San Francisco Knarr Sailors Renew Scandinavian Friendships
The Knarr class is one of the most elegant classes of sailboats on San Francisco Bay, but you will not find a competitive Knarr fleet anywhere else in the United States. You have to go to Norway or Denmark to do that. Every year the Knarr fleets of the three countries get together for the International Knarr Championship (IKC).
The 2026 IKC was the 56th edition of the regatta, and was hosted by the Kongelig Norsk Seilforening (KNS: Royal Norwegian Yacht Club) between August 7 and 15 in Oslo.
Originally designed in Norway in 1943, the class was introduced to San Francisco Bay in 1953 and quickly caught on, and it has remained popular ever since. In the 1960s, Knud Wibroe, a Danish immigrant to the US and avid Knarr sailor, came up with the idea for the IKC, with the first edition sailed on the Bay in 1969.
The regatta is unique in that skippers draw a selection of boats from the host country’s fleet at the beginning of the event, and race in a different boat each day. This year’s edition saw 18 boats racing, with five boats from the San Francisco Bay fleet, six from the Copenhagen fleet, and seven Norwegian boats.
The five San Francisco teams competing were Kulani (StFYC), Niuhi (StFYC), Three Boys and a Girl (StFYC), VIVA (SFYC), and Benino (StFYC). Ten races were planned, though only eight were sailed due to lack of wind on two of the racing days. Each boat was afforded one drop.
In the previous 55 editions of the regatta, it had been won by a Danish sailor 39 times, an American 14 times, and a Norwegian twice. This year’s 56th edition of the regatta saw the International Knarr Trophy come back to San Francisco, as it was won by team Kulani comprising Jon Perkins, Kurt Hemmingsen and Larry Swift. The victory is Perkins’ sixth time winning the trophy, tied for most all time with Danish skippers Lars Gottfredsen and Frank Berg.
Jon and his brother Chris have won a combined 10 IKCs.