In Memoriam: Mary Savage

A long-time US Sailing judge and umpire, Mary was a trailblazer among women race officials. She learned to sail in 1960 at the Larchmont Yacht Club in New York, and five years later she was teaching the class.

In 1979 she won the Women’s Championship of Long Island Sound. The same year, less than a year after the program was created, Mary was one of the first women to become a US Sailing Judge. She was certified as an International Judge in 1990 and officiated at events of all kinds, from youth regattas to world championships and was a regular at Key West and Block Island Race Weeks. She was also a World Sailing International Judge.

When the Umpire Program began in 1990, Mary was one of the first two women to become US Sailing Certified Umpires. In 1991, she was also the first woman to serve on the US Sailing Racing Rules Committee. Mary also chaired the US Sailing Race Administration Committee for several years, served as a Vice President of US Sailing and on the US Sailing Competitor Classification Committee.

In 2007 Mary was awarded the Harman Hawkins Trophy for her contributions to race administration, and in 2015 she received the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, US Sailing’s most prestigious award, for her outstanding contributions to the sport.

Mary was known for working quietly and effectively in the background with little publicity, and she was one to never suffer fools gladly – particularly in the protest room. Everyone had to be a little sharper with Mary in the room.

She will be deeply missed by everyone at World Sailing.