Even head wound can't stop Jeff Futcher

It was more than three decades between Mobjack world championships for Lewes sailor Jeff Futcher.

And both championships mean something different to him. As a teenager in 1979, he crewed for mentor and friend Rodney Evans to win the title. This year he captained the late Evans' Mobjack with Ben Macintire as his crew.

Lewes Yacht Club hosted the 2014 Mobjack Nationals and the 2014 Sunfish Regionals Aug. 23 and 24.

Futcher's and Macintire's world championship didn't come easy. As is often the case, Mother Nature did not cooperate either day over the weekend. High wind created choppy conditions on Delaware Bay. Conditions deteriorated so fast that all racing was cancelled Aug. 24. Results from the first day had to stand.

It's not that Futcher and Macintire had much to worry about - they won all four races on Saturday. Even that didn't come easy. During the third race of the day, Futcher was clobbered by the boat's boom and knocked to the floor in a pool of blood. He refused to give up and ended up winning the third race as well as the fourth race.

Later in the day he went to Beebe Healthcare, received 10 staples in his head, and he still attended that night's banquet for sailors.

Among Mobjack racers, Sam Jackson and Sam Maddox of Essex, Md., finished second; Mark Arnold and Matt Frank of Chesapeake, Va., were third; and local sailors Sarah Lester and Tony Ingram were fourth.

In Sunfish competition, Brian McGinnis of Patchogue, N.Y., was first, followed by Steve Evans of Lewes in a close second, John Meyer of Lively, Va., in third, and Chris Beebe of Rehoboth Beach in fourth. Nancy Jaywork of Rehoboth Beach was the top female finisher, followed by Connie Miller of Lewes.

McGinnis won three of the four races with Evans winning the fourth race.