Meet our instructors

MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

Flexible & reactive staffing...

While we have somehow labelled each of our instructors, we are not rigid in who coaches who. Our instructors, just like our sessions, are one big team focused on one thing — learning how to sail and having fun while doing it. We often mix it up, allowing us to adapt to groups characteristics while keeping each session fresh and dynamic for our participants.

Heidi Bay / Education Director

35+ years of teaching experience from beginner classes to collegiate coaching. She has as raced everything from Lasers to ocean yachts, locally and internationally. NOODS winner and two time Annapolis to Bermuda winner as a watch captain along as a member of the 1989 US Womens National Team. Today she enjoys sailing with her family on their SR33 Wildfire, racing her 1957 wooden Albacore Fred and Chesapeake 20, and most of all sharing her love of sailing with others.

Member of WRSC since 1980.

Rachel / Head Coach, High School

Rachel is a student at St. Mary's College of Maryland (Class of 2024), and she is looking forward to her second year on St. Mary's varsity sailing team. Rachel has grown up sailing in Annapolis, and has been sailing competitively for the past 6 years at both the regional and national level. She was previously team captain of her high school sailing team for three years. Rachel loves teaching and sharing her love for sailing, and she is very excited to spend her fourth summer coaching at West River Sailing Club!

Devin / Adult LTS

Devin grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and has been sailing for over 30 years on everything from Optis to 40+ foot yachts. A Member of WRSC since 2020, Devin is a member of the Flying Scott shared boat fleet, helps coordinate the shared boat program, and is a volunteer instructor for the Adult Learn to Sail Program. Devin loves sailing and is always looking for excuses to be on the water and opportunities to share his passion with the next generation of sailors.

Maddison | Opti Beginner

Maddison grew up sailing and racing opti's on the Chesapeake Bay from a young age. She went on to race Club 420s in the summer junior circut, and made her varsity high school team in eighth grade. She continued as both a skipper and crew and was elected team captain of the Broadneck High School Varsity Sailing Team. Maddison is looking forward to her third summer coaching at West River Sailing Club.

Bryan / Fall/Spring Laser & Optis, HS Sailing

Bryan grew up at WRSC and SSA, sailing a range of boats (optis, lasers, 420s/fjs) and big boats with his family and friends. He was team captain of the Key School's sailing team, qualifying for Fleet Race Nationals twice and Team Race Nationals once. In college, he was the Racing Chair for the Sailing Club at Virginia Tech. Now, he regularly sails his Laser/ILCA and his Chesapeake 20 (Contrary) at WRSC while sailing J105s out of AYC.

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WEST RIVER SAILING CLUB

MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS