Our G.O.T.-Flashes Challenge participation has surged to 655 sailing days recorded as of this week, as Lightning Sailing charges into the summer sailing season. Ken Brown continues to top our Leaderboard at 26 recorded days on the water, closely followed by Emma Hawko and Bob Bush. (See below for the extended list of participants.)
Let’s take a moment to shine the spotlight on our leaders as we look at who the "sailing-est" members of the Lightning Class are. If you had to guess, many people would probably vote for perennial hotshots like our class officers, sailmakers, World or North American champions. Surely those people sail Lightning’s all the time, right?
But that’s not what’s happening! Our leader this week, as it’s been for the last month or so, is Ken Brown, who sails #9287, lives in Belton, MO, sails on Lake Jacomo near Kansas City, and recently towed his boat all the way to the classic boat regatta in Keuka, NY, a distance of 1,083 miles each way. In that event he finished a respectable 11th out of 15 boats in the classic fleet.
Go Ken! The closest established fleet to him is 300 miles away on Lake Carlyle, but that has not stopped or slowed him down at all. It looks like we could all learn something about the joy of Lightning sailing from him.
Right behind him is Emma Hawko, who hails from Shelbourne, VT. Already this season she has sailed her boat in Saint Petersburg, Savannah, Raritan Bay NJ, Niantic and the Worlds in Greece. Clearly Emma is willing to do the distance for a great Lightning event. But you don’t have to travel to climb the Leaderboard. One spot behind Emma is Bob Bush, who sails on Fern Ridge Lake near Eugene, OR, enjoying the delights of summer evenings on his local lake.
Three very different people, sailing in three very different ways, all having a great time and a year of great sailing in our wonderful boat. The rest of us clearly have no excuses at all for staying ashore. If there’s a regatta within 5000 miles, a classic boat in your backyard, someone that needs crew, or even just a great lake nearby, there’s a way to enjoy a Lightning.
Get Out There! You’ll be glad you did.
