Founder and Executive Director

TREVOR MILLAR

Where to begin! With over 40 years of experience, Trevor is a highly acclaimed coach known for his innovative coaching style, which has earned him numerous awards and honours over the years. His athletes have achieved remarkable success, including Olympic medals, World and European titles, World number one ranking, and World Sailing Youth medals.

Originally from the quaint market town of Newtownards on the outskirts of Belfast, Trevor embarked on his illustrious coaching career with the RYA. He served as the UK National Laser Coach for Team GBR, leading his team to impressive triumphs at World and European Championships. Later, he returned to his native Ireland as Olympic coach for the Barcelona Olympic Games and established the now Irish Youth Academy that inspires future generations of Irish sailors.

Trevor’s unique coaching approach led him to establish SailCoach, the first private coaching organisation in sailing. Throughout his remarkable career, he has guided sailors from various countries to an impressive 7 Olympic Games, contributing to numerous podium finishes. Despite his achievements, Trevor remembers his humble roots and is dedicated to helping talented athletes who may not otherwise have the opportunity to compete internationally.

With his unparalleled experience at the highest level of our sport, Trevor is an invaluable asset to the young sailors and up and coming coaches in SailCoach. They benefit greatly from his extensive knowledge and winning strategies, ensuring their growth and success.

Trevor’s coaching legacy is defined by his exceptional track record and his unwavering commitment to nurturing the next generation of sailors and coaches. His profound impact on the sport continues to inspire and motivate others.

Senior High Performance Coach and SailCoach Director

ALEXANDR DENISIUC

Alex joined SailCoach as an Emerging Nations Programme (ENP) athlete, competing in the Olympic ILCA/Laser World Cup Series. He was proud to represent his home nation of Moldova, achieving an incredible five ILCA World and seven European Championships, a first for a Moldovan sailor.

Now a highly accomplished sailing coach, Alex has reached the top of his profession through sheer dedication and a passion for the sport. He has led teams to numerous World and European Championships, delivering medals for several different nations, including Asian Games, medals. With the honour of attending three Olympic Games as part of SailCoach’s coaching and support team, Alex’s expertise has made him a valuable asset to the SailCoach coaching and management team.

In addition to his extensive practical experience, Alex has also been recognised academically with a World Sailing Training Scholarship. This opportunity further developed his skill set as a National Training Programme Manager, allowing him to put in place and manage effective and sustainable National Sail Training Programmes.

Alex has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, as well as a Diploma in Coaching and Sports Management from the National Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Moldova. He also holds a Level 4 Certificate in the Foundations of Coaching from the University of Malta. He is fluent in English and a native speaker of Russian and Romanian. Alex is a truly international coach and a great inspiration to many in the sailing community.

Chief Instructor at RMYC Sailing School

RÜYA ÇAKMAKLI

The first thing that impresses you when you meet Rüya is her passion for being on the water, and she’s able to pass that passion onto her students successfully. From Istanbul in Turkey with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bahçeşehir, after successfully finishing her degree, Rüya travelled to New Zealand, where she took a language course in Auckland and spent her free time teaching sailing. Upon returning home, she worked for the biggest water sports company in Turkey before joining SailCoach in 2016 as Chief Instructor at RMYC Sailing School, bringing with her a wealth of experience in the industry. Rüya has also gained a lot of experience coaching Optimists, both in New Zealand and with SailCoach, and has worked alongside several world-class coaches, gaining an abundance of experience with that class. Recently Rüya has achieved success coaching in the RS Feva class, with her young athletes having podium finishes in both the European and World Championships.

Senior Performance Coach and Director of CharterBoat.eu

MIŁOSZ WOJEWSKI

Miłosz has a Master’s Degree in Sailing Coaching from the Polish Academy of Physical Education and Sport. He has taken over SailCoach’s Charter Operations with the new company “CharterBoat.eu” focused on logistics and boat charter solutions. He started sailing from an early age, working his way through a number of youth classes to completing two Olympic campaigns in the Finn class. He has been a member of the Polish Olympic Sailing Team from 2008 to 2016 and finished second at the 2011 Junior Finn Worlds. He was also a regular top 20 sailor in the Sailing World Cup regattas. When he is not sailing his Finn, he can be seen racing on iceboats where he has been a National Champion at Junior level. As well as his native Polish, he speaks English and elementary Russian.

High Performance Coach

Lucas Nixon

Lucas hails from the quiet village of Carrowdore in County Down, Northern Ireland, where he attended the acme Campbell College, one of Northern Ireland’s top Grammar Schools. However, Lucas soon realised his passion lay in the great outdoors, particularly in sailing. He was recommended to join SailCoach as a coach which he did in the summer of 2021 after completing his studies. To our delight, we quickly discovered that Lucas possessed an extraordinary talent well beyond his years. His in-depth understanding of boats and engines is remarkable, a skill he developed through his upbringing in a family of skilled mechanical engineers.

Lucas’s sailing journey began at Donaghadee Sailing Club, and he swiftly progressed to become a member of Ballyholme Yacht Club, one of Northern Ireland’s top dinghy clubs. His dedication to the sport awarded him a place on the RYA NI Academy, where he excelled as a leading ILCA 4 sailor. Lucas went on to proudly represent his country at international level on multiple occasions.

With his skilled coaching ability and extensive knowledge of the sport, Lucas has a promising future as a valued member of the SailCoach coaching team.

Senior High Performance Coach

Pablo Mari

Pablo’s journey with sailing began during his formative years at a Sailing School in his home city of Valencia, Spain. Starting there, he honed his skills and sailed across various classes, including ILCA, 470, and eventually concluding his racing career in New Zealand aboard a GC32.

At the same time, Pablo pursued studies in Sports Sciences run by the Spanish Olympic Committee, achieving the highest national certification as a sailing coach. Recognising his natural talent for competition, Pablo delved into high-performance racing and training with his region’s Sailing Federation. During this time, he had the privilege of training under several specialist Olympic class coaches, immersing himself in the study of sailing athlete performance.

While in New Zealand, Pablo made significant strides in his coaching journey by assuming the role of Head Coach at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club. Here, he grasps this opportunity to elevate his high-performance coaching, specializing across a range of classes including ILCA, Nacra 17, and Elliot 7. Additionally, he contributed his coaching talents to the acclaimed Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, further gaining coaching experience with some of New Zealand’s top sailing athletes.

Before joining SailCoach Pablo was the head coach at Real Club Nautico de Denia where he developed the club programs producing several national team sailors. Pablo’s journey is a testament to his unwavering dedication, relentless pursuit of excellence, and passion for sailing. He speaks Spanish and English and brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team at SailCoach.

Performance Coach

Karlis Junaers

Karlis joined SailCoach at the RMYC Sailing School in the autumn of 2023. He was one of Latvia’s best young sailors and wanted to see what it’s like to work as a Sailing Coach with an international company like SailCoach.

Karlis began sailing when he was 8 years old, starting as many sailors do in the Optimist class and later transitioning to the ILCA Dinghy. He has been crowned Latvian Youth National Champion twice and has been the top Under 21 sailor in several European regattas.

He is fluent in Latvian, English, and through a good school friend has an excellent command of Russian.