Thanks to Paul Perry for this report…and for singlehandedly pulling together this Championship.

The Sonar Class Association held the 2025 Midwinters Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida, from February 14-16 at the St Pete Yacht Club. There were seven boats participating from the U.S. and Ireland. 

Tacked on to the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series, the Sonar Midwinters Championship promised to be a challenging three days in varying wind conditions and it delivered. 

A Weekend of Racing: Testing Skill and Strategy

Day 1 brought steady 7-9 knot winds, shifting gradually from 060° to 045°, with a manageable current. Conditions allowed for efficient course setting, with Sonars battling tight, tactical races throughout the day. With first warning at 1000, the race committee was able to get off four solid races. Kevin Holmberg’s Fawkes managed to win each of the four races though the fleet kept it incredibly close. Caileen Ban was hot on his heels with a total of 10 points and PINGrrrrr sitting in a very close 3rd with 12 points. Competitors returned to the docks by 1530.

Day 2 saw a more dynamic racecourse, with the wind clocking from 145° to 245°. Winds started at 10 knots, softened midday, and picked up again to 10-12 knots. The incoming current and shifting breeze tested crews’ ability to adapt quickly, making for an intense day on the water. With another 1000 first warning, four more races were completed. Fawkes continued their strategy sailing their own race in 5 and 6 securing victories. However, Caileen Ban took the victories in races 7 and 8. PINGrrrrr finished 3rd in each of the 4 races solidifying their placement. With the next day forecast looking windy, the class decided upon a morning of decision for racing. 

Day 3 arrived with big breeze and big decisions. With a southerly cold front rolling in, winds built to 17 knots with gusts reaching 31 knots, alongside a 1.25-knot flooding tide. It was a thrilling final day. Four of the fleet went out with the others electing to play it safe and stay on shore. Kevin Holmberg’s team won race 9 followed by Cayennita IV and Sonar 04. There was one breakdown but happily no one was hurt. After race 9, the RC decided conditions were unfavorable and the fleet was sent in. 

Over the 3-day regatta, Kevin and crew of Paul Perry, Ryan Gray, and PJ Hornik focused mostly on speed in their pseudo home waters. Changing cars, ensuring proper blocking, and sailing a few degrees off certainly gave them that speed through the chop and light air races. While some sailors focused more on pointing, Fawkes would bow down, power through, and round the top mark in first nearly every time. “Whenever we were tuned properly, our upwind speed was unmatched. After that and tactics, our biggest focus was on maneuvering. Executing a gybe or setting faster than the boat next to us gave us the edge a few times. We like to dial it in on our own race. Whether there are 30 boats on the course or 3, getting wrapped up in someone else’s tactics will distract you from what you know your boat is capable of doing well.” -Fawkes crew

Kevin Holmberg won the midwinters championship with a total of 11 points over 9 races. This gave him a commanding lead over John Twomey (24 points) and Sue Davidson (32 points). 

Sonar Midwinter Championship Results

Final Sonar Standings:

🥇 Fawkes – Kevin Holmberg – Consistently strong throughout the event, Kevins team executed on their strategies, maintained speed through the chop, and sailed each race as if it was the only one which mattered. 

1st Place at the 2025 Sonar Midwinters: Fawkes – Ryan Grey, Paul Perry, Kevin Holmberg, PJ Hornik

🥈 Caileen Ban – John Twomey – The Irish team from Cork delivered an outstanding performance, proving their skill in a variety of conditions. John’s boat was difficult to catch and if he rounded a mark in front of you, it was highly unlikely you’d be regaining ground. 

2nd Place at the 2025 Sonar Midwinters: Caileen Ban – Michael Leinweber, John Twomey, Brad Kendall, Bryan Tabler (not pictured)

🥉 PINGrrrr – Sue Davidson – Demonstrating resilience and speed, rounding out the top three with competitive finishes each day. Sue was always a player at the top of the fleet. She played it safely and would adapt to what other boats around were doing to avoid losing ground and put her at a tactical advantage.  

 

3rd Place at the 2025 Sonar Midwinters: PINGrrrrr – Sue Davidson, Jan Promer, Audrey Orgo (not pictured), Clay Smith, Lori Ledbetter

Special thanks to the seven sonars who came out to race. Without them, this regatta would not have happened. Each day upon hitting the docks, some of the fleet would gather and talk about tuning and tactics which worked for the recent races. We live for the competition but are only as good as the fleet as a whole.  Every Sonar finished their days with a happy crew, positive feelings, and smiles on their faces. A true Corinthian spirit and what the class is all about!

(The crew members are not in order)

Acknowledgments:

This event would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Race Organizer Sarah Renz, Sailing World Editor & Master of Ceremonies Dave Reed, and the team of Principal Race Officers (PROs):

Mark F. DeGuire 

Todd Fedyszyn 

Dick Nevel

Jennifer Dorsch 

Darcy Cook 

Mike Kaspar (Chief Judge)

A sincere thank you to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for hosting another world-class event. From race management to dock operations and hospitality, the dedication of the club and St. Petersburg Sailing Center ‘s staff, volunteers, and members ensures a top-tier regatta experience year after year.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors & Partners

The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series – St. Petersburg and the Sonar Midwinter Championship were made possible through the generous support of:

Helly Hansen Heritage

Mount Gay Rum 

Quantum Sails 

Helly Hansen Today

SailFlow 

Marlow Ropes 

Sunsail 

Team One Newport 

J/Boats, Newport, RI 

US Sailing 

Fishers Island Lemonade 

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater 

Ripe Bar Juices

British Virgin Islands

Sailors for the Sea Clean Regattas

SafeSail 

Regatta Rescue 

With another Sonar Midwinter Championship in the books, we congratulate all competitors and look forward to another incredible year of racing. Until next time—fair winds and following seas!

Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT) has announced that they will host the second biennial Susan Widmann Sinclair Women’s Championship June 13-15, 2025. The Sinclair Women’s Championship is now considered one of North America’s elite level women’s keelboat championships.

The Championship was created recognizing the demand for more national-level women’s keelboat regattas and, appropriately, is named for Sue Sinclair, a championship sailor and lifelong member of Noroton Yacht Club. In 1962, Sue won the Adams Cup, US Sailing’s Women’s Sailing Championship, and she was named the second Martini and Rossi Yachtsman-of-the-Year (now sponsored by Rolex). The inaugural Sinclair Championship was held in 2023 and was won by Sara Morgan Watters, Gloria Kevliciute, Catherine Shanahan, and Sophie Taczak who hope to return to defend their title. Twelve women’s teams will be selected to compete in this umpired fleet race invitational championship to be sailed in Sonars on Long Island Sound. In addition to being awarded the Susan Widmann Sinclair Women’s Championship trophy, the winning skipper will receive a berth to compete in New York Yacht Club’s 2026 Women’s Championship as well as a berth for the 2027 Sinclair Championship. Teams wishing to be considered should contact Regatta Chair Nancy Pearson (nancy.pearson@harborcrest.com) requesting an application form. All completed requests for invitation must be submitted by February 10. Teams selected to compete in the 2025 Sinclair Women’s Championship will be notified by March 3.

US Sailing’s Adult Director Betsy Alison was on hand for Saturday’s dinner at the 2024 Sonar World Championship at Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT. After dinner, Betsy gave this special presentation:

I join you tonight to celebrate not only the high caliber of sailing at this Sonar World Championship, but to honor a long-standing member of the class and supporter of sailors and teams within the class.  I am here on behalf of the President of US Sailing, Rich Jepsen, to make a special presentation.

The President’s Award is a special one.  It is given by the Board President to people who have made exceptional contributions to the sport of sailing and US Sailing. The Board President has discretion in who receives the award.

In your midst, you have an individual who has dedicated countless hours to ensuring that all sailors are able to get out on the water and compete at a high level. In the early days of Paralympic Sailing, he started creating adaptations that enabled sailors to maximize their abilities on the water, so that they could compete on an equal footing with able bodied counterparts. Fondly known as the “Grandfather of Disabled Sailing,” he has spent more than 30 years fine tuning equipment, moving boats and equipment around the country and the world, jumping on board boats with sailors in need of a great teammate, and doing what needed to be done to support sailors at events at home and abroad.  As a class measurer, he has worked tirelessly to ensure that the rules are followed for fair competition and worked with the Sonar class on the development of Appendix B in the Sonar class rules to accommodate the equipment needed by sailors with a disability to be able to regularly participate in the open sonar class events.  On any given day, you might find Gene trailering boats up and down the coast, on a flight to Ireland to sail in Cork week or acting as bosun at an adaptive regatta anywhere in the country.

In US Sailing President Rich Jepsen’s words: “Gene Hinkel has lived a life of service for the sport we all love.  His professional and volunteer careers are legendary, and he is universally loved and respected for his unselfish devotion to enabling all, regardless of physical ability, to compete. He is a perfect role model for all service minded sailors.  And, after 80 years on this planet, Gene is still going strong.

On behalf of US Sailing and sailors of all capacities throughout the US, I hereby award Gene Hinkel the President’s Award for long, illustrious, and meritorious service to Para sailing.”