Mercedes Escandon grew up sailing Optis and 420s at Metedeconk River Yacht Club and around the Barnegat Bay. She got into Lightning sailing when she was 14 through the Advanced Lightning Class at MRYC – Fleet 34 and has been hooked ever since. “I sailed my fair share of Lightning junior and local regattas in Metedeconk’s club-owned boats. I fell in love with the Lightning Class for the competitive sailing, the community, and the thrill of surfing a big wave going downwind. Since aging out of juniors, I have tried to stay active in the fleet by sailing my fixer-upper boat in mostly local regattas, which has opened up so many opportunities for me including skippering at the 2025 World Championships in Greece.” She is a 2025 MIT grad with an exciting college sailing career. Now back at MIT for a Masters Program she is looking forward to this next chapter.
Like his sister, Lucas Escandon, grew up sailing at Metedeconk and Lightnings were his first introduction to advanced sailing. “Lightnings have taught me a lot about sailing from both a technical perspective as well as sportsmanship and what it means to embody the Corinthian spirit.” He is Captain of the Sailing Team and will be graduating from MIT this spring.
Peter Taboada comes from a family of Lightning sailors and recently he’s rekindled his love for the Lightning. My dad, Brian Taboada, and uncle, Keith Taboada, both have sailed Lightnings out of Metedeconk for decades. “In fact, my first sailing race was as a crew on my dad’s Lightning when I was six years old. However, as I grew up I fell into the Opti to C420 pipeline and rarely sailed on a Lightning until recently. The kind and familial community within the fleet was honestly super inspiring to see in my recent re-exposure. This, alongside the technical complexity within the boat, gave me the push I needed to start putting effort into joining the fleet.” He is 2025 Northeastern Grad and now works for Applied Materials as a mechanical design engineer.
While this team is not new to the Lightning Class, their biggest barrier was a functioning boat. The use of a Boat Grant Boat will bring their Lightning sailing up to the next level. This new Team will be a fun addition to the Class this season.