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The International Lightning Class will again provide 3 boats to promising young sailors like you! If you’re over 19, consider this your personal invitation to apply!
You’ll get the best equipment. Race-winning boats with new sails, new rigging, covers and an assigned Lightning Class mentor to help you get to the front. In the boat park you’ll become part of a group that genuinely wants you to do your best and enjoy every weekend! On the water, those same people will do all in their power to keep you behind them. Would you want it any other way?
“The Lightning class was fun on and off the water and we enjoyed every second of it. Everyone we met only wanted to make sure our team was having a great time and that we had everything we needed, which was made for a pretty amazing experience!” – Jordan Wiggins, Boat Grant Skipper, College of Charleston ‘20.
Oh yeah, did we mention the boat is free?!
The program also covers all your entry fees and some of your travel expenses. The Lightning Class has been a vital experience for many of the best racers in the World. Could you use an experience like that?
Join us and apply!  https://www.lightningclass.org/boatgrant
Reach out with any questions to Greg Fisher- [email protected] or Ryan Davidson- [email protected]

News from our sponsor PredictWind:

PredictWind, the leader in maritime weather technology, announces the launch of PredictCurrent, the world’s most comprehensive, high-resolution tidal currents model. This groundbreaking solution empowers users to navigate local waters around the globe with unparalleled accuracy, providing a new level of insight into tidal and ocean currents.

PredictCurrent represents a leap forward in tidal current modeling, offering users the ability to visualize tidal currents with unprecedented detail. Through a world-first initiative, PredictWind’s team of dedicated oceanographers has produced tidal current maps for nearly all coastlines worldwide, setting a new standard in precision, resolution and coverage.

The PredictCurrent model boasts impressive resolutions. For areas characterized by complex bathymetry and high tidal flows, an ultra-high resolution model at 100m gives unparalleled accuracy. With a 400m resolution within 90 km of the coast and a 4km resolution extending up to 600 km offshore, users can see tidal flows anywhere and make decisions with confidence.

Covering over 90% of the world’s coastlines, PredictCurrent ensures users can access tidal current maps wherever their journeys take them. With this extensive coverage, users become local experts in understanding tidal currents, enhancing safety and efficiency in marine activities.

To provide users with the most accurate information, PredictWind has integrated Mercator ocean currents with the PredictCurrent tidal model. This innovation allows users to comprehend the intricate interplay between oceanic and tidal currents on a single map, eliminating the need to consult multiple sources.

The PredictCurrent model has undergone rigorous testing against tidal current observation stations and other models on the market, demonstrating an excellent correlation for accuracy. Users can trust PredictCurrent to provide reliable and precise data for informed decision-making.

PredictCurrent’s impact extends beyond tidal currents, as its data is integrated into PredictWind’s world leading Weather Routing and Departure Planning tools. This integration enhances accuracy, providing warnings about dangerous wind against current situations through extreme weather alerts.

PredictCurrent can be accessed conveniently through the PredictWind App or Offshore app, allowing users to view maps or access data in Grib format. The user-friendly interface ensures seamless navigation and ease of use.

PredictWind continues to redefine maritime weather solutions, and PredictCurrent stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and precision in providing essential information for sailors, mariners, and watersport enthusiasts worldwide.

https://www.predictwind.com/

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Dear fellow US Sailing Member,

I am proud to announce to you – our most valued US Sailing members – that US Sailing has named Marcus Lynch, an accomplished professional sailor athlete, coach, and Olympic performance manager, as our new High Performance Director. Beginning in January, Lynch will lead the US Sailing Team and all its associated high‐performance programs, including the US Olympic Sailing Team, the Pan American Sailing Team, and the Olympic Development Sailing Program.

Personally, I am thrilled to announce that our top candidate for our High-Performance Director has accepted the role. You will find him engaging, thoughtful, and empathetic, but really focused on accountability of the entire team, from athletes to Board of Directors, to perform at the highest level.

Lynch, who has been involved in professional sailing since 2000, served as a full-time athlete for the British Sailing Team in the Tornado Class from 2000-2008, then as a consultant from 2008 to 2016, where he coordinated the British Sailing Teams Paralympic training and preparation activities in Rio ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games where the British Sailing Team secured a Bronze Medal in both the 2.4 and Skud. After the Rio 2016 Games, Lynch joined the German Sailing Team as the Olympic Performance Coach for the Nacra 17, securing the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. In 2019, Lynch became the Olympic Performance Manager, and in 2021 the German Sailing Team had their most successful Olympic Performance in over two decades, securing the Silver Medal in the Fx, the Bronze Medal in the 49er, and the Bronze Medal in the Nacra 17 at Tokyo 2021 Games. In addition to his Olympic and Paralympic Roles, Lynch has a wealth of coaching experience in professional sailing circuits such as SailGP and the former extreme sailing series, giving a broad and unique perspective across sailboat racing.

I would like to thank Sarah Lihan and Henry Brauer who have overseen the team during this interim period, the many athletes, staff, and volunteers who contributed to the search process, and the steadfast Olympic staff and coaches for their commitment to the athletes.

I am proud to bring you this very exciting news, and invite you to read our official announcement, which will be posted later today at www.ussailing.org.

With this critical piece of our plan in place I’m really looking forward to Marseille next summer and building on our spectacular success in the recent Pan Am Games. We have medal chances in several classes – it’s an exciting time!

With deep respect,

Rich Jepsen
Board President
US Sailing
[email protected]