Jane Pegel

American sailor

Jane Wiswell Pegel

Personal information

Born|  (1933-06-28) 28 June 1933 (age 90)
Sailing career
Club| Skeeter Ice Boat Club
Lake Geneva Yacht Club
College team| University of Wisconsin

Jane Wiswell Pegel is an American sailor, on water and on ice, who was elected into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2021.

## Sailing history[edit]

Pegel grew up on Williams Bay in Wisconsin and graduated from Williams Bay High School in 1961.[1] She learned ice boat racing in a Skeeter and in her first race in 1948, she recalled being first to the wind mark, but then not being able to finish because she did not know how to sail downwind.[2][1] In 1957, she changed to the International DN ice boat in 1957. In 1960, she became the first woman to win the annual International DN championship[3] and she won her first North American championship in the class; she won again in 1963.[4] While Pegel sometimes skis, during a 1965 interview published in Sports Illustrated,[5] she noted

> ...one day of iceboating and you're ready to burn your skis

> — Jane Pegel

In the summer, Pegel races in the M-16 Scow class at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club[5][6] where she has also been involved in the junior program as an instructor and as President of the board of directors.[7] In 1957 and again in 1964, Pegel won the Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy, the United States' Women's Sailing Championship.[8] She won the United States' Women's Singlehanded championship, the Allegra Knapp Mertz trophy, in 1974[9] and was named US Sailor of the Year three times (1964, 1971, 1972).[10] She has also raced, and won championships, in the X Class, C Scow, M Scow and DN Ice boat classes.[7]

## Awards[edit]

In 2008, Pegel was elected to the Inland Lake Yachting Association Hall of Fame.[11] Pegel was elected into the United States' National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2021.[7][12]

## Personal life[edit]

Pegel's husband, Bob Pegel, is also a sailor and they raced together in the E Scow class, splitting the skippering duties between the upwind and downwind legs.[7] They ran a shop where they restored vintage ice boats so they were ready to be sailed.[13] She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1955.[14]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Pegel, Susie (December 2016). "Jane Pegel: The Interview" (PDF). Magazine of the DN Ice Yacht Racing Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
2. ^ "Jane Pegel Archives - iceboat.org". 2021-10-10. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
3. ^ billbuchholz (2014-05-30). "Some History". Chickawaukie Ice Boat Club. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
4. ^ Whitehorse, Deb (2021-07-05). "Jane Pegel US805 To Be Inducted into National Sailing Hall of Fame". DN North America. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
5. ^ a b Whall, Hugh (January 11, 1965). "CHILLY HOT-RODDING ON THE ICE". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
6. ^ "Club History | Lake Geneva Yacht Club". Retrieved 2021-10-10.
7. ^ a b c d "Lake Geneva area's Jane Wiswell Pegel named to sailing hall of fame". Lake Geneva News. July 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
8. ^ "Mrs. Charles Francis Adams Trophy - The Adams Cup Women's Championship". National Sailing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
9. ^ "Allegra Knapp Mertz Trophy". US Sailing. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
10. ^ "US Sailing's Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards". US Sailing. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
11. ^ "ILYA Bilge Pullers History & ILYA Hall of Fame". ilya.org. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
12. ^ "Pegel, Jane Wiswell". National Sailing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
13. ^ Morrissy, Anne (2020-12-02). "High-Speed Thrills on Ice". At The Lake Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
14. ^ Leitner, Holly. "Jane Pegel–Queen of the Ice", Scow Slants, (official publication of the Inland Lake Yachting Association), ILYA Publications, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, volume 54, number 3, Fall/Winter 2010, page 29.

## External links[edit]

* The Saturday Evening Post article with a picture of Pegel in a story about ice boating
* 2016 interview with Pegel in ice boating magazine