About the Lightning
Welcome to the Lightning 368 Class Association web site. We hope you find the information you are looking for and the site interesting and informative. Our site is updated after each open meeting and often even more frequently.
The latest changes and updates are listed and referenced on the News Updates tab. Please contact the Web Master if you have any questions or comments, we are always pleased to hear from people interested or curious about the Lightning 368 and the Class Association.
About the Lightning
The Lightning is a small and light weight single hander, which is competitive and fun to sail. It has a good weight range and can be competitively sailed by helms from 50 to 90 Kgs. We have a wide age range sailing the boat and a good number of lady helms taking part in our Open Series events.
The controls are well laid out along the gunwales with a centre main and a proper halyard for the sail, meaning it can be lowered whilst afloat. It has a centreboard rather than a dagger, meaning it is easier to launch and recover and is not in the way in a small boat.
The Class Association
The Class is very active throughout the UK, we are seeing significant new interest in the class since the introduction of the Mk3 Lightning in 2018 with the new deck layout.
Our Nationals this year maintained a consistent attendance, with 25 boats registered and 23 taking part over the weekend at Northampton SC. Our builder, John Claridge, continues to develop and improve the boat and new orders continue to increase.
The Class Association prides itself on the friendly and open nature of the Class. We strive to ensure newcomers to sailing, or the Class, are made welcome and have the support they need to enjoy the boat to the full.
Our open events are for everyone, no matter what standard you are, you will find just as warm a welcome at the front of the fleet, as at the back and everywhere in between. We are friendly off the water and understanding on it. It isn´t necessary to be an expert on the rules, people will help out. We are all here to enjoy our sailing and racing, in good company, no matter what standard you are.
If you´re looking to try some Class racing then we are a great place to start, our friendly and understanding approach, ensures everyone enjoys the events and it really isn´t as scary as it sounds. Pop along to an event to see what´s going on and have a chat, you´ll be surprised how easy it all is. We have a good range of traveller and open events throughout the year which are increasing well attended.
Find out More
We hope you enjoyed your visit here, please contact us if we can help, or if you want to find out more.
Wayne Jenner
Webmaster
Lightning 368 Class Association