Ponant (sailing dinghy)
The Ponant is a French plastic - yawl , with trapeze and spinnaker can be sailed. It was constructed in 1950 by the French ship carpenter M. Deschamps. These boats were built in France , in the 1½-shell construction usual for French dinghies (similar to the construction of the 470 dinghy ). The dimensions: about 5.25 m long, 1.98 m wide, 16.3 m² sail area, of which the main sail accounts for about 10 m² and the jib about 6 m². Spinnakers can have a sail area of up to 22 m². The mast height is 7.40 m, the weight about 160 kg, the yardstick number 104.
The identification mark of the Ponanten is a red foresail . The sailing symbol is a red horse standing on its hind legs. In terms of the cockpit structure, the deck design and the choice of fittings, the Ponant is very similar to the 505 dinghy , but due to a double chine hull , the Ponant is much more dimensionally stable than the 505.
In France, especially on the Mediterranean , the Ponant is widespread, but in Germany it has hardly been able to establish itself. Only on the Schluchsee (Black Forest) is there a considerable fleet with regatta activities, some isolated Ponanten were or are based on the Steinhuder Meer near Hanover since the 1970s .