Share: 

Females take top two places in national Sunfish masters regatta

Local team wins every race to finish first in Mobjack championships
The Mobjack team of Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram (525), winners of the national title, have their spinnaker filled with wind. Sailing behind them is the second-place team of Paynter Ingram and Bert Keller. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Ron MacArthur
August 23, 2019

Quirky weather delayed the start of both days of racing in the Aug. 17-18 2019 Sunfish Masters National Championship and Mobjack Nationals sponsored by Lewes Yacht Club. On Saturday, a rare dense fog kept sailors on the beach for nearly three hours, and then lack of wind early Sunday morning delayed racing by two hours. Even so, regatta organizers, headed by principal race officer Michelle Bland, were able to get six races in.

It turned out to be a regatta dominated by female racers.

Nancy Haberland of Annapolis, Md., won three races and was third and fourth in two others to win the masters championship. Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association's Nancy Jaywork finished in second place.

Haberland, a U.S. Naval Academy coach and former Olympic sailor, has a long resume of top finishes in Sunfish championship races. As the winner, she is qualified for the world championships in 2020.

Other Lewes sailors finishing included: Steve Evans, seventh; David Miller, 20th; Connie Miller, 28th; and Betsy Schmidt, 35th.

The Lewes team of skipper Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram won all six of the Mobjack races to take top honors. Another Lewes team, skipper Paynter Ingram and Bert Keller, finished in second place. Mobjack races in Lewes are always a family affair. Paynter and Tony are father and son, and Bert is Paynter's brother-in-law and Tony's uncle.

It was also a special awards presentation for Rowland Marshall, a longtime Lewes sailor and river pilot. He was presented the Sportsmanship Trophy for his contributions to the Mobjack class. In addition, the Mobjack Association voted to name the Mobjack nationals the Rowland Marshall Annual Regatta in his honor.

The Mobjack team of Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram (525), winners of the national title, have their spinnaker filled with wind. Sailing behind them is the second-place team of Paynter Ingram and Bert Keller. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Nancy Haberland of Annapolis, Md., is silhouetted by the afternoon sun as she sails her Sunfish to a win in the fourth race.
Mojack racers Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram hike out to capture the wind. The team won the national title.
Lewes Yacht Club Commodore Bert Keller, far right, and regatta organizer Connie Miller, second from right, present awards created by Miller to the winners of the 2019 Sunfish Masters National Championship. Shown (l-r) are Brian McGuiness, fifth; Dave Slavinski, fourth; Brent Barbehenn, third; Nancy Jaywork, second; and Nancy Haberland, national masters champion. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Rowland Marshall, left, is presented with the Sportsmanship Trophy by Mobjack Association President Todd Stein. In addition, the Mobjack national championships will now be called the Rowland Marshall Annual Regatta. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Lewes Yacht Club Commodore Bert Keller, center, presents awards to national Mobjack champions Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Connie Miller, regatta organizer, center, presents second-place Mobjack nationals awards to Paynter Ingram, left, and Bert Keller, right. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Dense fog in the Delaware Bay delays racing for nearly three hours on Aug. 17.
Second-place Mobjack nationals finishers Paynter Ingram and Bert Keller raise their spinnaker.
Tom and Duncan Ward prepare to hike out on their Mobjack after rounding a mark. The team finished in fourth place overall.
Lewes Sunfish sailor Steve Evans finished in seventh place.
Nancy Jaywork (4830) of Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association finished in second place overall. Other sailors in the photo are Brian McGuiness (4321), fifth place, and Cesar Brea (37894), 13th place.
Susan Tillman Berg finished second in the first race of the regatta and went on to take eighth place overall.
David Miller, a Lewes sailor, tries to break away from a group. He finished in 20th place.
Connie Miller, regatta organizer, also sailed in the regatta, finishing in 28th place.
Sunfish race in the national championship on Delaware Bay.

Most Popular

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter

Most Popular