by Latane Montague –
The 2021 Hampton One Design National Regatta at Urbanna was a rip-roaring success, proving that the optimal combination for a great National Championship regatta can be two great shoreside parties, fantastic race committee work, and a strong turnout of 16 teams ranging from 14 to 85 years of age.
The Hampton National Championship is the longest running one-design sailboat championship on the Chesapeake Bay. The annual championship began in 1935, and was first conducted in Urbanna in 1948 when local sailor Lloyd Emory won the event and brought the cup back to Urbanna to defend the championship title the next year. The 2021 championship returned to Urbanna because Latane Montague, of Urbanna and Alexandria, won the 2020 championship when it was conducted in Norfolk last August.
“It was a good showing for a town without much of a sailboat racing scene anymore,” said Latane Montague. “My son, Jackson, and I both learned to sail on the Urbanna Creek, and we can compete with the best in the world in this sport.”