Sailing staff

  Tom Sitzmann, Sailing Director

Tom Sitzmann is returning for his third season leading our program. A lifelong sailor, educator, and coach, Tom Sitzmann has amassed a diverse range of sailing and professional experience. In addition to excelling in one-design racing and professional sailing, he has extensive coastal and blue-water experience, ranging from cruising and racing along the East Coast to completing a transatlantic crossing. A graduate of Tufts University, where he was a member of the ice hockey team, he served as an assistant sailing coach at both Tufts and Dartmouth College. He later coached both offshore and dinghy sailing at the US Naval Academy and served as the Head Intercollegiate Coach at Bowdoin College. Currently the Head Sailing Coach at Severn School, Tom has led his teams to 12 National Championship podium finishes, earning six National Championship titles, including the 2023 Baker Team Race and 2008, 2024 Mallory Fleet Racing titles. In 2023 and based on their record, Severn School was named the US High School Sailing Team of the Year. At Severn, he has also been deeply involved in guiding his sailing team members through the college recruiting process. Under his guidance, many of his student-athletes have gone on to achieve great success at the nation’s top academic sailing programs.

  Tomas Guaragna, Head Optimist Race Coach

Tomas is an Argentinian sailing coach with almost 10 years of coaching experience. In addition to founding and running his own sailing school to the point of developing a competitive optimist race team, an ILCA and windsurfing program, he is a Argentinian Optimist National Coach, with great experience at IODA and international events. He has trained sailors who qualified for IODA events, and privately coaches high performance Optimist and ILCA. He was a top Opti sailor himself before transitioning to the ILCA, where he has podium finishes in the ILCA South American Championships. In 2024 Tommy was part of PYC as the Head Opti Coach, building a strong race team who achieved good results and podiums in regional events such as Opti Maine States and participated in National level championships too, with one sailor qualifying for Team Trials.  

 

Zoe Anderson, Basic Youth Sailing Coordinator & Coach

Zoe returns to PYC as our longest-tenured coach, and we are very lucky to have her on board. Zoe has been our Opti Beginner coach and has done a phenomenal job helping our sailors learn, and learn to love, sailing. She will be assuming more of a leadership role this summer with Basic Youth Sailing. Zoe is finishing her first year at Colby College. Welcome back Zoe!!!

 

Oliver Maclean, 420 Development & Assistant 420 Race Coach

PYC is thrilled to have Oliver join us this summer from the UK. Oliver is currently studying history at Edinburgh University, and is an experienced dinghy sailor and team racer. Oliver will coach our 420 Development team, and also assist with the 420 Race Team Additionally, he will, along with Tom Sitzmann, develop a team racing curriculum for PYC Youth Sailing, and maybe for adults too!! My name is Ollie and I’m from the UK. I recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh, where I was team racing captain/coach and then president of sailing. I’ve been sailing since I can remember, starting in optimists, moving into a range of double handers and more recently sailing Etchells in Cowes. I coach team racing at my home club and love all things racing!

 

Renzo Di Clerico, Optimist Green Fleet Coach

From the age of seven to fifteen, I sailed at the Club Regatas de San Nicolás, participating in every national championship available and in the International Sailing Weeks in Mar del Plata. During my peak in Optimist, I competed in the South American qualifiers and achieved strong results. After completing my Optimist stage, I continued sailing in Laser for a few months only for fun, as well as practicing windsurfing, wakeboarding, and briefly venturing into the 29er class. In 2017, an opportunity arose at my club to train beginner-level sailors. I started on a trial basis, but I was soon confirmed as a coach due to my ability to connect with both the children and their families, clearly explaining the basics and fundamentals of Optimist. Currently, I am excited to gain new experiences in different cultures. My goal is to continue developing young sailors and growing professionally. I am ready to give my 100% and truly grateful for the opportunity that Tom Sitzmann and the Portland Yacht Club are providing me this year.

 

 Reilly Roedel, Opti Beginner Coach

Welcome to PYC, Coach Reilly! Reilly comes to us from New Hampshire, and she is currently a student-athlete at Hobart/William Smith College, and a member of their varsity intercollegiate sailing team. My name is Reilly Roedel, and I am a current sophomore at Hobart/William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, where I am a crew on the varsity sailing team. I have been sailing since the age of 8, and racing since the age of 11, in Optimists followed by Lasers and J boats. I am a US Sailing Level 2 Small Boat Instructor, as well as a Red Cross Certified Waterfront Lifeguard. I have three years of coaching experience for both Optimists and Lasers, with intermittent experience coaching c420s and basic team race skills.

  Kate McMullan, Opti Intermediate/Advanced Coach

Hi my name is Kate/Katie McMullan and I am currently a freshman at University City Dublin. I have been sailing since I can remember, spending 5 years sailing optimists competitively around Ireland and internationally. I have three years experience coaching all levels of optimists, fevas, lasers and 1720s. I am so excited to join the Portland Yacht Club coaching team!!

Olivia Atkins, Pram Coach

Hi my name is Olivia, and I am nineteen years old studying at the University of Vermont. I grew up in Greater Portland, and was introduced to sailing at a young age, but it wasn’t until high school when I competitively sailed 420s for the Southern Maine High School Sailing (SMHS) team. I was captain of SMHS my senior year, and since then, I have joined the sailing team at the University of Vermont. I hope  to be able to grow the excitement of sailing for young sailors as they learn to develop all the skills needed to be confident on the water 🙂

 

PYC Youth Sailing is hiring!

Portland Yacht Club, Falmouth, Maine, continues it's path toward sailing excellence, and seeks motivated, experienced, and enthusiastic SAILING COACHES Summer 2025 and beyond. We are working hard to create a next-level competitive program, along with a first-rate basic sail training program and have plans to support it going forward. Last summer, we added 6 NEW Simmons c420's, 20 NEW McLaughlin Optmists, and 2 Ribcraft RIBS to our existing fleet of 30 Optis, 2 Colgate 26's 15 420's, 3 i420's,nd 8 Prams.

Please see our Job Posting on Sail1Design

                      Adventure Sailing Coach/Coordinator