via summer postings on aviation, submarine and seagoing missions. Instead of sailing to Newport, she said, most rising third-class mids (sophomores) will be assigned to postings within the active fleet.

"It's just a different approach to training midshipmen to be outstanding Naval officers," she said. "The sailing program enjoyed a lot of attention from the previous superintendent. Admiral Fowler doesn't share that same view as we prepare our midshipmen for service in the global war on terror."

Klein said she's worked closely with Cavalieri to make sure he has the funds to run the varsity program and to keep the big boats he uses for other programs safe.

Cavalieri complimented the academy for its continued commitment to the dinghy racing program, which he also oversees, but said: "I've got until April 15 to get a budget approved for my summer [training] program. I'm looking for gift funds or anything just to keep the program alive."

Without money in the pipeline, Cavalieri reckons he may have to do something no sailor likes: Instead of preparing boats for the upcoming sailing season, he may end up shrink-wrapping them. It's not a pretty prospect.