New SDYC Junior Sailing Head Coach Bryan Paine joins us on the SDYC Sailcast this week to talk about his lengthy sailing resume, some of his coolest experiences, traveling the world, and his role as the new coach.
This weekend June 13-14 is the June One Design Weekend on Saturday, and on Sunday, same-household crewed teams will sail in the first Cold Rum Regatta.
The episode starts with Bryan telling host Alli Bell a bit about getting into sailing, including his childhood in Miami, FL and his time sailing in the Optimist. After doing more regional and national events, Bryan went to Uruguay, where he sailed his first international event, coming in 7th out of about 200 boats. He talks a bit more about his high school sailing, some of the boats he continued sailing, and joked about his loss against Point Loma High School. “I had a wide range of talented sailors to grow up with,” he explained.
Bryan describes himself as a “helper,” and at 18 started his own youth program at Palm Beach Sailing Club. As the Club grew, Bryan was able to expand into other facilities. From there, he took courses, networked, traveled and expanded his resume coaching sailing. He discusses the family dynamic of sailing and how much he enjoys it.
Eventually, Bryan sailed at University of South Florida where he helped bring the team from not ranked to 6th in the country. From there, he went to Famous Island Yacht Club as a program director. He continued to compete in international events, met his wife, and continued creating and running sailing programs. Bryan talks about the “coolest project” he’s done working with sail designers and Olympic sailors helping make sails and eventually coaching the team. Bryan goes into the details about this exciting time during his career. “I was pinching myself,” he joked.
Bryan switches topics and discusses his switch to San Diego. He tells the story of a wintery night in Toronto choosing their next location to live and how they took their time to get here. Now, Bryan is Head Coach of the SDYC Jr. Program. He talks about how different this summer might be than other summers and gives teasers of what he expects the program to look like this summer, including safety measures and new Covid-19 established protocols. He talks about La Playa on Wednesdays, Finally Free Friday Races and how everyone is just adapting to the current situation. “My job is to empower sailors,” he says.
“I’m big on empowering my sailors and other coaches so they have a voice and the ability to make decisions on their own.”
Bryan is a brand-new Dad with a one month old. He finished the conversation talking about his family and gives advice on how to improve your sailing and reach your goals.