Coaches

NZIODA Coaches

The NZIODA Committee have a pool of coaches who can be contracted by NZIODA for IODA, GDS, Noumean Team and North/South Island Clinics. It is an initiative of the NZIODA Committee to provide a “Coaches Pathway”, further details will be published when available. If you would like to be considered to join the NZIODA coaching pool, read more here. 

Here is our current pool of Coaches:

Sam has been coaching since 2009 but has just recently returned to New Zealand from working overseas to take up the role as Youth Coordinator at Yachting New Zealand. He spent the last four years as the Victorian International Optimist Dinghy Association Head Coach and played a major role in developing the Victorian fleet. Under Sam’s guidance, Victoria’s participation in AIODA programs increased from one (1) sailor in 2016 to twelve (12) in 2019. He was a coach with the Australian Optimist Team for three years and recently coached a very successful team at the Optimist Asian and Oceania Championships. 

Sailing Career Highlights include:

  • Top 3 placings NZ Nationals for Optimist, P Class, 420 and Starling
  • Member of the Nations Cup winning NZ Team 2007 Optimist Worlds
  • Placed in top 20 in the 2008 Optimist Worlds

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 IODA World Championship – Turkey
  • 2020 Head Coach – Preparation Training Camp Top 25 Sailors
  • 2020 IODA World Championship – Lake Garda– cancelled due to COVID19

Orestes has over 25 years of coaching experience. He started sailing optis at age 6 and has participated in many IODA events as a sailor and as a coach.  Orestes has a big passion for working with sailors to accomplish their goals. 

Sailing has taken him around the world and now he’s super motivated about passing on his knowledge and experience to our young sailors.

Sailing Career Highlights include:

  • Optimist Peruvian National Champion 1991
  • Optimist Worlds Cascais Portugal 1990 (27th)
  • Orange Bowl Regatta, Miami USA 1991 (2nd)

Coaching experience:

  • IODA South American team racing champions, Salinas Ecuador 1996
  • IODA South American Fleet and team racing champions. Salinas, Ecuador 2002
  • IODA World Champions, Sinclair Jones, Niteroi Brazil 2009
  • Singapore Optimist team Coach for 5 years. Won many IODA events.
  • Laser Youth World Champion with Singaporean team, Ontario, Canada 2015

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships – Korea – cancelled due to COVID 19 
  • 2019 IODA World Championship – Antigua
  • 2018 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships – Myanmar

Andrew has had 30 years coaching experience, starting of very much as an instructor and over the years becoming a coach of sailors.

Andrew has a real passion for sailing also working in the Sailing industry at Doyle Sails and also coaching a variety of boats as well as doing some yachting as well.

Sailing highlights includes 18 national titles from around the world and getting to the Olympics in 2004 in the 470 class.

NZIODA Coaching Roles

  • 2023 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships – Abu Dhabi
  • 2022 IODA World Championship – Turkey

Coaching highlights include:

2019 USA Youth Champs winning 29er coach

2019 NZ 470 womens coach – 15th at Worlds 8th at World cup

2017-2019 470 Mens coach including 3rd atWorld Cup and top in the World

2016 – NZL Paralympic Sonar Coach 4th Overall at Rio

2014-15 Coach of Marco Grael and Gabirel Borges BRA Olympic 49er reps

2012-14 – 470 NZL Coach

2011-2012 – Martine Grael and Isabel Swan 470 coach 7th at each World Champs

2009-2011 – NZL 470 domestic coach

2011 – Pre Worlds Optimist Clinic Napier Head Coach

2009 – 2011 – Malaysian Opti, 420 470 coach Asian Games Silver and bronze medal in 420 class and 2 silver medals in Opti

2009 – Malay Opti Worlds Niteroi – Top nation and top sailor was 2nd overall

Andrew is really excited to be helping the future of sailing in New Zealand and loves to see the development of these sailors through the years.

Kim started his sailing career at the age of 10 in the optimist class with his first nationals sailed on his home waters in Lyttelton Harbour.  Throughout his career, Kim has competed in championships locally and overseas.  After sailing the optimist he continued to sail P Class, Starling multiple optimist and 420.  Kim’s siblings Jayvee and David were also highly successful optimist sailors.

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 IODA European Championships – Denmark
  • 2020 Preparation Training Camp Top 25 Sailors
  • 2020 IODA European Championships – Estonia – cancelled due to COVID19
  • 2019 IODA European Championships – France

Wade is originally from Napier Sailing Club.  He started coaching in 2007 and has recently been working with East Auckland yacht clubs to develop emerging optimist talent.

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 NZIODA Boys Development Team
  • 2020 Preparation Training Camp Top 25 Sailors
  • 2020 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships-  Sri Lanka – cancelled due to COVID19
  • 2019 Noumean Development Team – Noumea

Kerensa started sailing optimists when she was 8 at MBSC. She has been to two IODA events Asian Oceanian Championships and the Optimist World Championships in 2014 after placing 3rd at the New Zealand Nationals. Kerensa transitioned out of Optimist into P Class and came 2nd in the Tauranga Cup in 2015. Later that year she went to Youth Worlds in the 420 class. Kerensa has also sailed a 29er and is currently sailing a 470. Kerensa is currently the Head Optimist Coach for Open Fleet at MBSC.

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships – Korea
  • 2020 IODA Asians and Oceania Championships – Sri Lanka – cancelled due to COVID19
  • 2019 Noumean Development Team – Noumea

Thomas was a previous optimist sailor so know “what it’s like”. He always has the big picture in mind.

Coaching Experience:

  • YNZ contracted coach since 2012
  • Laser radial youth worlds coach 2016 
  • Wakatere Opti open coach since 2019
  • Laser Masters Worlds coach 2021
  • Olympic campaigning since 2013

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 IODA World Championship – Turkey

Xanthe started sailing Opti at Wakatere when she was 9 years old and competed at two IODA events, Asian Oceanian Championships, North American Championship, and a youth worlds in the 420.  She has competed in the Starling, P Class and E6’s, and currently is learning to Kitesurf and wing foil. 

Her approach to coaching is to uplift and work alongside sailors to enable them to have a hand in their own program. Strengthening thought processes and technical approaches to set solid foundations that will help on and off the water. 

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2022 NZIODA Girls Development Team
  • 2020 NZIODA Girls Development Squad – Noumea – cancelled due to COVID19
  • 2019 NZIODA Girls Development Squad – Noumea
Olivia has been sailing since she was 5 years old, starting in the Sunburst with her parents at Worser Bay Boating Club.  She sailed Opti from the age of 8 and after a short break from sailing moved to the Laser Radial/ILCA 6 when she was 14.  She enjoys all aspects of casual and competitive sailing from big fleet Laser racing and performance multihull sailing to multi-day yacht ractes and coastal cruising. 
 
She has been coaching since moving to Auckland in 2018 and a highlight was coaching the NZIODA Girls Development Team to Noumea in 2019.  She is currently Olympic campaigning in the ILCA 6 and is Head Opti Coach at Murrays Bay Sailing Club. 
 
Olivia encourages and supports sailors in the process towards thinking for themselves and solving problems.  She enjoys seeing the development in sailors’ skill sand confidence throughout their sailing career and is passionate about keeping the joy alive for the sport of sailing.

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

  • 2023 NZIODA Girls Development Team – Noumea
  • 2020 NZIODA Girls Development Team – Noumea – cancelled due to COVID19
  • 2019 NZIODA Girls Development Team – Noumea

Other Coaching Roles:

  • NZ Laser Association Coach
  • Wakatere Opti Open and Green Fleet Coach 2018-2022
  • Murrays Bay Sailing Opti Head Coach 2022 to present

Craig has been sailing Opti since he was seven years old. He has competed in three IODA events: European, North American, and World Championships. Since sailing Opti’s, Craig has also raced internationally in the 29er and 49er fleets and is currently training in the 49er Skiff. Craig has been coaching since 2017 and is the current Lead Coach for Optimist Open and 29er at Royal Akarana Yacht Club.  

Craig’s coaching is about creating a supportive environment where sailors can feel comfortable developing their understanding of the sport at the rate they want to achieve it. Craig uses this supportive environment to push the sailor’s Critical Thinking Skills, significantly developing sailors’ understanding of the sport and their abilities. Craig is passionate about mustering the independence and confidence within a sailor and greatly enjoys watching sailors rise to fulfil their goals. 

Blake has been coaching since 2019 in a variety of different classes including P class, 420, 29er and Opti. Over the past few years Blake has mainly coached at MBSC and WBC.

He has sailed a variety of boats with both national and international success and has national titles in the P class, 29er and 420.  He has also won 2 world titles in 420 and had a top 10 placing at the 49er junior worlds.

NZIODA Coaching Roles:

2023 NZIODA Development Team – Noumea

E-mail nzoptimist@gmail.com
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