FlashBlast - April 19, 2025
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Single advertisements are available for each Flash Blast. For more information or to reserve your spot please contact Laura in the Class Office or at 727-942-7969.
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| | Dick Hallagan
Lightning Life Member and longtime Lightning Class Supporter passed away February 14, 2025. Active on all levels and hailed from the Central NY District. Read the full 8 Bells post with many memories shared by family and Class Members. A Celebration of Life in Dick Hallagan’s honor will be held at Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club on Saturday, May 31st starting at 2:00pm. | | | | Larry Frost, Jr.
It is with sadness we share the passing of Larry Frost, Jr on April 4th. For over 40 years, he was an integral part of the Southern District and Southern Yacht Club - Fleet 62, where he not only honed his sailing skills but also built lifelong friendships and shared his love for the sport with others. His contributions to the club and his commitment to the sailing community will be remembered with deep gratitude. Full 8 Bells posting | | |
The LOYALS are sponsoring a new challenge:
G.O.T. Flashes (Get Out There).
You earn recognition for the number of days you sail a Lightning. NOT just skippers or racing – crewing, daysailing, practicing – basically any day you get out there and sail a Lightning counts.
| | | Click on GOT-Flashes Challenge Log to access an easy-to-use log. The LOYALS will track and automatically send recognition stickers when you hit 10 days, 25 days and 50 days. Use it as a fleet builder, and to engage your fellow sailors to GET OUT THERE! Challenge your fleet members, or other fleets, to join you/beat you on the Leader Board, published weekly.
The program is very simple - full details can be found here. GOT Flashes Program Details We hope you join in the fun! | | 2025 Boat Grant Recipients Announced!
The Boat Grant Committee welcomes:
Will Murray, Tess Weber and Heather Kerns will sail out of the Boston/Buffalo area.
Andrew Hopkins, Susanna Hopkins and Mary Bevans will sail out of Charleston.
Axel Stordahl, Garrett Grenauer and Noelle Owen will sail out of Charleston.
"Our 2025 teams are a mix of recent and current strong collegiate sailors, underscoring the Class’s focus on encouraging young sailors to continue their involvement in one-design racing after college,” stated program co-chair Ryan Davidson | | | Embrace Technology
President's Report - David Starck
Ever since taking the helm as President of the ILCA, I have been a proponent of thinking outside the box as it relates to embracing new technology, new equipment, new construction materials, new designs, new ideas. Make no mistake, if we want to thrive well into the future as a leading one design class, we must embrace technology. Our future U32 sailors will demand it or will eventually leave. They will choose to sail other types of boats, likely more progressive classes.
The Lightning Class took a big step forward at the St. Pete Winter Championship by testing Vakaros RaceSense technology. It was my first time using RaceSense. Although the benefits have been explained to me, until I witnessed it firsthand, I did not fully appreciate the positive experience. Here were some of my highlights... Read David's Full President's Report | Winter Meetings - Actions Taken
The Annual Winter Meeting of Members was held Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time via a Virtual ZOOM Meeting.
Two items were presented for vote. Item 1 - Amendment to By-Laws and Item 2 - Amendment to Constitution.
The amendment to Bylaw Article II (Dues), Section 6 passed unanimously, removing the specific amount and name definitions of donation tier categories, and replacing it with “The Executive Committee may specify donation tier categories and amounts for promotion and/or publication.”
The amendment to the Constitution, Article XIII, Section 1, Part (f) was passed unanimously, deleting the Development Committee that was to receive, expend, hold and invest funds on behalf of the Class.
The Winter Governing Board Meeting was held Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at noon Eastern via a Virtual Meeting using the ZOOM Platform.
One item was presented for vote: A resolution to reclassify Pymatuning Fleet 36 from the OH District to the Lake Erie District.
Full Proposal - Resolution Changing District Assignment of Fleet 36
The Governing Board unanimously approved the move of Pymatuning Fleet 36 to the Lake Erie District.
The Governing Board unanimously ratified the Executive Committee’s decision to remove the following language from the website describing the Limbaugh Fund: “Only income generated from the Limbaugh Fund investment may be used. The principal may not be spent.” The Use of the Fund does not change: “The available monies in the Limbaugh Fund are restricted to support of education, training, and the promotion of junior sailing."
| | 2025 Southern Circuit
36 boats in St Pete, 26 boats in Savannah, 41 different skippers, 4 first time circuit skippers, 20 boats qualified for circuit scoring and not sure how many oysters were consumed in Savannah...
Read the full recap, get full results and photo links.
Read an awesome article by 2025 Boat Grant Recipient and Winter Champion Crew Will Murray.
Read a first timers perspective by longtime class member John Werley.
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2025 World Championships - Voula, Greece
Current Country Confirmations:
AUS, CAN, CHI, COL, ECU, FIN, GRE, USA... still waiting for BRA, ITA, FRA, GER, PER and who else??
June 12-16 - World Masters and European Championships
June 16-21 - World Championship
NOR's, Country Allocation and Deadlines to respond and photos from past events are posted.
Hotel Deals are posted on the Worlds Blog. BE SURE TO BOOK your accommodations ASAP! Many properties are beginning to sell out for our June timeframe.
6 Containers shipped from the USA (Buffalo and New Jersey) the beginning of April and are due into GRE mid-May. A special Thank you to the local Fleet members that helped. To Jody Starck and Mark Schneider for opening their loading docks. Tom Starck for helping to arrange shipping logistics with partners ROAR Logistics and Hapag-Lloyd. | | Lightnings to participate in 3 - HHSWRS in 2025!
St Petersburg - Feb 14-16 - 25 Boats - LARGEST FLEET in the regatta!
Two more Sailing World Regatta are still on the schedule - don't miss out on these great multi-class events!
Annapolis - May 2-4 - 19 boats are registered... can we break 20+ for our first showing in Annapolis?!
| | | | REGISTRATION is LIVE!
WJM NAs - August 8-11, 2025
More Information Coming Soon...
Start making your plans...
Charter boats are needed... | | | |
Southern Circuit - David Starck, Neal Fowler, Tom Starck, Jenna Probst
Deep South Regatta - David Starck, Tom Starck, Jenna Probst
Winter Championship - Geoff Becker, Will Murray, Laura Jeffers
Winter Masters Championship - Geoff Becker, Will Murray, Laura Jeffers
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta St Pete - David Starck, Tom Starck, Becca Jordan
Please be sure to submit your results with CREW NAMES to the Class Office via EMAIL office@lightningclass.org . If you have a short summary and a few photos even better!
If your regatta isn't listed here - be sure to add the event to the ILCA Event Calendar and send in results after the regatta! | Upcoming Regattas through June:
Click on the event for more info or
If you need help listing your 2025 events please contact Laura in the Class Office. |
All are invited to the legendary Navesink River!
Entry fee increase on April 4th and dry sail area space tight, REGISTER ASAP if you are planning to come! Don't miss this FUN in Annapolis!
63rd annual spring regatta. Start your sailing season with excellent Midwest lake conditions. Beautiful clubhouse and grounds, two hoists, and professional race mgmt. A Kentucky Derby watch party with a bourbon prize followed by dinner Sat night.
Enjoy cool breezes, warm friendships and hot competition at our 40th annual Spring Classic regatta.
Wrightsville Beach offers fantastic ocean racing - great practice for the NAs in September!
2 Days of racing over Memorial Day weekend on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. This is a longtime annual multi-classw event put on by the Potomac River Sailing Association. As more information is available it will be posted on the PRSA website (see link below)
All are welcome, come and experience NOLA Hospitality!
Sail on the Potomac River, just north of Quantico and about 15 miles south of Washington DC.
Great facilities, Great wind, Great race committee, Great turnout, and lots of fun! Entry Fee is $120 (Free for all Junior Skippers and ½ price for all U32 Skippers!!) NEW for this year will be an after racing “Dock Talk” so we can learn from the leaders!
Leatherlips Yacht Club, O'Shaughnessy Reservoir, Powell, Ohio
All are invited to this 2nd Annual event! We had 18 boats in the first year - come join the FUN!
Come sail in Maine! Join us for this one day event!
All are invited to Cazenovia, NY!
A two day “Open” regatta again for 2025. We will have an Open fleet for modern boats as well as a Classic fleet (shorter windward mark for Classics). All are welcome! with a boat or without, we will help find you a boat to sail with.
Lightning sailing in Montreal!
All are welcome to Niantic! Don't miss out on some great sailing!
All are Welcome to Surf City YC on Long Beach Island!
| | Major Championship Regattas |
Lightning sailing in Montreal!
Atlantic Highlands YC and Monmouth Boat Club in NJ invite you to come and sail on Sandy Hook Bay!
Lightnings are heading back to Larchmont Yacht Club on Long Island Sound!
September dates - Wrightsville Beach offers fantastic ocean racing.
| International Lightning Class Association
Laura Jeffers, Executive Secretary
(727) 942-7969 | |