At the 60th Anniversary regatta of the Lightning class, sailors were standing in the boat park studying a brand new example of this classic, first sailed in 1938.

Among the gathered sailors was Olin Stephens, a man associated—in the minds of many—with America's Cup defenders and high-end ocean racers. In the mindset of this group, however, Olin Stephens is The Genius Who Designed the Lightning.

Someone said, "Olin, you've been looking at the Lightning as long as anyone in the world. If you could design the boat all over again, what would you change?" There was a pause as he considered the question. After a long time he began to speak, "Do you think, (another pause) we really need that skeg?"

There was a round of laughter.

"You're supposed to know that," was the reply. Mr. Stephens just smiled, crouched under the boat, and ran his hand along the skeg, "Has anyone tried sailing without it?" he said.

His listeners were stunned. Fifteen thousand Lightnings into the run, the boat's designer was still open to a possible design improvement. Maybe that's what made Olin Stephens the giant of his generation. The guy's still looking for the next performance improvement. He can't turn it off. And that's why at age 95 he always seems like the youngest person in the room. At that moment, if anyone had produced a saw, we would gladly have hacked off a skeg and gone out for two-boat testing.

As a tribute to Mr. Stephens and everyone who's ever loved the Lightning, the International Lightning Class Association has recently purchased Lightning Hull #1. The Association is raising funds for a full restoration, and when it is complete, the boat will be displayed at historic Mystic Seaport Museum, where it will join Laser #1 and a first-generation Star. Due to its fragility, Lightning #1 has not been on view for over 10 years.

Mystic will display the boat mast-up, with original cotton sails. But, the boat won't be locked away all the time. Provisions have been made for Lightning #1 to make the pilgrimage to upstate New York for the 70th Anniversary regatta and the 80th and beyond.

Close examination of Lightning #1 reveals the beautiful inconsistencies consistent with a prototype—even one that went on to become a legend. The cockpit coaming on one side is three-fourths of an inch deeper than on the other. Floorboards have notches cut in them, as if they were made out of remnants from some other project. But one look at the boat and it's obvious that every boat sailing in over 300 active fleets in more than 14 countries traces its DNA to the boat waiting in Mystic.

Pictures from the original brochure don't seem to show it, and the original plans include one, but previous owners' accounts indicate that when it was built in 1938, #1 had no skeg. Hmmm . . .

Postscript: The 60th reunion took place in 1998 at Skaneateles Lake in New York's finger lakes region—the home of Lightning Fleet #1 and the waters where Hull #1 first set sail in 1938. The class reunion, held every ten years, routinely draws 200+ boats. For decades, Mr. Stephens has attended these reunions (despite the way that he puts people at ease, it's hard to imagine calling him anything other than "Mr. Stephens"). So what's it like to meet a legend? Imagine meeting Henry Ford in the flesh at a Summer Mustang Rally, and you're close.

Anyone wishing to support the donation and restoration of Hull #1, may send to contributions to: ILCA P.O.Box 10747 Murfreesboro, TN 37129. All contributions are tax-deductible.

                                                                                        By Bill Faude

At an Americas Cup fund-raiser at the Columbia Rope Company, in neighboring Auburn, New York, John and George Barnes, owners of the Skaneateles Boats Company, had met naval architects Rod and Olin Stephens, of Sparkman and Stephens, and discussed the idea of a completely new boat. This boat would be 19' long, providing room for a family; it would incorporate the hard chine of the Comet, allowing simplified construction; and it would provide the high performance required of a one-design class racer.

By late 1935, Olin Stephens II had completed the plans for the Lightning. Over the next two years, the Skaneateles and Sparkman & Stephens teams consulted with each other on the construction of the boat that would become the Lightning. Hull #1 was launched in October 1938 at the Skaneateles Country Club and used as a test bed for the Lightning development program. In the winter of 1938, the Barnes' took Lightning #1 to the New York City boat show, and were rewarded with numerous orders. It seemed the Barnes' had a successful design on their hands.

Olin Stephens and the Barnes' recognized the unique contribution that the boat could offer to one-design sailing and decided to treat the Lightning with unprecedented generosity. Rather than retaining exclusive rights to the design, they donated the rights to the then brand new Lightning Class Association. This contribution ensured that anyone who wanted to could build a Lightning, and all design royalties would contribute to the strength of the class association.

John Barnes became the first national champion in 1939.

The 2003 Worlds looked like this.

Tito Gonzalez, Jay Lutz & Claus Engel won the regatta, and it was gooood!