Sonar (boat class)
| Notation | |
|---|---|
.svg)
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| Boat dimensions | |
| Length above : | 7.0 m |
| Length WL : | 6.1 m |
| Width above sea level : | 2.4 m |
| Draft : | 1.2 m |
| Weight (ready to sail): | 950 kg |
| Weight (ballast, keel): | 408 kg |
| Sail area | |
| Sail area close to the wind : | 23.2 m² |
| Spinnaker : | 22.8 m² |
| Others | |
The Sonar is a 7 m (23 ft) one-design keelboat for three to five people.
The boat is 7 m long. It is 2.4 m wide and 1.2 m draft. It weighs 950 kg, 408 kg of which is ballast, with a sail area of 23.2 m² plus a 22.8 m² spinnaker . It is rigged up , with a mainsail and a jib and spinnaker. The sonar is usually sailed by four people.
history
The sonar was designed in 1979 by Bruce Kirby, the designer of the laser . Since then, over 700 boats have been built. The largest fleet can be found in the USA , smaller ones in Great Britain and Canada . The introduction of sonar as a Paralympic boat class has greatly contributed to its worldwide spread.
The sonar was inducted into the 2004 American Sailboat Hall of Fame .
It all started when Bruce Kirby's sailing club, the Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT USA, could not find a boat class to allow more members to participate in regattas. Several boat classes were examined. However, these were either too expensive, too slow or too demanding to sail. So Kirby was asked to develop a new boat class.
It should be fun to take part in a regatta, be easy to use by sailors of all ages, strengths and skills, it should be suitable as a day sailor, be spacious and comfortable to spend the whole day in. It should be easy to transport and get into the water. In addition, it should be easy to teach newbies about sailing. To do this, the class rules should be simple.
The result was the sonar.
Results of Paralympic Games and World Championships
The sonar has been a Paralympic class since 2000. The handicapped can sail the boat by three people and without a spinnaker. Instead, the main sail and jib butterfly are used on downwind courses. The sonar is very suitable for the handicapped, as it has a very large cockpit through which various adjustments are possible.
Paralympic Games
Results of the 2000 Paralympic Games
| medal | Skipper | team |
| gold |
 Noel Robins ( AUS )
|
Jamie Dunross, Graeme Martin |
| silver |
 Hans-Peter Reichl ( D )
|
Peter Muenter, Jens Kroker |
| bronze |
 David Williams ( KAN )
|
Paul Tingley, Brian MacDonald |
Results of the 2004 Paralympic Games
| medal | Skipper | team |
| gold |
 Dror Cohen ( ISR )
|
Arnon Efrati, Benni Vexler |
| silver |
 Udo Hessels ( NED )
|
Marcel van de Veen, Mischa Rossen, Annette Ten Dam |
| bronze |
 John Ross Duggan ( USA )
|
Jean Paul Creignou, Bradley Johnson, Roger Cleworth Jr |
Results of the 2008 Paralympic Games
| space | country | athlete | Points (total / weight) 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Germany
|
Jens Kroker Robert Prem Siegmund Mainka |
55/35 |
| 2 |
 France
|
Bruno Jourdren Herve Larhant Nicolas Vimont-Vicary |
61/36 |
| 3 |
 Australia
|
Colin Harrison Russell Boaden Graeme Martin |
61/36 |
| 4th |
 Norway
|
Jostein Stordahl Per Eugen Kristiansen Aleksander Wang-Hansen |
61/37 |
| 5 |
 Israel
|
Dror Cohen Arnon Efrati Benny Vexler |
68/38 |
| 6th |
 United Kingdom
|
John Robertson Stephen Thomas Hannah Stodel |
59/41 |
| 7th |
 Greece
|
Vasileios Christoforou Theodoros Alexas Nikolaos Paterakis |
58/41 |
| 8th |
 United States
|
Rick Doerr Tim Angle Bill Donohue |
73/47 |
Date: September 13, 2008, 1:30 p.m.
total = total,
weighted without deletion results. = evaluated, with results deleted
The placement corresponded to the number of points that the sailors received for a race. The two worst placements were deleted, the rest added, so that the final value was created.
World championships
Open
The 2007 World Championship in Marblehead, USA
| medal | Skipper | team |
| gold |
Bill Lynn ( USA )
|
Ed Keller, Chris Hufstader, Doug Sabin |
| silver |
Greg Anthony ( USA )
|
Mike Rush, PJ Schaffer, Henry Filter |
| bronze |
Rick Dominique ( USA )
|
Disabled
The 2007 World Championship in Rochester, USA
| medal | Skipper | team |
| gold |
Rick Doerr ( USA )
|
Tim Angle, Bill Donahue |
| silver |
Paul Callahan ( USA )
|
Tom Brown, Roger Cleworth |
| bronze |
Jens Kroker ( GER )
|
Tobias Schuetz, Sigi Mainka |
Quote
"The Sonar may well be the best boat I've ever designed." - Bruce Kirby -
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sperry Top-Sider Sonar World Championship ( English ) sonar.org. Archived from the original on August 16, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ↑ IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship, 2007 ( English ) 2007ifdsworlds.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2019.