Noroton Yacht Club has a rich history of developing and promoting women sailing. As such, in 2023 the Club inaugurated its biennial Invitational Susan Widmann Sinclair Women’s Championship sailed in the Club’s fleet of Sonars.

The third edition of the Sinclair Championship was scheduled for 2027, but Noroton is bringing that date forward to May 16-17, 2026. This change allows the Sinclair Championship to better align with other national and international women’s championship regattas including New York Yacht Club’s Women’s Championship for the Joan H. Towse Trophy regatta to which the winning skipper of the Sinclair Championship receives an invitation.

Together with New York Yacht Club and other host organizations, Noroton Yacht Club continues to support women’s sailing and is pleased that the Sinclair Championship has become part of the women’s sailing international regatta schedule.

Requests for an invitation shall be accompanied with the skipper’s detailed sailing resume and must be submitted by January 15, 2026 to https://form.jotform.com/252684594250160. Invitations will be offered no later than January 30, 2026.

Please contact the Event Chair or visit the regatta website: https://norotonyc.org/regatta/PIOqcX38T1.

Event Chair: Nancy Pearson

Email: nancy.pearson@harborcrest.com

Phone: +1-203-434-4890

Over the weekend of September 20-23, Brian Doyle from Lake Sunapee (NH) Yacht Club, proved that a lake sailor can handle five-to-seven-foot seas running down Long Island Sound after a three-day easterly. Hosted by Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT, in winds in the mid-teens most of the weekend, it was “sporty” Sonar sailing with waves breaking over bows, planing downwind, and lots of bilge pumping.

Doyle was sailing with Shane Wells, Kelsey Wheeler, and Steve Kirkpatrick, Together they put on a master class in Sonar sailing winning five of eight races. They threw out a fourth to finish with only 10 points. He credits his win to his team’s performance noting, “Collectively we were on it. Every mark rounding, every tack, every gybe our boat handling was right on. That allowed us time to think about the course and go the right way. That said, the wind and wave conditions we encountered here are a little different than what we encounter on Lake Sunapee but we loved it.”

In second was local Noroton sailor TK Kinney with Alison Widmann Kinney, Kevin Sheehan, and Howard Seymour aboard. Kinney won three races finishing three points ahead of Erin Maxwell in third. Maxwell is another Noroton member who had as crew her husband Britt Bischoff, Gretchen Singsen, and her brother-in-law Clay Bischoff. Erin, one of the two women helms in the Championship noted, “It was work for everyone to keep the boats going upwind in the waves. Downwind was quite the ride working to keep the boat on its line surfing down waves.”

The International Sonar Class Association would like to thank Noroton Yacht Club for hosting this championship and NYC member Garin Pace for all the work he did as Event Chair.

Results:  https://norotonyc.org/regatta/HQQq0ZAkQs/results

Photos: Rick Bannerot

UPDATED SCHEDULE: September 20-21, Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT

The Sonar Class would like to thank Tred Avon Yacht Club for offering to host the 2025 Sonar NAs in October. Unfortunately, the Maryland regatta did not achieve the registration traction it needed to be a viable championship. Rather than walk away from holding a 2025 North Americans, the Class leadership spoke with Noroton Yacht Club and was able to convince NYC to convert their 2-day Long Island Sound Championship being sailed the September 20-21 weekend to be the NAs.

As such, the 2025 Sonar North American Championship has moved to Noroton. Please note:

1. If you had previously registered for the TAYC NAs, your registration fee will be fully refunded.
2. If you had previously registered for the NYC Long Island Championship, your LIS Champs registration is being converted to a NAs registration. There will be no change in entry fee.
3. The updated Notice of Race is HERE, and the Noroton YC event page: https://norotonyc.org/regatta/HQQq0ZAkQs
4. For all those in the Northeast who perceived Maryland was too long a drive, Noroton YC in Darien, CT, if 4-5 hours closer.

Again, thank you to TAYC and their event chair Peter Galloway for all the work they did planning this original championship. Our thanks also go out to NYC’s event chair Garin Pace and Vice Commodore Scott Harrison for working with the Class to enable this year’s championship to be sailed.

Next steps: You click on this link and register for the 2025 Sonar NAs sailed at Noroton September 20-21.  https://norotonyc.org/regatta/HQQq0ZAkQs