An interview with Todd Wake about the 2017 Lightning Worlds

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 20 Nov 2017 In late 1935, Olin J. Stephens II (1908-2008) completed his plans for a tidy and performance-minded 19-foot One Design boat that featured hard chines and plenty of sail area. The first Lightning was built by the Skaneateles Boat and Canoe Company and launched at the Skaneateles Country Club in October of 1938 before making her debut at the New York Boat Show that same winter. Soon, word of this simple but high-performance boat started growing, with initial classes starting around the New York City area.

John and George Barnes, the boatbuilding brothers who owned and operated the Skaneateles Boat and Canoe Company, realized that a strong class association would be key to the future success of their project, so, in 1939, the group that eventually evolved into today’s International Lightning Class Association (ILCA) held their first meeting at the New York Boat Show.

Thanks to a great design and build, as well as dedicated class support, the Lightning became one of the most popular One Design classes afloat by the 1950s. Fiberglass boats started appearing on starting lines in the late 1950s/early 1960s, which helped to further fuel class growth.

By the class’ 30th anniversary in 1968, there were more than 11,000 boats around the world, and while higher-octane designs now exist, Lightnings still attract some of the world’s best One Design racers. Moreover, the ILCA remains the heart and soul of the class, and they have embraced some commendable forward-leaning thinking.

In an effort to bolster class participation and to ensure new blood in this time-honored class, Bill Fastiggi and Allan Terhune created the Lightning Boat Grant Program in 2007. The class typically provides two fast and competitive Lightnings, along with insurance and a substantial regatta-expenses kitty, to two teams of aspiring and deserving young sailors for one season of racing. Additionally, each team is assigned a sailing mentor and is thoroughly exposed to the ILCA racing circuit.

For their part, each recipient is expected to actively sail the boat in a predetermined number of regattas while also maintaining the vessel and her equipment. In all cases, recipients are expected to demonstrate the highest levels of sportsmanship, which has long been a hallmark of this friendly yet highly competitive class.

The Lightning World Championship regatta is held every other year, on odd-numbered years, and they also employ a rotating schedule that sees the venue for the Lightning Worlds move around between North America, South America and Europe. This year’s Lightning World Championship regatta is being held at the Salinas Yacht Club, in Salinas, Ecuador, from November 21 to November 25, and is expected to draw teams from at least nine different nations and five different continents. I caught up with Todd Wake, president of the International Lightning Class Association and a dedicated Lightning sailor, via email, to learn more about this exciting world-championship regatta.

Can you give me an update on the Lightning class?
The Lightning class is doing well. The ideal crew weight favors mixed teams and we have a great mix of families, women, kids, 20-somethings and 'masters'. Experience ranges from relative newcomers to Olympic medalists.

The great thing about the Lightning class is that these age groups and experience levels truly mix to share knowledge and wisdom when it comes to sailing the boat, helping others get to regattas, and getting new teams up to speed. The camaraderie and sense of community in the ILCA are as strong as I've seen in any class, and I think that that is what we are most excited about.

What kind of participation numbers are you seeing for this world-championship regatta? Also, how has participation been at more regional events?
We expect to have about sixty boats at the Worlds in Salinas, Ecuador. You must qualify to participate and the number of participants is capped. The North Americans that just concluded in Wrightsville Beach, NC drew 71 boats and in 2014 we had 107.

Our Women's, Juniors, and Masters North Americans had 43 boats this summer, with many of the teams also coming to Wrightsville and anticipating attending the Worlds. The real strength of our class is our regional events and almost every weekend, spring through fall, you can find one or more Lightning events with 20+ boats, with many reaching 30, 40, or 50+ boats.

In thinking about the 2017 Worlds, what aspects of the regatta are you the most excited about?
Salinas is a beautiful place to sail. I was there last July and we had humpback whales on the racecourse! The Salinas Yacht Club is also famous for its top-notch hospitality. The Worlds falls over Thanksgiving, so we will have to see if they can make gravy as well as we do in the States.

We expect comfortable temperatures and a reliable breeze in the teens. We also look forward to socializing with our Lightning 'family' from all around the world.

Regardless of the outcome of the racing the time spent with friends is priceless.

How many races per day can competitors expect? Also, will these all be windward-leewards, or will there be reaching to take advantage of the boats’ spinnaker poles?
Most days will see two long races. The breeze doesn't usually fill in until the afternoon so we like to think the schedule is quite civilized.

The races will be windward-leeward. Having a traditional symmetrical spinnaker allows for easy gybing and gives you different downwind modes with similar VMG. This makes the runs very tactical with lots of passing.

What teams do you see vying for podium finishes? Or, will the competition be too fierce to place safe bets?
There are probably close to 20 teams with a real shot at the podium and too many past champions, Olympians and Pan-Am Games Medalists to count.

Tito Gonzalez from Chile and Javier Conte from Argentina come to mind, along with David Starck and Ched Proctor from the States. The door is wide open, however, for some dark-horse teams to make a move and finish strongly also.

Can you tell me about any steps that the regatta made to lower its carbon footprint and/or to green-up?
I am not aware of any specific steps being taken by the organizers in Ecuador but it is worth mentioning that we are able to load four Lightnings into a 40' container, which greatly lowers the cost and carbon footprint related to shipping, as opposed to some classes that can only fit 1-2 boats in a container.

Lightnings also have a long competitive lifetime, which definitely fits into the reuse category.

Anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
Come sailing with us! Go to www.lightningclass.org to find a fleet or regatta near you.