Thom Stewart wrote:

Doug,

You are right about the rig on a lightning but I remember sailing on one
that was made into an overnighter ( for not having a better name) It had
a shelter cabin built into it

Bet it didn't have much headroom. Lightnings are low sided boats. Low boom,
too!

.. It was a strange looking vessel but it was a hell of a
boat. It was a hell of a sailer also and when the weather would start
to press it he would partially rise the centerboard and accept some
leeway to keep her hull under control

I've used that same trick on a couple of different boats. It works best with
boats that either have daggerboards like a Laser, or a short stubby
centerboard. A Lightning has a long centerboard, raising it brings the
denter of lateral resistance aft but it's also a hard-chine boat. A good
skipper would be able to balance the helm when heeled against the
further-aft shifted CLR.




....although he
never officially raced it, it was still damn fast.

Yep, the Lightning is a thoroughbred all right. They aren't that impressive
with regard to numbers like S/D, but they'll beat a lot of boats with better
numbers.


He could anchor out
but his favorite way to overnight was to nose it up to the beach, set
the boom tent and enjoy the access of the land.

Sounds like a lot of fun. Have to be careful where you do that, though....
between irate property owners and snakes, the cruise be a short one!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King