There was little doubt Mark Arnold was out to repeat his national Mobjack championship as he started the first race on Delaware Bay. He positioned himself perfectly around the committee boat, got off to a quick start to the windward mark and never looked back. It was a scene to be repeated many times over three days of racing.

Arnold and his crew mate Matt Franks of Chesapeake, Va., and the Broad Bay Sailing Association won every race but two, and one of those was a self-imposed disqualification. Lewes Yacht Club played host to the 51st Mobjack Nationals Friday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 22, with a total of nine races.

The Lewes Yacht Club crew of Connie Miller, captain, Hannah Petterson and Gay Knapp Melini won a race and finished fifth overall. The Lewes team of Paynter Ingram and Bert Keller took top honors for a local team, finishing fourth.

The crew of Josh and Len Guenther of the Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville, Va., finished second, and the crew of Meg and Tom Roberts of Fishing Bay took third.

The Senior National Championship was presented to Miller of Lewes, and the Novice Skipper Award went to the Lewes crew of John Dickey and Sara Lester.

The race committee was led by Don Bland, Michelle Bland, Kathy O’Hanlon, Elinor Hughes and Nick Carter, who provided his boat Delgado as the committee boat. Tom Ward of Washington, D.C., was presented with the Stephen McDonough Jr. Sportsmanship Award by a vote of fellow sailors.

The annual Prime Hook Photography Contest will soon feature some of the very best nature photography in the region.

This is the seventh year that the annual contest and exhibit will be held at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers, including student photographers. Photographs must be of nature, and the entries each year showcase the dramatic and beautiful landscapes and scenery of Delmarva.

Each year, hundreds of entries are submitted. A panel of professional photographers judges the entries and prizes are awarded in various categories. Photographs may be submitted between Wednesday, Sept. 1 and Thursday, Oct. 7. The awards reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 17; photographs will then be on public display at the refuge auditorium until Tuesday, Nov. 30.

The Prime Hook Nature Photography Contest is open to amateur and professional photographers in the categories Junior Student (up to 12 years of age), Senior Student (13 to 17 years of age) and adult (18 or over).

Entries may be in any or all of four categories: Delmarva Scenery (landscapes or seascapes), Native Wildlife, Native Flowers and Plants, and The Beauty of Prime Hook. To qualify as Delmarva Scenery, a photograph should have been taken somewhere on the Delmarva Peninsula. The Native Wildlife category includes photographs of native animals, birds, fish, insects and amphibians. The Native Flowers and Plants category is limited to Delmarva’s wild flora. The Beauty of Prime Hook encompasses only photographs taken within the boundaries of the refuge. No photograph in any category may contain persons or man-made structures.

For the purposes of this contest, “native” should be taken to mean “not introduced by humans.” Photographs of domestic animals are not permitted in the Native Wildlife category. With respect to flowers and plants, the matter can be confusing. Cultivated garden flowers and plants or those which have escaped from gardens and now grow in the wild are considered non-native. Photographs of them cannot be entered in the Native Flowers and Plants category. The Photographic Society of America’s definition of a nature photograph will be strictly adhered to: Eligible subjects include trees, wildflowers, weeds, grasses, fungi, ferns, mosses, animals or birds (except domesticated), reptiles, insects, fossils, weather, land/seascapes (without boats or other human evidence), geological formations, etc. Banding is acceptable on birds. Ineligible subjects include cultivated plants or flowers, domestic animals (dogs, cows, etc.), scenes which show human artifacts (fences, buildings, telephone wires, etc.), museum habitats or groups, or subjects that have since become extinct.

Only color prints no larger than 12” x 16” will be accepted. Each should be matted in white but unframed and should have the name, address and phone number of the entrant as well as the name of the photograph and the category in which it is to be entered placed on the reverse side of the matte. The total dimensions cannot exceed 16-by-20-inches. Digital photographs are acceptable in all categories.

It is strongly suggested that all prints be mounted to the matte board, not inserted or taped. Proper mounting will preserve, protect and better present the photograph. It will also prevent mattes and/or photographs from coming loose and falling during the exhibit, which has been a common problem during past contests.

Entries must be mailed or hand delivered to the Refuge Office on or before Oct. 7. The refuge address is 11978 Turkle Pond Road, Milton, DE 19968. Refuge hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Anyone unable to pick up their entry after the exhibit closes Nov. 30, should enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope with their submission. Entries not picked up before Jan. 1, 2011, will become the property of the Friends of Prime Hook. They may be used for promotional purposes or fundraising. The Friends of Prime Hook assume no liability for entries lost or damaged during the exhibit.

The entry fee is $5 per photograph or six for $25 and must be included with the submitted photographs. Student entries are free. All checks should be made payable to the Friends of Prime Hook N.W.R.

Three professional photographers will serve as judges. The grand prize for best in show is participation in the Wild Delaware Photography Workshop with renowned National Geographic photographer Kevin Fleming. The workshop features a four-hour, one-on-one session with Fleming out in the field and in the studio. A $100 prize will also be a part of the Best in Show Award. Monetary awards will also be given to the first-, second- and third-place winners in each category and to the student winners. For more information or details, contact the refuge at 302-684-8419.

Riding on two wheels has become a popular way to see the Cape Region. The opening of the Junction & Breakwater Trail between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, two resort towns in the Cape Region, offers a safe and fun way to move around the area.

The trail has become extremely popular with cyclists, runners and hikers. On summer weekends the trail is filled with people enjoying nature, exercising and going to work.

Because of the trail, it is possible to bike between the two towns and never ride on a major road (like Route 1). Getting to and from the 5-mile trail might require some road riding, but once you are on the trail, the only concern you will have is watching out for other cyclists, walkers and runners when you make a few blind turns.

All but two-tenths of the trail in Rehoboth Beach is crushed stone and better suited to fatter tire bicycles, although you will see road bikes on the trail.

Bike rental shops are plentiful, and if you ride the paved trail in Cape Henlopen State Park near Lewes you can take advantage of using a free bike.

For roadies who want to venture out beyond the trails to nearby towns like Milton and Georgetown, check out www.sussexcyclists.org for ride information.

For more than 375 years, the sea has shaped the history of Lewes. It provided a fishery that grew into a major industry. It required boats that were built along the shores. It demanded lights that guided mariners, pilots to navigate the shoals, a great harbor to shelter ships from ice and storms, and courageous men to rescue the crews of stranded vessels. The sea brought war and pestilence to Lewes, but it also brought prosperity and a nationally important marine science center.

This is the story told by the Lewes Maritime History Trail, an approximately 4.3-mile route that takes visitors to 10 sites where the city’s past unfolds. Walk, bike or drive the trail. See historic photographs while you stand before what’s left today. Whether in the forlorn stone ruins of the quarantine station or in the journal articles of University of Delaware scientists, Lewes’ maritime heritage is strong.

An audio tour about Lewes’ maritime history and other Lewes history is available from the Lewes Historical Society and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. For more information call the historical society at 645-7670 or the chamber of commerce at 645-8073. Also, visit historiclewes.org or leweschamber.com.

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Register now for Memory Walk
The Alzheimer’s Association is accepting registrations for this year’s Memory Walk online at memorywalk2010.kintera.org/Rehoboth. For more information, call Jamie Magee at 854-9788 or 800-272-3900. Team Captain kits are available online at alz.org/desjsepa. The walk will be Saturday, Oct. 2, at The Grove park.

Gallery One to feature Fall Fun
Gallery One in Ocean View will open its new show, Fall Fun, which will open Wednesday, Sept. 1, with paintings from each of the 16 gallery artists expressing this theme. The interpretation of the theme is as varied as the style of each artist. The public is invited to visit Gallery One and enjoy this exhibit daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday, Oct. 6.

Dale Sheldon, a transplant to the area, said she wanted to express the magnificent quality of the beach in the fall. Her piece, “Beach Fun,” shows a toddler playing on the beach. The work has a feeling of a cool breeze with wide diagonal strokes in the sky, and the sea is dotted with foam close to the shoreline.

For another artist, Jeanne Mueller, fall means less congestion. “I just love to drive around and take roads I’ve never traveled just to see where they will go, go to places I’ve never visited,” she said. Her painting, “View from the Lavender Farm,” was done after such an adventure.

Lesley McCaskill, who lives close to a farm, chose to paint “Golden Field,” a field of spent corn with a tractor. McCaskill said each fall she looks forward to the corn turning golden with shades of brown mixed in with some of the last green stalks.

Besides works from the other 13 member artists, the gallery continues to show work by locals who express their art in fiber, photography, glass and clay. The gallery also offers art classes with local and well-known instructors. Gallery One is open year-round at 32 Atlantic Ave., Ocean View. Visit galleryonede.com or call 537-5055 for more information.

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Surveys continue on endangered plant
Surveys are continuing for seabeach amaranth, a plant listed as threatened on the federal endangered species list. The plant grows on the dune slopes and in the overwashes at Cape Henlopen. Seabeach amaranth is also found regularly at Delaware Seashore State Park. This small, ground-hugging plant grows best on the open sand and is vulnerable to being destroyed by foot and vehicular traffic on the beach.

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Lifeguards begin exodus Aug. 14
Cape Henlopen State Park’s Gordons Pond beach will be unguarded for the rest of the summer, effective Saturday, Aug. 14. “Unguarded Beach” signs will be posted at all dune crossings, fee booths and other beach-access areas. The staff reductions were necessary as a result of lifeguards leaving the area for college and sports camps. Cape Henlopen State Park visitors are strongly encouraged to swim at Cape Henlopen’s main beach, which will remain guarded every day through Labor Day. Other state park ocean swimming areas may be affected in the next week or two. For more information, call 302-739-9200.