THE BEST SAILOR IN THE HAMPTONS IS AMANDA CLARK

By Christian McLean

If you’ve ever taken the North Ferry between Shelter Island and Greenport during the summer, you have surely seen the fleet of small sailboats heeling in the light swells of Shelter Island’s Dering Harbor. That cove has been the training waters for hundreds who have attended the Shelter Island Yacht Club’s Junior Sailing Program over the years, and while the boats may have changed, from Optimists to Stuart Knockabouts, one thing has been constant: the production of top-quality sailors.

If you were crossing the Peconic Bay twenty years ago, you may have even seen a young girl, by the name of Amanda Clark, learning her tacks and jibes on the family Optimist. But today if you see the Shelter Island native on the waters, it is more than likely she’s competing at the highest level on the national and international sailing circuits. Clark has been thriving among the top sailors in the world since she was ten. In that time, she has accumulated dozens of awards and honors, including being the youngest woman to make the US Sailing Team, sailing Europe class boats (12’ long, one person boat), first place in the U.S. Junior Women’s Single-hand Championship in 1998 and 2000 and netting three ISAF Youth World Championships while racing in Europe.

In 2001, Amanda was offered the opportunity to try her skill at the 470 Dingy, which competes in the Double-handed Women’s Olympic class. To crew the two-person boat, Sarah Mergenthaler (an accomplished sailor who also holds records in collegiate javelin, played semi-pro soccer, and kicked field goals in high school), out of Harvey Cedars, New Jersey, joined Amanda. The two handle the 15’6” long 470 with ease. In that first year together, the pair tallied three 1st place medals and gained a 2nd place ranking on the US Sailing Team.

Six years have passed. A little older, a little wiser and clearly more skilled, Amanda and Sarah are now ranked 5th in the world. Their showings at the 470 North Americans and the Rolex Miami OCR in January have secured them the impressive position as the number one boat on the US Olympic squad — placing them above Katie McDowell and Isabelle Kinsolving, who came in fifth in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Their top spot on the US roster gives them the chance to represent America at the Pre-Olympic Regatta in Qingdao, China, this August. From there they hope to move on to the Beijing Olympic Summer Games in 2008.

In all, Amanda has represented the United States in 13 international championship regattas. Unlike many athletes, forsaking their schooling for their sport, Clark actually sacrificed her shot at the 2004 Olympic bid because she was keen to focus on graduating from Connecticut College with a degree in Studio Art. Since receiving her diploma, Clark has taken her passion for sailing to the next level and has committed to training full-time.

With the Olympics and Pre-Olympic Regatta in their sights, Clark and Mergenthaler have established a rigorous training schedule of four days on, one day off, and four days on. Thus far the workouts have proven effective, and with the two currently in Sajima, Japan, racing at the Abeam Cup (a coveted regatta they have competed in twice before) they have another chance to demonstrate their determination and skill.

The true testament to their perseverance, and what Clark has been sailing for since she was a child, is Olympic gold. And while the Yellow Sea is almost 7000 miles from Dering Harbor, it is on the water, any water, where Amanda Clark is most at home.