December 11, 2017 (Darien, CT). The International Sonar Class Association and Noroton Yacht Club are pleased to announce that the 2018 Sonar North American Championship will be held at Noroton Yacht club in Darien, CT on Sept 13-16, 2018.

Over 40 boats are expected for four days of fun and fast sailing at one of the premier sailing venues and legendary one-design racing clubs on the East Coast. With direct access to Long Island Sound, coupled with September’s warm water and traditional 10-15 knot SW breeze, Noroton Yacht Club provides the perfect venue for a championship of this venerable Class.  Sonars charters and limited housing are available. See NOR for details.

Noroton YC has excellent hoisting facilities to speed up launching and hauling, and will provide moorings for all competitors at no cost. There are many hotels within a 5-10 minute drive of the club. Noroton is also only 5 minutes from Interstate 95, and a 50-minute train ride into Manhattan, for those interested in pre- or post-regatta sightseeing.

Shoreside, Noroton YC’s new clubhouse will play host to a variety of social events, including a Thursday night welcome reception, Friday Night BBQ, and Saturday Night Dinner Dance.

Preliminary Schedule

Thursday, 9/13:     0800 to 1900 Launching and Registration 

                              1430 Practice Race

                              1800 Competitor’s Meeting

                              1830 Welcome Cocktail Reception

Friday, 9/14:         1000 First Warning Signal

                              1830 BBQ Dinner

Saturday, 9/15:     1000 First Warning Signal 

                              1830 Cocktails and Dinner Dance

Sunday, 9/16:        1000 First Warning Signal 

                              Awards to follow racing (no warning signal after 1400 hours)

Regatta registration and information is available at: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4554

The Notice of Race is at: https://yachtscoring.com/event_documents/4554/Sonar%20NA%20NOR%202018.pdf

Online registration is now open at: https://yachtscoring.com/event_registration_email.cfm

And regatta gear can be purchased from apparel sponsor Team 1 Newport.

Two weekends after the Sonar North American’s, Noroton YC will host the annual Kirby Cup – The Sonar Class Association Team Race Championship.

Contacts: 

General Information/Sponsorships                          Media

Scott MacLeod                                                            Michael Rudnick

smacleod@f10marketing.com                                   michael.rudnick@gmail.com

 

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About Noroton Yacht Club

Noroton Yacht Club is located in Darien, CT. Founded in 1928, the club is dedicated to promoting family participation in sailboat racing and recreational sailing.

Noroton YC has a rich heritage of one-design fleet and team racing. Noroton members currently sail Sonars, Ideal-18s and Vipers, and the Club has a fleet of over 50 Cruising boats. Noroton members participate in Club racing as well as other local, regional, national and off-shore distance racing and cruising events.

Noroton members have competed at the highest levels of the sport, including the America’s Cup, Olympic campaigns, and Collegiate All-Americans. Noroton sailors won the Sonar Worlds in 2015 & 2017, well as title-holders of many prestigious Varsity, Masters and Grandmasters team race regattas in the past decade.

Noroton also has a large and well-respected junior sailing program for ages from 8 to 18, member and non-member children sailing Optimists, Pixels, Lasers and 420’s. Noroton also hosts the Darien High School Sailing Team in the Spring and Fall.

www.norotonyc.org

About the Sonar

The Sonar is a 23-foot keelboat, normally sailed with a crew of four, with a fractional rig and symmetrical spinnaker.  The Sonar was designed by long-time Noroton YC member and legendary yacht designer Bruce Kirby specifically to meet Noroton YC’s requirements of a one-design keelboat for club-racing.

The first prototype Sonar was sailed out of Noroton Yacht Club in March 1980. The Class Association was formed shortly thereafter. And the Sonar obtained Recognized status with World Sailing as an international class in 2000. The Sonar was the three-person Paralympic keelboat from 2000 – 2016, and has become the boat-of-choice for team racing. Over 800 boats have been built, with fleets in six countries.

www.sonar.org