Category News

BOB LAWRENCE’S NEFARIOUS DOMINATES CASELLA 2022 SONAR WORLD SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS (June 16-19) ON LAKE SUNAPEE, NH

Sunapee, NH – (June 19, 2022) – Nefarious (USA 384), skippered by Bob Lawrence and Paul Sevigny with Victor Diaz De Leon and Willem Van Waay as crew, won six of ten races June 16-18 on Lake Sunapee, NH during the Casella 2022 Sonar World Championships.  Nefarious sails out of the Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT.  The regatta was highlighted by strong winds the first three days of racing averaging 15-25 knots.  Racing was cancelled the final day, Sunday, June 19, due to even stronger winds.  Second place went to Ping (CAN 754) from the Lunenburg Yacht Club in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, skippered by Andreas Josenhans, and third place went to Resonance (USA 787) from the host Lake Sunapee Yacht Club, skippered by Brian Doyle.  Nefarious finished with 11 points, Ping 26 points and Resonance 27 points.

Bob Lawrence’s said about the Championship, “I was fortunate to have been able to team-up with Paul for this regatta and he brought along two sailors, Victor ad Willem, who are no strangers to the podium. And, although the point spread may not show it, the racing was very tight throughout the racing. And, sailing on Lake Sunapee was a joy, with brisk winds making the sailing challenging with gusts into the 30s on Saturday, good sea states, and challenging wind shifts that kept us all on our toes. Our focus on speed, boat handling and minimizing tactical risks resulted in this win. This was team effort and I was thrilled to be part of this team. This was a big regatta for a small club and everyone turned out to help. Many sailors remarked on how warm, hospitable, and welcoming everyone was. It’s encouraging to see how this kind of volunteerism continues to exist at this clubs.”

At the debrief after winning the second day, Andreas Josenhans noted, ” As a blue water sailor, it’s nice to see how challenging lake sailing can be. I have new respect for all those who sail regularly on lakes, especially those who sail on Lake Sunapee.”  Noroton Yacht Club’s Fleet Captain Jan Raymond said she’d like to see more regattas on lakes.”

Dawn Shumway, President of the International Sonar Class Association, continued, “The five teams that came from Rochester, NY, loved sailing on Lake Sunapee. The venue, the club, and the fierce competition were memorable. It was fun to bring everyone together again.”

The Casella 2022 Sonar World Championships were presented by the Lake Sunapee Cruising Fleet and hosted by the Lake Sunapee Yacht Club.  Twenty-two Sonar Class sailboats from as far away as Minnesota, Florida, and Nova Scotia sailed in the regatta.

YCN Now, the region’s local TV station and network, aired 15-minute daily recaps of the three days of racing on YCN Live.  The recaps are also streaming on the YCN Now website at YCNnow.com.  There is some dramatic drone footage of the racing, beautiful Lake Sunapee and the surrounding mountains including Mount Sunapee Resort. Additional video coverage is available on YouTube.

Bob Lawrence, currently Commodore of Noroton Yacht Club, closed by saying how proud and honored all the Noroton Sonar sailors that this World Championship trophy is returning to the home club of Bruce Kirby, friend, competitor, mentor and designer of the Sonar, within a year of Bruce’s death.

Thanks to the support of over 40 local businesses and individuals, including the Title Sponsor, Casella Waste Systems, Inc., the Lake Sunapee Region was able to host this exciting world-class event.      

 A Sonar is a 23-foot one-design racing sailboat designed by naval architect Bruce Kirby.  Sonars have been an active international racing class since 1980.  Typically, there is a crew of four onboard for racing.

 For complete results click on the link below.

 2022 Sonar World Championship on Yacht Scoring – A complete web based regatta administration and yacht scoring program

Photo Credit John Quackenboss:

 Nefarious (bow# 21) heading windward on a port tack

 Nefarious and Ping crossing tacks with Mount Sunapee Resort looming ahead

 Nefarious in tight quarters at the start

Notice of Race, online information, and registration at: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=14790

The Worlds will to take place at Lake Sunapee, NH, in June 2022. A notice of Race will be posted, and the schedule is expected to be as follows:

Tuesday, June 14, 2022
1300-1700 Late Registration & Check-In
1300-1700 Measurement & Inspection
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
0900-1800 Check-In, Registration, Measurement & Inspection
1500 Practice Race Warning Signal
1800 All boats in the water
1800 Competitor’s Meeting
1930 Welcome / Opening Reception
Thursday, June 16, 2022
1000 First Warning Signal
After racing Daily Awards & Cookout
Friday, June 17, 2022
1000 First Warning Signal
After racing Daily Awards & Rum Party
Saturday, June 18, 2022
1000 First Warning Signal
1830-1915 Sonar Fleet Annual General Meeting
1930 Dinner & Entertainment
Sunday, June 19, 2022
0930 First Warning Signal
1400 No warning signals after 1400 (unless required to constitute a series).
After racing Awards
Haul Out By Bow # order

The Nyack Boat Club (Nyack, NY) has shed its winter blanket and is looking forward with hope and enthusiasm to a more normal & active 2021 sailing season. To that end we are again hosting our annual Tappan Zee Challenge, traditionally the first Sonar Class sanctioned regatta of the sailing season, June 26 & 27.  Come join us; you can count on the Hudson River’s challenging winds and currents to provide an interesting & fun way to start the 2021sailing and regatta season.

It will be a multi-class regatta again this year. In addition to putting on the Tappan Zee Challenge we will be concurrently hosting a Thistle Class regatta and a Lightning Class regatta.  This always heightens the interest and the action both on the water and on shore.  We will have a full day of racing Saturday.  NBC members will be there to help launch the Sonars Friday evening and Saturday morning.  All boats must be afloat by 1000 Saturday. The boats will stay on the club’s guest mornings Saturday night.   Sunday we will start early and conclude early enough for you to get home dinner with the family.

Please note – the Nyack Boat Club observes New York State COVID-19 protocols and strongly encourages wearing a mask and safe distancing while on the property and on the launch.   

The NOR’s will posted asap on www.nyackboatclub.org and www.Sonar.org.  Feel comfortable to contact me, NBC Sonar Fleet captain, directly at address below ….

Holly Cullen
hdcmd5@optonline.net

The Sonar Class Association (SCA) Executive Committee met and decided to cancel the 2021 North Americans at Wayzata Yacht Club (WYC).  The COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous challenges. While the decision wasn’t easy, feedback from various yacht clubs was that traveling and participation in a North American Championship level regatta in 2021 was not feasible. The Board firmly desires to maintain the quality and participation of the event for all teams.

The SCA Board awarded the 2022 Sonar Worlds to Lake Sunapee Yacht Club in New Hampshire in June.  The SCA Board awarded the 2023 Sonar North Americans to WYC in September.

It started when Bruce Kirby’s home club (Noroton Yacht Club, Darin, CT USA) couldn’t find the right boat to get their members involved in club racing; fewer and fewer of its members were participating.

They studied a great many existing classes of boats but all were considered too expensive, too slow, too demanding to sail, or just plain uncomfortable. So Bruce was asked to design a new boat specifically to meet the requirements of a club racing one-design keelboat fleet.

It had to be exciting to race, but easy to handle by sailors of all ages, strengths and skill levels. It had to be a really good day sailor, spacious and comfortable to sit in all day long. It had to be trailer-able, plus easy to launch for wet or dry sailing. Plus a safe, well-behaved training boat to help teach new sailors how to sail and have fun doing it. Finally, it had to have a good but uncomplicated set of class rules.

The result was the Sonar. The Noroton Yacht Club got everything they wanted and more. And the Sonar has been greeted with enthusiasm by individuals and clubs all over the world.

With many volunteers and collaborations, we are happy to roll out our new Sonar Class Association website to the membership.  It now features a modern interface for both large and small displays, supporting both mouse and touch.  We hope you enjoy it!