The Naval Academy recently competed in the World Robotic Sailing Championship (WRSC) held in Matosinhos, Portugal. The Academy team was represented by Ensigns Owen Brooks and Matthew Hamlet, both 2009 graduates. The Academy was the only team from North America and placed 4th out of 8 teams. This is the first time the Academy has participated in the WRSC.
The WRSC is a competition open to fully autonomous and unmanned sailing boats up to 4 meters in length. The sail boats were tested on the open sea and performed a series of sailing maneuvers.
Boat construction for the Academy began in August 2008 at the start of the fall semester. The team consisted of 5 people, including Brooks, 21, of Amityville, N.Y., and Hamlet, 23, of Syracuse, N.Y. Second semester the team grew to approximately 10 people.
The finished boat was 2 meters long and used a programmable logic board and differential global positioning system for navigation. The Academy team used old windsurfing sails to create the sails.
Hamlet, a systems engineering major, focused on the electrical system inside the boat while Brooks, a naval architecture major, made sure the boat was structurally sound and water tight.
Brooks and Hamlet hit a few setbacks before arriving in Portugal. After their original flight from Chicago to Frankfurt was canceled, the ensigns caught a later flight routed through London and arrived in Portugal around midnight – 14 hours later than expected. After catching only four hours of sleep, Brooks and Hamlet spent their early morning assembling the boat, which included gluing the mast back together.
The next day, the Academy team faced 20-25 knot winds and was one of the few ships to even venture out into the ocean. Unfortunately, the team soon encountered difficulties and was forced to leave the water. Although the winds persisted the next day, Brooks and Hamlet sustained a fast speed and good control of their vessel.
‘‘The Academy’s small two meter boat showed that it could out-perform it’s significantly larger-sized competition,” said Hamlet.
The trip was a success both professionally and personally. Brooks and Hamlet had time to explore the towns of Porto and Matosinhos, and learn about the culture and language.
The pair were also able to evaluate their performance and bring back valuable information for future teams.
‘‘Being able to research auton-omous surface vessels, construct our own boat, and network with other graduates in the field will no doubt benefit the education of our team,” said Brooks.
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