Ignot Clinic: Preparing American Yacht Club Sailors for Regatta Traveling
As you get older in junior sailing, slowly but surely your summer will become more traveling and less time at the program. While most programs do not technically have a “racing team” the racing class sort of becomes one. Whether it be through traveling for weeks at a time or intense practices on the water, your class and their parents become like a second family.
American Yacht Club has held a yearly clinic out of Dinghy Shop in Amityville, NY called the Ingot clinic. At the beginning of each summer AYC holds the Ingot in order to simulate a racing team experience for their young club level sailors. Opti’s, 420s and Lasers are all dropped at the site and hotel rooms are rented for the kids and parents.
The AYC youth sailors will get a taste of what a racing team experience is like, while only traveling an hour from home. Declan Quirke, an Opti sailor out of AYC says Dinghy Shop is a great host, their conditions are a welcomed change from AYC venue and it’s good sail on the other side of the sound for practice. Not only does Dinghy Shop provide an optimal sailing venue, they also provide space for a debrief at the end of the day and a nice shopping trip.
The Ingot clinic has run for ten years, and has gotten all positive reviews, aside from a few complaints about horse flies. Both sailors and parents are able to bond and prepare for what will become a large part of summer.
