Sonar (keelboat)
The Sonar is a 7 m (23 ft) one-design keelboat for three to five people. It is Bermuda-rigged, with a large mainsail and a 100% jib. The class is recognised by the International Sailing Federation.
 Class symbol | |
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| Boat | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 3 or 4 |
| Draft | 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) |
| Hull | |
| Hull weight | 950 kg (2,090 lb) of which 408 kg (899 lb) is ballast |
| LOA | 7 m (23 ft) |
| LWL | 6.1 m (20 ft) |
| Beam | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Sails | |
| Spinnaker area | 22.8 m2 (245 sq ft) |
| Upwind sail area | 23.2 m2 (250 sq ft) |
| Racing | |
| D-PN | 81.0[1] |
| RYA PN | 940[2] |
| Paralympics class | |
The Sonar showcased disabled sailing at the 1996 Paralympic Games where the sport was a demonstration event with just the Sonar. The Sonar has been the three person keelboat at every subsequent Paralympics. When being sailed by people who are disabled it is crewed by 3, and sailed without a spinnaker. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for maximum exposed sail area. The Sonar is well suited for sailors who are disabled because of its large open cockpit making adaptations easy.
The Sonar was designed in 1979 by Bruce Kirby, designer of the popular Laser dinghy. Since then, over 800 boats have been built. Most of the fleet is in the US, with smaller fleets in Britain and Canada. Since its adoption as a Paralympic class the Sonar has spread to many other countries as well.
The Sonar was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame in 2004.
History
Events
Open Worlds Championships
The regatta is open to all competitors who meet the International Sonar Class Association eligibility requirements.
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
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| 2001 Noroton, CT | 
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| 2004 St. Petersburg, FL |
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| 2005 Cowes, UK | |
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| 2007 Marblehead, MA |
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| 2009 Noroton, CT | |
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| 2011 Rhu, Scotland | |
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| 2013 Rochester, NY |
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| 2015 Falmouth, MA | |
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| 2017 Lunenburg, NS | |
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| 2019 Rochester, NY | |
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Disabled World Championships
The Sonar has also been used extensively for adaptive sailing. The boat specifications are exactly the same for open and disabled sailing events, but additional adaptations are allowed to be fitted to the boat to aid the crew who are not permitted to hike or use a spinnaker. The World Championships is recognised by World Sailing.
Year |
Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Cadiz |  Jens Kroker Peter Muenter Peter Reichl |
 Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
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| 2001 Florida | Brian Mackie Brian MacDonald Paul Tingley |
Andrew Cassell Brian Harding Edward Suckling |
Jens Kroker Dietmar Steigel Peter Reichl |
| 2002 Medemblik | Jens Kroker Dietmar Steigel Peter Reichl |
Andrew Cassell Brian Harding Edward Suckling |
Brian Mackie Brian MacDonald Paul Tingley |
| 2003 Athens | Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
 Dror Cohen Benny Vaxler Michael Levy |
John Robertson Stephen Thomas Hannah Stodel |
| 2005 Sonderborg | John Robertson Stephen Thomas Hannah Stodel |
 Jostein Stordahl Aleksander Wang-Hansen Per Eugen Kristiansen |
Jens Kroker Holger Schonenberg Tobias Schuetz |
| 2006 Perth | John Robertson Stephen Thomas Hannah Stodel |
Jens Kroker Sigi Mainka Tobias Schuetz |
Jostein Stordahl Aleksander Wang-Hansen Per Eugen Kristiansen |
| 2007 Rochester, NY | Rick Doerr Tim Angle Bill Donahue |
Paul Callahan Tom Brown Roger Cleworth |
Jens Kroker Tobias Schuetz Sigi Mainka |
| 2009 Athens | Jens Kroker Robert Prem Siggy Mainka |
Dror Cohen Arnon Efrati Ben Vexler |
 Christoforou Vasilis Notaroglou Argiris Aleksas Thodoris |
| 2010 Medemblik | Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
John Robertson Hannah Stodel Stephen Thomas |
Jens Kroker Robert Prem Siegmund Mainka |
| 2011 Weymouth | Dror Cohen Benni Vexler Arnon Efrati |
John Robertson Hannah Stodel Stephen Thomas |
Aleksander Wang-Hansen Per Eugen Kristiansen Marie Solberg |
| 2012 Charlotte Harbor | Aleksander Wang-Hansen Per Eugen Kristiansen Marie Solberg |
 Bruno Jourdren Eric Flageul Nicolas Vimont-Vicary |
John Robertson Hannah Stodel Stephen Thomas |
| 2013 Kinsale | Bruno Jourdren Eric Flageul Nicolas Vimont-Vicary |
Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
.svg.png){kind=small} Colin Harrison Jonathan Harris Russel Boaden |
| 2014 Halifax | Bruno Jourdren Eric Flageul Nicolas Vimont-Vicary |
Paul Tingley Logan Campbell Scott Lutes |
Colin Harrison Jonathan Harris Russel Boaden |
| 2015 | John Robertson Hannah Stodel Stephen Thomas |
Colin Harrison Jonathan Harris Russel Boaden |
Aleksander Wang-Hansen Per Eugen Kristiansen Marie Solberg |
Paralympics
The Sonar has been the equipment used for the three person keelboat discipline at every Paralympic Sailing Competition.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Sydney | Noel Robins Jamie Dunross Graeme Martinl |
Jens Kroker Peter Muenter Peter Reichl |
Davis Williams Paul Tingley Brian MacDonald |
| 2004 Athens | Dror Cohen Arnon Efrati Benni Vexler |
Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
John Ross-Dugan Jean Paul Creignou Bradley Johnson |
| 2008 Beijing | Jens Kroker Siegmund Mainka Robert Prem |
Bruno Jourdren Eric Flageul Nicolas Vimont-Vicary |
Colin Harrison Russel Boaden Rodney Angwin |
| 2012 London | Udo Hessels Marcel van de Veen Mischa Rossen |
Jens Kroker Siegmund Mainka Robert Prem |
Alexander Wang-Hansen Marie Solberg Pee Eugen Christiansen |
| 2016 Rio | Russell Boaden Jonathan Harris (AUS) |
Hugh Freund Bradley Kendell (USA) |
Logan Campbell Scott Lutes (CAN) |
References
- "Keelboat Classes". US Sailing. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- "The RYA Portsmouth Yardstick Number List for 2004" (PDF). Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- http://www.rochesteryc.com/files/Sonar%20Worlds%20Series%20after%20%2010%20races.pdf
- https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=2760
- https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6051
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sonar (keelboat). |
