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Fleet
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The ISC's fleet of nine Sonar yachts provides an all ability, all comers opportunity to enjoy Solent racing, based in Cowes, the home of world yachting. You can charter the Sonars for daily cruising, training, or we can organise a professional regatta for you. They are professionally maintained so that match racing as well as fleet racing is possible, and can be booked for the popular ISC Tuesday evening races and Cowes Week.
Watch the Sonars in action on YOU TUBE
The fleet was originally supported by Sport England and SEEDA, and our grateful thanks go to Seajet who kindly continue to sponsor the fleet's antifouling.

The 7 meter Sonar keel boat offers sailors of all abilities a unique opportunity to enjoy the sailing scene. Beginners, hot shots, the young and not so young, the disabled, in fact anyone who enjoys a challenge will enjoy the Sonar's stability and responsiveness.
Designed in the USA by Bruce Kirby, who also designed the Laser dinghy, the Sonar is a Bermuda-rigged keelboat. It is ultra stable, weighing one ton and is ideal for Solent conditions with a minimum crew of three and a maximum of five. On most occasions a crew of three or four will be used.
Kirby commented, "It's wonderful. The boat is ideally suited to the Island Sailing Club's purposes. Because of the room in it, it is ideal for teaching, but it is also a competitive race boat. I race one throughout the season."
The ISC fleet were built by Harley Raceboats under licence from Sonar Yachts Limited.
Leading Particulars of the Sonar:
Length Overall 6.96 m Length Water Line 6.40 m Beam 2.41 m Draft: 1.24m |
White Sail Area 25.0 sq m Spinnaker Area 24.5 sq m Displacement 955 Kg
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The Island Sailing Club Sonar Fleet is a professionally maintained fleet of 9 boats. They are available for hire on their own, or as a whole fleet. Join in weekend Cowes club regattas or create your own event.
More than any other one-design keelboat, the International Sonar combines sparkling performance and high-level one-design competition with comfort and safety suitable for family and friends. This is a keelboat that thinks it’s a dinghy when it comes to performance while offering the security and flexibility of a larger boat.
This 23-foot internationally acclaimed one-design has a contoured, sit-in cockpit that’s 11’ 6” long and is self bailing. When the wind pipes up you sit securely on side decks contoured for security and hiking comfort. Angled seat backs and coamings are designed for comfort when heeled and recessed handholds offer extra security. The Sonar’s sail plan is designed for efficiency and control with a full range of rig adjustments that allow the crew to easily alter sail shape to changing conditions.
A generous keel and deep spade rudder provide excellent lateral stability and control and the Sonar can easily turn in its own length. The keel to hull joint is designed to minimize damage in an accidental grounding.
A high sail area/displacement ratio makes the Sonar a brisk performer in light winds while ample ballast and a stable hull form make her easy fast but easy to handle, even in heavy breezes. The Sonar is crew friendly, and can be raced competitively with 3-5 crew in all conditions.
The International Sonar has become the one-design keelboat of choice for a growing list of sailing clubs worldwide. Rapid class growth, ISAF Recognized status, and a well-managed class organization assure its longevity and value for years to come.
The Sonar was the Paralympic keelboat in 1996, 2000,2004 and again in 2008. The Sonar is also the favoured class for many US, International and World Championships for women’s, youth, team and match racing. Sonar received ISAF Recognized status in 2000 and is manufactured in North America and Europe |