By Joel Rathbun

This July, I found myself on the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile in a RIB with David, Jody, Becky and Joe Starck – 45-degree water, fifteen-foot rolling waves that started 3000 miles away in Tahiti, wearing every piece of foul weather gear and ski clothes that I owned – how did I end up as a spectator at the 2024 Lightning World Youth Championships?

I grew up sailing and racing in Kingston, Ontario. Racing lasers (I was a bit too small), 470s (I was a bit too big) and the early years of the laser radial (just about right).  Every day in the summer was spent on the water, which turned into racing on the youth circuits which led to trips south in the winter to race in mid-winter regattas and eventually competing on the Olympic qualifying circuit in 470s.

After college, living and working in New York City limited both my time and access to racing. I was focused on work and then raising a young family.  It wasn’t until we moved to Cleveland and our three children started racing at the Cleveland Yachting Club that I was thrust back into sailing – as a parent, coach when needed and full-time trailer driver. It didn’t take long on the junior racing circuit in Cleveland for my kids to become embedded in the extended Starck racing family.   

My eldest son Buck (18) in particular was bitten by the lightning bug and has been racing with Bobby and Adam Starck on the lightning circuit for the past two seasons. It has been through watching Buck that I came to appreciate a number of things that I believe makes the lightning class truly unique:

Openness of the fleet to outsiders – The people I have met are genuinely excited about getting people on boats to race.  New to lightnings – no problem, there will be a spot for you on a boat at the race.

Support of the class for junior sailors, and for young adults that want to stay involved in the sport – the dedication of the veteran sailors to promote and ease the entry of younger sailors into the class is unique. Sponsorship of junior regattas (e.g. junior North Americans prior to the open NAs) is a fantastic idea. The sponsored boat program for young adults to help balance the costs at a time in life where college loans, housing and other living expenses whole prohibit buying a boat is genius. 

Competitiveness of older boats – in this day and age of proliferating boat design, and the resulting shrinking of one-design fleet sizes, maintaining the class rules that have prevented technology and cost creep is a key reason the lightning class remains strong. 

Family friendly – How many sports do you see kids participating in with their parents or grandparents? Time for a younger sailor to try skippering at a regatta:  many times, I have seen older experienced skippers crew for them at a race.  The regattas are fun events where racers of all ages can get together, have fun and make it a vacation.

Back to the RIB on the Pacific off the coast of Chile – This past July we travelled with four US and one Canadian boats to the 2024 Lightning Youth Championships held in Algarrobo, Chile.  It was a fantastic experience. The organizing committee, led by Victor Lobos, ran a busy week full of great sailing and fun activities for the sailors off the water.   The support from the Chilean organization was amazing, with 20 race-ready boats provided from passionate sailors who wanted to support youth sailing in the class.   The sailors made friends from around the world, relationships that will last a lifetime of sailing.  It was an experience the youth sailors won’t soon forget.

Buck Rathbun (center) with Bobby Starck (left) and Adam Starck (right) finished 3rd in the 2024 Youth Worlds.