> US SAILING Media > Sailor of the Week > 2010 > Sailor of the Week - November, 2010 > Jan & Steve Davis
Jan & Steve Davis
Sailor of the Week: Nov. 4-10
Lifelong Lightning class sailors Jan and Steve Davis of Centennial, Colo. have left an indelible mark on their class and the sport of sailing for years. Jan has finished her fifth and final year as the Lightning Class Secretary, while Steve served as president of the Lightning Class in 2007 and 2008 after years of service on the International Lightning Class Association’s Executive Committee. Steve encouraged Jan to apply for the secretary job when the position became available. Once she was hired, they worked as a team and started traveling around the world, visiting fleets and participating in as many regattas as they could. They visited most U.S. Districts, including international stops in Ecuador, Colombia, Greece, and Nigeria.
“Visiting every Lightning district was our goal,” said Jan. “This will continue with us in the future.”
Steve and Jan have been focused on building the class for the future by getting collegiate sailors involved in Lightning class sailing through the Boat Grant Program. Under their leadership, the program has had tremendous support from members through donations and an enormous volunteer commitment.
“It is a delight to bring young people in to the Lightning class and watch them have such fun at our events,” said Jan. “Our members house these young sailors at events, help them out in the boat yard, and then try to catch them out on the water. We’ve had some wonderful young people receive our grant boats and spend a summer racing a Lightning with some of the best sailors in the world.”
Jan and Steve both come from sailing families. As kids in Newport Beach, Calif. they sailed Sabots, Kites, Lasers, and occasionally big boats. They met through their fathers and grandfathers who raced against each other in Newport Harbor. Steve was also involved in racing Etchells until they moved to Colorado. Today, Jan and Steve conduct their Lightning sailing on the Cherry Creek Reservoir and on lakes in Bow Mar, Colo. “Denver does have a lot of sailing going on… more than people might think,” added Jan.
“Steve and I try to give back in many aspects and we find it richly rewarding. Over the years, many young sailors have lived with us for a summer, traveled with us around the country and the world to sail. Steve got involved with the Lightning Class to help it at a time when it needed leadership and some good old fashioned hard work.”
Jan commented, “What has really impressed us about the Lightning Class is the dedication of Lightning sailors to the boat and the association from one generation to the next.”