Coaches have been hired and are now onboard for the Opti and C420 Teams.  We are very excited and confident that we have a stellar group to work with a stellar group of sailors in helping them achieve their individual competitive goals.

420’s

Mark Dineen: Mark was the C420 race coach at Ida Lewis summer of 2009, and will be returning to Newport to be one of our C420 coaches. Last year he worked closely with our other C420 coach (Kathryn Metscher) running combined race practices and assisting each other at regattas. Mark is currently the assistant sailing coach at Bowdoin College. He is a graduate of Cornell University where he sailed competitively.

Kathryn Metscher: Kathryn was the C420 Advanced Racing coach at Sail Newport, summer of 2009, and will be returning to coach the team again. Kathryn is currently a senior at the College of Charleston, where she sails competitively on their nationally ranked Varsity Sailing Team. She grew up in Duxbury MA, and also attended Tabor Academy.

Opti’s

Joakim Karlson: Joakim, who hails from Norway and comes with a great recommendation from Kenneth Andreason, the US Olympic Sailing Team Director. He is a renowned international racer and has raced in a variety of different fleets from Opti’s, to 49er’s, to Europe Dinghys where he was ranked 3rd in the world in 2004. Joakim has also been a successful Opti coach. For three years he coached a Norwegian team who had great success at the national and international level. He also spent a year coaching in Trinidad and Tobago. Joakim is very much dedicated to the sport of sailing and is looking forward to joining the staff for the next couple of years.

Alyson Rumball.  Alyson is a joining us from Wicklow, Ireland. She is currently in her third year at University College of Dublin where she is studying business and law. Previously she was the Opti Race Coach at the Royal St. George Yacht Club, and a coach at the Irish National Sailing School. When she sailed Optis herself she represented Ireland at the Opti Europeans and the World Championships. Recently she helped coach the Irish under 12 Opti Team at the Worlds.

Cole Allsop: Cole is returning to Newport for his 3rd summer. His first summer he was an instructor at Sail Newport and his second he was the Green Fleet Opti coach at Ida Lewis. Cole is currently the captain and a competitive sailor of the nationally ranked College of Charleston Sailing Team. He grew up sailing sailing Opti’s and Lasers in Annapolis, MD.