MEET THE COACHES
Kate Lynn-
Lead Opti Instructor
Hi everyone! I am super excited to be a part of this program for a second year, and I am looking forward to seeing all of the new and returning faces this summer. I love being a coach, and I have been spending my summers sailing at the Oshkosh Yacht Club for more than ten years! I will be attending and sailing at UW-Madison in the fall, and I enjoy being outdoors and hanging out with friends in my free time. See you on the water!
Liem Nguyen-Rivers
Assistant Opti and X Boat Instructor
“Hello, I’m Liem Nguyen-Rivers! I’m a senior at Oshkosh North High school and I’m excited to be coaching for a second summer. I can’t wait for the season to start and I’m confident this will be a terrific summer!”
Judah Victor-
Assistant Opti and X Boat Coach
My name is Judah, this is will be my third year as an instructor at Oshkosh Sailing School. I will be graduating from Oshkosh North High School class of 2024. My hobbies include sailing, skiing, and playing various instruments. I am looking forward to spending another year teaching the beautiful sport that is sailing.
Harry Hirschberg-
Assistant Opti and X Boat Coach
Hi, my name’s Harry Hirschberg and this is my third year coaching. I sailed X boats and optis for 7 years and I’ll be sailing lasers, M15s, and E boats this year for my tenth summer of sailing. I start college in the fall and I can't wait for another fun filled summer!
Caden Harrison
My name is Caden Harrison and I am a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison pursuing a major in Pharmacology and Toxicology! I have been sailing for almost 12 years at the OYC and I am currently a collegiate sailor on the Wisconsin Sailing Team down in Madison. I started out in Optis when I was younger and eventually moved up to X-boats. For the past couple of years I have been sailing M15’s and E Scows, and most recently the 420 for school. I love reading, skiing, golfing, fishing, iceboating, going to Leon’s, and of course sailing! I am super excited to coach this summer and I am look forward to enhancing the sailing and racing skills of our young prospective sailors!
Layla Smiltneek
Hi, My name is Layla! I’m so excited to be your sailing instructor this year. This will be my 8th season sailing with the Oshkosh Yacht Club. I have sailed Optis and X boats and expect to be on the M-15 and E boat more this summer. In the winter I’m a ski instructor at Nordic Mountain so I have lots of experience teaching kids. In my free time I love to swim, ice skate, and kayak.