“A Classic Experience” by Jim Force

After several years of wanting to participate but letting other things get in the way, I finally signed up for the Classic Lightning Regatta in the Finger Lakes region in New York State in late June.

Glad I went. I didn’t trail my boat out to New York, but signed up to crew for Mike Yates (Skaneateles, NY) on his #378, built sometime in the early 1940s.

Along with retired doc Dave Little of Vermont, we finished 5-5-7-4 in a fleet of 16 classic Lightnings, and won the competition among boats still sporting a wooden mast. (Many woody skippers have elected to go with aluminum sticks which stand up better in a blow and are easier to step and unstep. Plus, replacement wood masts are hard to come by).

We sailed out the Keuka Lake Yacht Club on Keuka Lake , a wishbone-shaped clear and deep body of water near Hammondsport, NY. Gorgeous green rolling hills along the shoreline.
A  modern fleet of 11 Lightnings was also on the water with us for a total of 27 boats–quite a site. There’s nothing quite like a fleet of one designs hitting the starting line in a good breeze.

The Lightning is a 19-foot hard-chine center-boarder deigned by Sparkman and Stevens in Skaneateles in 1938. About 15,000 have been built.

Just as fun was the chance to meet many older Lighting sailors who’ve been in these boats since the 60s and 70s, as I have. We correspond through an active chat page, but it was cool to see the various restorations and rigging on these classic boats in person.