Friends, family celebrate Amanda Clark's Olympic career

Amanda Clark was the honoree at a party planned by friends to celebrate her Olympic career Friday night at the Dering Harbor Inn.

There were drinks, cake, cookies and dancing at the affair for friends, family and supporters of the sailor, , who grew up on Shelter Island and learned to sail at the Shelter Island Yacht Club as a kid.

Ms. Clark, 30, who has said her first instinct when she started learning to sail was always “to go fast,” announced earlier this year that the 2012 games would be her last. She was an alternate in 2004 and a U.S. sailing team member in 2008 who competed in Beijing, finishing 12th.

She and her crew Sarah Lihan finished in 9th place this year out of 20 boats in the two-woman dinghy 470 class that competed in Weymouth, England.