The Lightning Class is now sharing over 82 years of Yearbooks and Newsletters. It’s a slice of history documenting a who’s who of sailing and the evolution of a classic Sparkman & Stephens design into a modern one-design boat.
Visit us at www.lightningclass.org. What you will see is a long history of multi-generational, family-oriented sailors competing and socializing together at the local, regional, national, and international levels. In addition to major area and World Championships, there have been Junior, Women and Master’s Championships in place for almost 50 years. But the real strength of the Class is reflected in the regattas conducted week in and week out the world over.
The boat is timeless and affordable. “Not your father’s Oldsmobile” the boat has seen controlled evolution with the introduction of new technology as it has become available, yet older boats remain competitive because of the strength of the design and the class organization. Read some of the old measurer’s reports and look at a few ads from the sailmakers, boat builders, and hardware vendors of decades ago.
The Lightning story documents one-design sailing from its infancy to current times. Of greater consequence, the story is the story of so many great sailors that are part of the Class. Dennis Conner, Ted Turner, Dave Dellenbaugh, Ched Proctor, Betsy Alison, Greg Fisher, Cory Sertl, Jody Starck and Alan Terhune. Our history documents the growth of these great sailors and many more.
Get involved and make history. Sail a Lightning.