Amy Ironmonger Interview
Coming from a sailing family with a father who ran the college sailing program on the US east coat for thirty years and a mother who is a great sailor in her own right, it is no surprise that twenty seven year old trainee lawyer Amy Ironmonger is making a name for herself in the Melges 24 fleet. Joining the class in 2005 she sailed with a number of teams before landing a regular place on board Scott Nixon and Terry Hutchinson’s Quantum Racing with whom she won the 2008 North American Championship. This year in Key West she jumped at the chance to sail aboard Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon and finished second overall.
Justin Chisholm caught up with Amy to find out more about her, what it is like to sail with two of the world’s best Melges teams and get some hints and tips about doing the bow role on the 24.
IM24CA: First of all, tell us about your sailing background?
AI: I started sailing when I was 6 weeks old. I guess you could say I am the daughter of a son of a son of a sailor. Because sailing was such a big part of my parents’ life, they always made sure I wanted to sail and never feel like I was being forced to. So instead of putting me in a junior program, they bought me an old Volvo station wagon and an even older Laser. I put a hammock in the back of the wagon and hit the regatta circuit. I was hooked immediately! I took some time off from sailing during college when I discovered that you could actually get paid to be a ski patroller, but got right back on the water when I moved to Annapolis shortly after school.
IM24CA: When did you join the Melges 24 class? What attracted you to this class? What other sailing do you do?
AI: For me, getting involved with a Melges 24 program was a no-brainer. My first experience was bringing one down the Chesapeake Bay in a great northerly and it was love at first sail. I went on to do Worlds in Key Largo that year and sailed with various Melges programs over the years, in addition to getting involved in other one-design classes. I’ve been so fortunate to have the opportunity to sail with some really amazing people over the years in a lot of very cool events. Picking a favorite event would be tough, but winning North Americans last year as part of the Quantum crew was certainly a highlight. I wanted it so badly that it was almost as if I held my breath the whole week until it was all over. I think it took awhile for it to sink in with all of us.
IM24CA: How and when did you get involved with the Quantum program?
AI: I joined the team right before the 2008 Nationals. I’ve actually known Scott Nixon for almost 20 years and have done quite a bit of Melges and Farr (Mumm) 30 sailing with him in recent years. I actually hadn’t met Brian Janney, George Peet, or Terry Hutchinson prior to 2008, but obviously knew them by reputation and had followed their successes throughout the years.
IM24CA: Tell us about sailing with Scott and Terry? What are they really like to sail with?
AI: It is a great experience in all respects. The intensity level is always palpable but in a really constructive and positive way. They both bring out the best in you at all times and make you want to keep pushing for the win. There is a very cool sort of yin and yang dynamic between the two of them and it creates a great balance. On the boat they are very good about talking everything through and keeping the whole team involved in the decision-making. I’ve seen some programs that never lived up to their full potential because the lines of communication broke down and it ended up turning into a blame game. Not so with these guys – they completely understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think what makes them so good is that they are not afraid to acknowledge that they don’t know everything. They are lifetime students of the sport and are always striving to learn and are not afraid to ask questions. And they are just genuinely great people on and off the water. From the second I joined the program I felt total respect from both of them, which is awesome considering the successes they’ve had.
IM24CA: Tell us what the secret is to being a good bow person on a Melges 24? Describe the key moments for a bow person during a race? What would be your three tips for people wanting to get better at doing the bow role?
AI: One of the biggest misconceptions about the bow role is that you’re really only involved during the roundings. A bow person should be involved at all times during the race, even if being involved means hiking as hard as you can to hold a lane. There is a lot that goes into doing bow well and most of it comes from time in the boat, but there are a few simple techniques I’ve learned along the way that have helped me tremendously.
1. Keep your mind three steps ahead of your body and expect the unexpected. As a bow person you should always be anticipating your next move while continuing to focus on the present state of the boat, i.e. your weight placement, vang tension, etc. Heading into a rounding I am listening to the tactician and driver discuss an entrance and exit plan around the mark and running through the maneuver in my head, while concentrating on boat speed into and out of the mark. Inevitably in sailboat racing, plans are often changed at the last minute. Good communication between a crew and lots of practice go a long way in these situations, but there will always be the occasional scramble to get the kite down. When this happens, stay open-minded and make sure you continue to prioritize depending on where you are in the race. If it is the last mark rounding, consider a starboard side drop to save time, get the kite to where it will stay in the boat, do a two second clean-up sweep on your way to the rail, and hike!
2. “Cross-train.” I really believe this is the most vital tool in sailing. Don’t devote 100% of your time to doing bow on a Melges 24. Get out there and sail everything you can in all positions. With only 4-5 people on a Melges 24 it is critical that everyone has an understanding of what goes on in every role on the boat. Knowing that Brian or George can back me up or that I can back them up if any of us get pulled in a different direction makes a huge difference in tense situations. And it will make you a better and more valuable sailor overall. For example, spending time driving a boat will improve your feel for the boat’s reactivity, which will help tremendously when you’re on the rail. And it provides a perfect opportunity to get back at all the people who yell at you to hike!
3. Hike, hike, and … hike! It makes such a huge difference and, I’ll be honest, I hate that it does. There have definitely been a few times while hanging off the side of a Melges soaking wet on a 35 degree day that I wondered why I wasn’t spending my “vacation” time on some beach with a mojito in hand; but once your competitive edge emerges from the tropical haze and you remember how sweet the words “higher, faster” are, you realize that the end result is so worth it.
IM24CA: You also sailed with the ‘Swiss’ (Italian) Blu Moon crew in Key West. What differences did you notice between the Blu Moonies and the Quantum crew?
AI: I definitely learned some Italian but I’m pretty sure I can’t repeat any of it on a public forum! Totally kidding. In all seriousness, I am completely grateful for getting the opportunity to sail on Blu Moon. It was an amazing experience in terms of learning and just having a great time. The Italians have been a strong force in these boats for quite some time and an all Italian podium at Key West this year just proves that their dominance is only growing.
The Italians tend to be very traditional Melges sailors, concentrating primarily on boat speed and getting every possible ounce out of the boat. Upwind we were constantly adjusting rig settings to reflect overall velocity changes or as a consequence of our position in the cone or in traffic. We also played the vang a lot it in breeze.
Downwind they pretty much just round the mark and send it. I noticed they have a much lower threshold for the change to the reacher. And, whereas American boats tend to utilize the low mode, Italians never come off a plane in the right wind conditions. We also made huge gains by constantly working the boat in waves, like a dinghy. Our crew configuration downwind was slightly different than what we do on the Quantum boat. We found it worked well to have the trimmer concentrate on trimming and communicating with the driver; the person in the middle looking forward for traffic, gates, etc.; the tactician doing big picture calls; and the bow person looking backwards calling local pressure, boat speed, and lanes. The overall feel of the boat tends to hit the driver first through the helm, so by looking backwards I was also able to play off of his body language and adjust my weight accordingly.
IM24CA: Looking forward to the Worlds in Annapolis and the Quantum campaign to repeat your NA Championship win, tell us about your schedule in the run up?
AI: We are currently working on our schedule leading up to the Worlds. It looks like our next event will be Charleston Race Week. We are a very new team and recognize that this will be one of our biggest hurdles going into Worlds. It is very important for us to keep our momentum going and not let our learning curve level off, so we are looking at the upcoming months for opportunities to train at events and get together to practice. We would love to spend some time training with a few of the European programs as they have proven over and over again that they are wicked fast in these boats and will be a major force at Worlds.
IM24CA: Tell us about your fitness program for sailing the Melges 24? What sort of exercise do you do?
AI: One of my favorite aspects of sailing the Melges 24 is the physicality involved. You learn just how demanding these boats are after you’ve done your first regatta and muscles you never even knew existed hurt like the devil. I tend to focus a lot on core strength and flexibility. Pilates is awesome for Melges sailing – yes, even for guys! I’ve been doing a lot more running lately to work on overall tone and maintain my target weight. It takes about 2 minutes before I’m completely bored in a gym so I have to rely on other sports for strength training. I try to concentrate on things that work a lot of different muscle groups like surfing, skiing, and even salsa dancing. Being a girl in a male-dominated sport, I’ve come to realize that you can compensate for strength differences by learning to use your whole body more effectively and efficiently, but you definitely need to develop a good physical platform as a foundation.
One thing I also think you shouldn’t lose sight of is how much stamina sailing requires. There are few sports that involve as many physical hours as sailing and there’s no such thing as a “substitute”. Between practice and racing, we could easily put in 70 hours of time on the water during Worlds in October. I’ve been trying to increase my endurance by devoting a Saturday or Sunday morning to a lengthy workout. And it helps to keep a pair of blinders in the car when driving past a Cold Stone!
IM24CA: Why do you think there are not equal numbers of men and women sailing the Melges 24 on the circuit? What would you say to women who are looking to get involved?
AI: That’s a very legitimate and interesting question and I wish I had a better answer! But I honestly think there is a slow evolution occurring in sailing and the number of women involved in the sport is growing. And I think it’s exactly for the same reason why I can’t give a good answer – there simply isn’t a good reason for there not to be an equal number. Women can be an outstanding asset to a program and I think it shows how far we’ve come in the sport when it’s no longer a surprise for girls to go out there and beat the boys. Look at Kristen Lane and Deborah Willits for instance – they are both driving incredibly successful Melges programs and are consistently at the top of the fleet. I think that trend is only going to continue.
As far as getting into the sport, I would just tell you to go out there and sail as often and with as many different programs as you can. Develop a diverse set of sailing skills and you will quickly become invaluable. If you’re trying to get involved with a program don’t ever be afraid to ask if they are looking for someone or need a fill-in for a weekend race. With that being said, you should never settle on a program that isn’t giving you the respect you deserve. The good sailors out there totally recognize how valuable women are to a program and treat you accordingly. Finally, don’t ever feel like you have more to prove than the guys. Trust your talents and your instincts and it won’t take long for everyone to recognize what you bring to the program.
For anyone out there, guy or girl, thinking about getting involved in the Melges class, do it! There are few classes out there that combine depth of talent with a great design quite like the Melges 24 class. And one of the best attributes of the class is everyone’s willingness to provide advice and knowledge. I have learned a tremendous amount about the boat and sailing in general from being involved in this class. I’ve yet to meet a person on the dock at a Melges event that wouldn’t take 5 minutes to talk to you about something or offer any advice they might have. It is the perfect class to enhance your overall skills by sailing a very reactive boat against the best sailors in the world. And the Melges fleet knows how to throw a great party, which after all, isn’t that what sailing is all about?