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Kevin Holmbergs Fawkes won the 2026 Sonar Midwinters Championship for the 3rd year in a row.
Reported by Paul Perry
Once again part of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series, the 2026 Sonar Midwinters Championship held promises of good weather, varying conditions, and great competition. Sailors were greeted by Fleet Captain Paul Perry with custom commemorative pocketknives etched with the event and date. Nine Sonars participated with three teams traveling from out-of-state and one from out of the country. The Sonar class showed just how accessible of a boat it is as a third of the fleet was driven/crewed by disabled sailors. Declan Doperlaski was in charge of the Pier Circle with Windmills and Sonars which resulted in an incredible three days of tight/fair racing.
Day 1 started off with an AP ashore while the fleet waited for the fog to lift and the sea breeze to fill. Around 2pm, the fleet was sent out and able to get off two solid races in 6-10kts with a breeze direction oscillating from 220-240. The late southerly and near shore course led to a very flat sea state. The RC set an excellent course with the room they had creating 0.6 mile legs for a course 4 (W/L twice around with a gate). Kevin Holmberg drove Fawkes to take the first win while Rick Doerr in USA 1 won the second race. The two teams were battling it out up and down the course and each ended the day with a first and second place finish. The rest of the fleet kept it tight with a single point separating 3rd through 5th. Day one ended with Rick Doerr winning the tiebreaker in 1st (3 points), Kevin Holmberg in 2nd (3 points), and Marty Fossen in 3rd (8 points). Competitors were back at the docks by 5:30pm.
Day 2 saw another AP-over-3 postponement ashore to wait for the sea breeze. Boat tuning and advice filled the morning air with later exploration and relaxation keeping everyone ready for the races should they come. Some members of the Sonar fleet visited the Yacht Club while others explored the activities St. Petersburg had to offer. Most of the teams opted to check out the Saturday Morning Market across the street from the sailing center. After experiencing more reasons to return to St. Pete for Midwinters, members of the class had lunch and started performing last minute checks. A 3pm go/no go deadline was fast approaching but Declan took his RC out to monitor the conditions just in case. The breeze came in around 2:30pm and filled from a similar direction. Race Committee was out on station early and observed the wind building to 6-8. Initial direction readings started around 210 and clocked to 240 with oscillations again ranging from 220-240. The RC set up a 0.6 mile windward/leeward course just as the day before. The course location and late southwesterly fill led to flat conditions. Kevin Holmberg and Fawkes once again came out strong putting up a bullet in the first race of the day. Rick Doerr fell back to a 4th place finish in race one but won the second race to put himself back in striking distance of Fawkes and the championship. Sue Davidson (PINGrrrrr) and Marty Fossen (Spsc Charter) continued to keep a tight battle for 3rd and 4th place separated by a single point at the end of the day. End of Saturday results were: Fawkes 1st (6 pts), USA 1 2nd (8pts), PINGrrrrr 3rd (14pts), Spsc Charter (15 pts). Competitors once again hit the docks around 5:30 in time for Valentines Day plans or the regatta party!
Day 3 had the strongest forecast of the weekend with the PRO expecting early finishes on all circles to prevent too much carnage. In a repeat turn of events, the morning started surprisingly light and the Sonar fleet was held ashore for the first hour. The incoming front was not far out, however, and the fleet started their first race at 11am with breeze building from 7 to 16kts during the competition. The wind kept in line with previous days coming out of the south. These higher winds from 200-220 did bring 2-3 ft waves in the second race further challenging the racers. Rick Doerr skillfully squeezed out Fawkes at the start sending them back into the fleet while putting more than the required boats between them and establishing a commanding 3-point lead with one race to go. PINGrrrrr and Spsc Charter also traded places with a single point separating them going into the final race. Caileen Ban retired to sail another weekend. RC called out breeze from 17 gusting into the low 20s. Kevin Holmbergs Fawkes and Rick Doerrs USA 1 were off the line and battling it out for three legs. A smart tactical move by Fawkes led to USA 1 being trapped at the top mark and dropping to 6th. Despite Rick and team battling back to 5th on the final downwind, it wasn’t enough to overcome Fawkes winning race 6. The Sonar fleet was sent in as gusts started reaching the high 20s/low 30s before things started breaking.
Kevin Holmbergs Fawkes won the 2026 Sonar Midwinters Championship for the 3rd year in a row with 13 points over 6 races. Rick Doerr drove USA 1 to an incredibly close 2nd place finish with 14 points. Sue Davidson in PINGrrrrr (20 pts) edged out Marty Fossen (21 pts) in the final race to take 3rd overall. This was statistically the closest midwinters contest in over 10 years. The Sonar Midwinters Trophy was found, brought out, and updated with all of the past winners. Each of the teams finishing on the podium received a class brag flag as well as a bag from the HHSWRS team.
Once all the classes/fleets had been called, the room waited to hear the result of the drawing for the Caribbean Challenger from St. Pete. Seventeen names were put into a bowl and mixed around. After a moment of shuffling and reading, Kevin Holmberg was called! He and team earned the first berth to represent in the BVI this coming October in the HHSWRS Championship event!
Many thanks to the Regatta Organizer as well as our RC on the Pier Circle. Declan Doperalski ran an incredible event and his staff were on top of everything. The class was all smiles at the start and end of every day and every single sailor was grateful for the competition. The sonar fleet as a whole was quite close in the results as well as off the water. Thanks to all of the boats/teams who traveled to St. Petersburg to participate in this event.
Sonar Midwinter Championship Results
Final Sonar Standings:
Fawkes – Kevin Holmberg – Team Fawkes was composed of Skipper Kevin Holmberg, Trimmer/Tactician Paul Perry, Trimmer Alex Crow, and Bowman Ryan Gray. The team focused on teamwork and clean sailing to pull off a win in challenging conditions. The team credits their final race victory comeback to the ability to forget and refocus as if every race was the only race.
USA 1 – Rick Doerr – USA 1 was comprised of Skipper Rick Doerr, Trimmer/Tactician Dave Willner, Spin Trimmer Taylor Hart, and Bowman Ben Berna. Rick kept his boat fast and out pointed everyone in the fleet. This served him very well in the flat conditions on Friday and Saturday.
PINGrrrrr – Sue Davidson – Making a return to the podium, PINGrrrrr was comprised of Skipper Sue Davidson, Main Trimmer Clay Smith, Spin Trimmer Charlie Knape, and Bow Jenny Roche.
This event would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Race Organizers, Sailing World Editor & Master of Ceremonies Dave Reed, and the team of Principal Race Officers (PROs).
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!
Sailing World Media Links to the Sonar Fleet:
Midwinters/Challenger Berth Article
Instagram Interview Link:
YouTube Interview Link:
