Apply for the Boat Grant Program
December 14, 2022
The International Lightning Class Association is proud to announce another season of our wildly successful Boat Grant Program. This program is designed to fund young sailors who want to experience the high level of competition offered by the ILCA.
The ILCA grant program will award at least two young teams a competitive boat plus substantial regatta expenses for one season of racing. There will be mentoring provided and the goal is to expose more youth racers to the ILCA circuit.
The ILCA owns two competitive Lightnings that we loan to promising young sailors for the summer sailing season each year. The grantees are selected by a panel of experienced Lightning sailors based on the proposals that each team submits and through an interview process. The grant covers all regatta entry fees, boat insurance, some travel money and we also provide you with a nearly new boat, good sails and a mentor to help get you started. The program provides young sailors, students, or those just beginning their working careers, who can’t afford to buy and campaign a competitive 3-person dinghy like the Lightning, with all they need to sail against some of the best racers in the world.
The Class has had four Canadian Teams already benefit from the program:
2007- Stephen Waldie
2009 – Jessica Lombard
2015 – Alex Cox
2017 – Nikka Stoger
Lightning Boat Grant Skipper – Alex Cox
Crew – Caleb Vander Ploeg and Marek Dennhardt
The opportunity to utilize the grant relates to our Fleet 279, Temple Reef Sailing Club (TRSC), which has continued to grow in size. We have consistently increased the number of boats attending weekly race nights, as well as having bigger turnouts than ever at our local regattas. Not only is the Fleet growing in size, but we have also grown in terms of overall competitiveness.
2017 Lightning Boat Grant Skipper – Nikka Stoger
Crew – Courtney Rizzuto and sisters Scotia and Jean Evans
Nikka Stoger, from Neebing, Ontario, started her sailing career in 2012 and quickly realized the sport of sailing was her passion. She obtained CANsail levels 1-4 and became an instructor for Sail Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. Nikka sails both keelboats and Lightnings at Temple Reef Sailing Club, home of Lightning Fleet #279 and is currently a fourth-year student at Lakehead University in the Honors Bachelor of Science Forestry Program.
Her crew is Courtney Rizzuto who is also a sailing instructor for Sail Thunder Bay and a graduate of the Royal Canadian Navy sailing program. Rounding out the crew are sisters Scotia and Jean Evans who are both lifelong Lightning sailors at TRSC.
Who should apply?
You should. You and your team must each be at least 19 years old. You should be motivated to try to take on the challenge of competing in one of the most competitive One-Design classes in North America.
For more information click HERE
