Photo Album Link: Photo album LSC Lightnings 2026 All photos by Eyrin Siegle
Lansing Sailing Club Annual Lightning Regatta Recap
by Scott Watkins
The Lansing Sailing Club Annual Lightning Regatta brought 11 teams to Lake Lansing for a full day of competitive racing, good breeze, and the post-race storytelling and cold beverages that make a regatta memorable.
Racing began around 11:00 a.m. under sunny skies and warm summer conditions. The breeze came from the northeast, starting light at around 5 knots before gradually building through the day into a steady 7–10 knots. That made for a fair and enjoyable day of racing, with enough wind to keep the fleet moving through shifts and weeds.
The race committee completed three races in the morning before sending the fleet in for a lunch break. After lunch, sailors returned to the water for three more races, giving the fleet six races in total. With one throwout allowed, each team’s best five finishes determined the final standings.
Competition was close throughout the fleet. Scott Watkins (Lansing Sailing Club), put together the most consistent series of the day with finishes of 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, and a throwout of 5. His final score of 9 points earned first place overall. Tom Klaban (Pontiac Yacht Club) also had a strong day, including a race win and several top-three finishes, finishing second with 10 points after throwout. George Siegle (LSC), rounded out the top three with 16 points, highlighted by consistent finishes near the front of the fleet.
Michael Kovalchick (LSC) took fourth with 18 points, including a win in Race 6. John Morley (PYC) finished fifth with 24 points, aided by a Race 5 win. The rest of the fleet battled through shifting positions and building breeze, with several teams showing strong individual race results across the day.
According to long-time LSC member and Lightning Sailor Larry Koster, this marks the first overall regatta win by a Lansing skipper since he won in 1994, making for 32 years since a LSC skipper took first place overall in our home regatta. Larry was on hand Saturday to see some of the racing just before lunch. Overall the home fleet had a strong day, taking three of the top four positions.