The Chesapeake 50 schooner class is based on the New York 50 class of yachts designed by Herreshoff in the 1930's. After seeing the design at a regatta in Spring Lake, New Jersey, Herb Jones and Frank Pittelli decided to build hull, deck and keel molds that could be used to develop a racing schooner that would combine both beauty and performance. The models were built to the same scale as the original boat to maintain an authentic look, without sacrificing any of its excellent handling characteristics.

See 2001 Event Reports for more details about the construction process and 2002 Event Reports to see how well the completed models did after a full year of racing against other schooners.

The Linda Lee was built by Frank Pittelli and was the first Chesapeake 50 to be completed and sailed in a regatta. The hull is made of fiberglass, while the deck is made of a fiberglass under-deck, planked with homemade Popular planks. The masts and booms are all wooden, with scratch-built fittings throughout the boat. The sails are also hand-made, using 1.5 oz spinnaker cloth remnants courtesy of the local sail loft.

Shown here in a heavy breeze, the Chesapeake 50 knifes through the water with plenty of grace and forgiveness. The scale depth keel makes her a little tender, but Society members have been adjusting the sail plan to compensate for that characteristics with very good results.