What are the clinic goals?

“Brooke’s qualities are the ones that Sail Newport wishes to instill in all of our young sailors that attend our Advanced Racing Clinic,” said Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport. “This clinic will showcase the best in coaching from the collegiate and Olympic level. We will demand hard work and the highest degree of focus from all of the students in this clinic – championship values that Brooke demonstrated in her life.”

In 2001, Sail Newport and the family of Brooke Emmens Gonzalez launched an advanced racing clinic on the East Coast in her memory. Today we enjoy a reputation for the highest quality coaching and guest speakers, fabulous hospitality, and a range of sailing conditions and venues that only New England offers.

Program description

The 3 day program will consist of lectures and on-the-water drills with an emphasis on boat-handling technique, boat speed, and strategy. This will be combined with information on what it takes to reach your goals in sailing. We maximize our time on the water and can find a variety of conditions…flat water, ocean swells, current, and breeze in all directions and speed.

On Saturday night of the clinic, sailors are treated to a speaker from the highest levels of the sport. Prior speakers have included: Gary Jobson, Dean Brenner, 470 Gold Medalist Kevin Burnham, Olympic Team members, America’s Cup veterans, and Volvo Ocean Race competitors Ken Read and Jerry Kirby. In 2019, New York Yacht Club’s American Magic was represented by Terry Hutchinson and Andrew Campbell.

The most important thing to remember is that when you get here at Sail Newport, there will be no reason to leave. Meals, spare parts, etc. will be here. Our coaches want your undivided attention. The more you put into this clinic, the more you will advance because of it, So we expect full commitment from all sailor athletes!

“These youth sailors receive the highest level coaching from some of the best dinghy sailors and coaches in the country,” says Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport. “Emphasis is on speed producing factors and techniques that work on long courses where speed is at a premium.”

When does it take place?

Sail Newport’s 2027 Brooke E. Gonzalez Advanced Racing Clinic will be held on June 18, 19, and 20

Apply between February 1st and 29th. Attendees will be notified on March 15th, 2027.

Participating Classes

Standard classes each year are ILCA 6, Club 420, I420, and 29er. New in 2024, we invited Nacra 15 sailors to join the fun! For 2025, ILCA 7s are welcome to apply. The BEG is a bring your own boat clinic; limited charter boats may be available for some classes.

Who participates?

Experienced dinghy racers between the ages of 14 and 18 participate in this clinic. While we encourage participation from all youth sailors in this category, our capacity is limited. The clinic’s low sailor to coach ratio is a key factor to both the quality of the experience and the safety of all participants.

For especially deep classes like the C420 and ILCA6, invited sailors will usually have gold fleet finishes at national-level regattas. Results in other classes like the ILCA4, Optimist, or High School sailing will not be weighted heavily in the selection process. The ILCA6 and C420 classes usually have sizable, unused waiting lists.

Application Process

The 2026 Application Period is closed.

Apply between February 1 – February 28th through the link provided on this page. Double-handed teams register as such; unless you are a laser sailor, register as a double-handed team. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please gather this information before submitting:

• Both helm and crew’s:
  • contact info
  • DOB
  • parent/guardian contact information
  • sailing accomplishments, including notable regatta results with links to scores
  • sailing goals for the clinic, if accepted, and beyond

There is no fee to register your interest. Sail Newport will invite attendees on March 15th.

Invited sailors can register between March 15th and April 1st. Partner substitutions are not guaranteed. In the 2025. the cost of the clinic was $570 per sailor.

If you have any questions please email Nick Ewenson.

Clinic leaders

Sail Newport’s Race Programs Director, Nick Ewenson will be 2024’s Event Chair.

A stellar group of collegiate, Olympic, and professional coaches will be on hand. The coaching team in the past has included Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias, Willie McBride, Lior Lavie, Andrew Campbell, Leandro Spina, Elizabeth Kratzig, Skip Whyte and Sally Barkow, among other greats!

For previous year recaps, view our results archive.

Have questions?

Contact Nick Ewenson, Race Program Director

Phone: (401) 846-1983
Email: [email protected]