Willow Bank Yacht Club hosted the Caz Flash Bash Lightning regatta for the 30th time this past Fathers’ Day weekend. Willow Bank is home to Central New York’s most active Lightning sailboat fleet. Eighteen Lightnings competed in the regatta, half from around the district, Rochester to Watertown, and half from the host club. Most of the skippers are fathers and half of them had a child or grandchild crewing with them.
This year, because the winds were calm both Saturday and Sunday mornings, racing was limited to a four-hour window of light and variable on Saturday afternoon. The race officer put together four races in winds that were tricky but fair.
In a way, it is fitting that this Caz Flash Bash occurred just three weeks before the Lightning Class 80th Anniversary regatta in Skaneateles where the first Lightning was built — this year’s winner was alive when the class was started. Visiting competitor from Rochester, Dick Hallagan, won it all. Hallagan has won many times before in his long racing career starting with his first regatta win 59 years ago.
Close behind in second was last year’s winner, Jim Barnash. Third and Fourth went to local racers Ed Seyerlein and Clay Murphy. Owen MacDonald from Rochester rounded out the five award winners.
