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.
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.
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:
If you had previously registered for the TAYC NAs, your registration fee will be fully refunded.
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.
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.
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.
