Sonar Fleet 1
Noroton YC
Sonar World Championships
The 2009 Sonar World Championships were held at Noroton YC October 1-4. The following are press announcements from the event (because I can not say it any better!).
Day 1:
Thursday October 1, 2009.
With conditions on Long Island Sound as far from typical as they get, the 58 boat Sonar Worlds fleet got off three races with winds gusting into the 20’s and temperatures well down in the 50’s. It was a cross between season’s-end regatta sailing and East coast frostbiting.
With finishes of 2-3-4, Marblehead sailmaker Jud Smith holds the lead going in to Day 2. But he has only a two point lead over Bill Lynn, also of Marblehead, with Dave Franzel of Boston just one point behind Lynn.
Peter Galloway of the host Noroton Yacht Club leads the local contingent as the record fleet, representing seven countries, heads into the second day of the four-day event.
Day 2:
Marblehead sailmaker Jud Smith, master of many classes, continued to lead the Sonar Worlds at the end of the second day of racing. His 15th and 2nd , combined with a 2 – 3 – 4 the first day gave him a 26-point total and pulled him into a six point lead over David Franzel of Boston, who came through today’s two heavy air races with a 3 – 17.
Long Island Sound again bared its autumn teeth with a south easterly gusting into the 20s and when the flood tide change to ebb, there was a short, sharp sea that made the upwind legs a challenge for helmsmen and the downwind legs a wave-rider’s dream. As on day 1 of the regatta, the temperature was in the 50s and multiple layers was the dress of the day.
Four time North American Sonar champion Peter Galloway continued to press the leaders and with today’s finishes of 17 – 1 is eight points behind Franzel in third place.
With five races completed, three more are scheduled for Saturday, and at least one for Sunday. After the sixth race there will be one throw-out, which will undoubtedly juggle the scores, but with a 15th to drop, Smith will be sitting on finishes of 2-3-4-2 and whatever the weekend brings.
In fourth place going into the weekend is Karl Ziegler of Darien, Ct. whose family home looks out on the racecourse. His first place in the second race of the day gave him a five-race total of 49.
Friday began for the 58-boat fleet with a flat calm, which slowly turned into an exceptionally shifty south-easterly, which forced the race committee to set and re-set the course four times. With a scheduled start of 10 am it was about noon before the fleet got off the line. From there the wind and sea built, but big shifts continued to play a major part in the outcome throughout the afternoon.
Day 3:
Saturday had been another day of unreliable winds on Long Island Sound (or is that an oxymoron?) and only one race of the scheduled three was completed. That race was started in a 10 – 14 knot southerly, which shifted to the left nearly 30 degrees on the opening leg. If you got to the left early you were in the hunt; if you chose the right it was a very long race.
Neither of the two series leaders was in the top 10, but Franzel finished 11th and Smith 18th. Smith dropped his 18th, and Franzel dropped his 17th from the previous race and this brought them to the tie on points.
Karl Ziegler of Rowayton, Ct. moved from fourth to third, replacing the host Noroton Yacht Club’s Peter Galloway, who was saddled with an OCS penalty.
The wind had dropped to near zero by the end of the race and the ever-patient race committee, along with the 57 competing boats sat for nearly an hour until the wind got back up to 8 knots and another start was called.
Between the one minute signal and the start the wind swung 45 degrees to the left and 10 minutes into the contest, with the port tack boats laying the weather mark, two signals sounded the end of the race.
After another long wait racing was cancelled for the day when radar showed a line of thunder squalls descending on the race area. It was a good call, as the “squalls” produced plenty of thunder, lightning, very heavy rain and virtually no wind.
Day 4:
With completion of the sixth race of the Sonar World Championship on Saturday, the one throw-out came into play and moved Dave Franzel of Boston into the slimmest of leads over Jud Smith of Marblehead. The two were tied at 26 points, but Franzel’s first place in the third race gives him the lead on the tie break.
So it all came down to the final races scheduled for Sunday. The 57-boat fleet floated around in a typical Long Island Sound calm for nearly four hours before race committee chairman Mark Murphy was able to set a line and get the fleet away in a light south westerly.
The east – going ebb had begun and the weather leg was directly uptide. As the wind faded it was obvious that no boat was going to make it to the first mark before the 45-minute time limit. So the score was unchanged and Dave Franzel became the 2009 Sonar World Champion. Sailing with Franzel were Greg Anthony, Todd Cooper and Conor Hayes.
Final Results:
Final results can be found by going to the Sonar Class website:
http://www.sonar.org/
Overall, the Noroton fleet performed admirably with 6 of the top 10 finishes!
3. Karl Ziegler
4. Peter Galloway
5. Lee Morrison
8. Scott Harrison
9. Bob Monro
10. Craig Sinclair
Sonar Class Association dedicates World Championship trophy:
At the Awards ceremony for the 2009 Sonar World Championship regatta held at Noroton Yacht Club, Peter Galloway, Sonar Class Executive Director, announced the dedication of the Sonar Class World Championship trophy in the name of William Ziegler III. This spectacular trophy was created by the well known firm of Azure Dragon Marine Sculptures in England and was originally awarded to the winner of the third World Championship in Cowes, Isle of Wight in 2005. This stainless Steel trophy about 1 meter high evokes the excitement of racing Sonars and is befitting of a World Champion.
The Ziegler family have been prominent members of Noroton Yacht Club for many years. Bill was an avid sailor and racer, campaigning his many high performance yachts through out the world that always bore the name Gem. But perhaps above all he loved sailing Sonars. “My father used to say that some of his fondest memories were of those racing the Sonar” according to his son, Karl who likewise possesses his father’s love of the sport.
Shortly after attaining ISAF (International Sailing Federation, the worldwide governing body of the sport) recognized status in 2000, the class was permitted to organize a world championship regatta and elected it to be held in odd numbered years. The very first world championship was held just one week following the tragedy in New York on September 11, 2001. That horrific event not withstanding, the championship was a huge success largely due to the generosity of Bill Ziegler. Karl and Cecily Ziegler, in keeping with Bill’s tradition of generosity, have made it possible for us the dedicate this trophy in Bill’s name.
Click to Enlarge
This year’s World Championship drew a record attendance with representatives from seven nations including past and present multi-class champions and Paralympic medalists. The 2009 recipient of the William Ziegler III Trophy is Dave Franzel from Boston, Massachusetts and his crew of Greg Anthony, Todd Cooper and Conor Hayes. Karl Ziegler and his crew finished third in an event punctuated by a variety of conditions ranging from blustery to agonizing drifters.The next World Championship regatta will be hosted by the Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club in the village of Rhu, Scotland in 2011 where competitors will meet once again to vie for the right to take home and proudly display the William Ziegler III Trophy for the following two years.
The John Kostanecki Award:
The Sonar class has established the John Kostanecki Award.
With the passing of our fellow Sonar Class member, longtime Noroton YC member, and great competitor, John Kostanecki, we realized a great opportunity to honor him and recognize the top disabled sailor at the SCA World Championships.
In creating the award, we hope to acknowledge the outstanding contributions and achievements to the class of the disabled sailors. John represented the incredible spirit that we all have in us, and is reflected by the determination that disabled competitors display. This years recipient is Bruno Jourdan from France. The 2008 Paralympic Silver medalist sailed with good consistency and minimized his mistakes to finish 22nd overall. He topped the the remaining disabled sailors including USSTAG members Rick Doerr and Jen French, 2008 Paralympic Gold Medalist and Canadian Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Paul Tingley, 2008 Paralympic Bronze Medalists from AUS, Colin Harrison, and 8 time Paralympian from IRE, John Twomey.
John would've been proud to see where the state of disabled sailing has evolved to, thanks in part to his perseverance, and John would've been extemely proud to see the excellence displayed in running a superb World Championship by his beloved Noroton YC.
Photos:
Pictures from the Sonar Worlds can be found at www.sailingpress.com. They are available for sale as well by contacting Andrea Watson at:
agwatson@sailingpress.com
There are also a number of photos posted on the Noroton YC website,
http://www.norotonyc.org. Just click on the Photo Gallery.
This week’s events:
Friday 10/16-Saturday 10/17 - Boat haul-out
Friday 10/16, 5:30-7p - Snack Bar Appreciation Dinner. Cost: Chits or tips. Please sign up online or at the snack bar.
Saturday 10/17 - END of launch service
Upcoming events:
Wednesday 10/21 - Dock haul-out
