GavinStewart
I have just bought a lifting keel Sonata. How many are there? Is there a lifting keel section? Is there any lifting keel racing?
Gavin Stewart
Administrator
If the lifting keel owners would like to get together and share experience then I’m happy to do what I can on the website to facilitate things. For instance, if there’s enough interest then you could have your own lift-keel forum on the bulletin board or I can publish articles on the site. It’s really down to you to get something moving and I’ll do what I can to help.
Jack Hardie (webmaster)
BrianBrowne
I also have a lift keel Sonata, Saraband. I have raced her at Burnham Week for a couple of years now, in the Handicap class, with mixed results. We do well on handicap when the course means that the upwind legs are fairly short – but we don’t do so well when the course is laid such that there is a lot of upwind work.
Compared to the fin keel Sonata, and most other fin keelers, Saraband does not point so well into the wind and makes a lot more leeway. With the wind on or behind the beam she is just as quick, maybe a bit quicker, with the centreplate wound up. Overall, I think she is probably about the same as the Hunter Duette, one of which I have raced at the Roach Sailing Association.
As a small cruising boat she is great and the ability to go shallow with the keel up isof real benefit on the East Coast.
Brian 
pcleary
i also have a lifting keel sonata (sincerity) im in ireland and i would like any advice or to swop information with anyone paddy
BrianBrowne
I would be interested in other peoples experiences of the lifting keel upwind performance!!
pcleary
i have a lift keel sonata and find the upwind performance very poor any ideas on how to improve it paddy
Rookie
I also have one . It is a 6.7 built in 1980. I have had 20 year absence from sailing . I bought it to re-teach myself and to introduce my children to keelboat sailing .
We have a lot of fun, have broken a few things but we are learning very fast.
It’s a great boat that is easy to sail and very well balanced. It’s fast enough to be exciting but still very comfortable for the family.
The previous owner raced it quite successfully in Cruiser Div II. We haven’t raced yet but may consider that later.