- Sonar (keelboat)
The Sonar is a 7 m (23 ft)
one-design keelboat for three to five people.The boat is 7 m long. It has a beam (width) of 2.4 m and draft (depth) of 1.2 m. It weighs 950 kg, of which 408 kg is ballast, with a sail area of 23.2 m² plus a 22.8 m²
spinnaker . It isbermuda -rigged, with a largemainsail and a 100%jib . The Sonar is usually crewed by four.The Sonar has been a
Paralympic class since 2000. When being sailed by 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 handicapped sailing because of its large cockpit making adaptations easy.The Sonar was designed in
1979 by Bruce Kirby, designer of the popular Laser dinghy. Since then, over 700 boats have been built. Most of the fleet is in the USA, 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
It started when Bruce Kirby's home club (Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT USA) couldn't find the right boat to get their members involved in club racing; fewer and fewer of its members were participating.
They studied a great many existing classes of boats but all were considered too expensive, too slow, too demanding to sail, or just plain uncomfortable. So Bruce was asked to design a new boat specifically to meet the requirements of a club racing one-design keelboat fleet.
It had to be exciting to race, but easy to handle by sailors of all ages, strengths and skill levels. It had to be a really good day sailor, spacious and comfortable to sit in all day long. It had to be trailerable, plus easy to launch for wet or dry sailing. Plus a safe, well behaved training boat to help teach new sailors how to sail and have fun doing it. Finally, it had to have a good but uncomplicated set of class rules.
The result was the Sonar. The Noroton Yacht Club got every thing they wanted and more. And the Sonar has been greeted with enthusiasm by individuals and clubs all over the world.
Reigning Champions
Paralympics
The 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece
Quotes
"The Sonar may well be the best boat I've ever designed." - Bruce Kirby -
External links
* [http://www.sonar.org/ International Sonar Class Association]
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