Meet our full time staff and part time coaches!

Travis Carlisle

Junior Program Director

When he was thirteen years old, Travis learned how to sail on a Hunter 15 and a Hobie 18 at the Surf Club in Madison, Connecticut. He then moved on to a different club, Pettipaug Yacht Club, and began sailing c420s. He sailed in multiple qualifying events for Bemis. Once he became a sophomore in high school at Daniel Hand High School, he became the B division skipper and helped bring the program to life. Travis qualified for states and qualified for team race nationals. He then went on to Old Dominion University for 2 years and sailed A division there for his whole freshman year. Sophomore year was a much more consistent year with top 5 finishes at every regatta he sailed. He then went to Rhode Island and hopped onto an 83 foot sailing yacht and sailed to the Caribbean. After 4 months on that boat Travis got a job on another sailing yacht called Wild Horses and sailed for 3 more months on that boat.He participated in the Lora Piana Super Yacht Regatta, the Bucket Regatta, and Antigua Classics. Afterwards, he moved to Oyster Bay, New York and sailed at Oakcliff Sailing Center. Travis sailed a Farr 40 in the Newport Bermuda Race, he got involved in high level Match Racing and sailing the Olympic class boats such as the 470, Nacra 17, 49er, and 49er FX. He still competes in team racing with regattas like Team Race Midwinters at Eckerd College, the Free State Team Race, Hinman, Norfolk Team Race, and the Olivia Team Race.

Madde Vachon

Operations Manager

Madde has sailed her entire life in boats both big and small. She started sailing, cruising and racing on her family’s Catalina 34 in Massachusetts which led to her inevitable addiction to the sea. She began coaching in 2004 and eventually became the program director of her hometown sailing program. She helped build the 3 boat program into a 3 fleet program and ultimately managed 13 classes a day for over 450 kids each summer. She spent time after work polishing up an old J24 which she used to compete in the local PHRF series with her fellow coaches and instantly became hooked. When she graduated college she purchased her first sailboat - a 1986 Catalina 38 she named Syzygy - and began racing on her own. Eventually she obtained her USCG Master’s license and worked as a delivery captain, women’s sailing coach, and cruising coach on the east coast and beyond, racking up thousands of offshore miles in the process. During Fall of 2020, Madde sailed to Annapolis “just for the winter” and now lives in West River with her boyfriend and their Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Dodger.

Photo by Kat Hanafin Photography, Scituate MA

High School Coaches

  • Tyler Mowry

    High School & ILCA Clinic Coach

  • Ashley Love

    High School & Keelboat Coach

  • Jordan Bruce

    High School Coach

  • Gwynie Dunlevy

    High School Coach

  • Trevor Davis

    High School Coach

  • Preston Senior

    High School Coach

Summer Race Team Coaches

  • Coach TBA

    ILCA Race Team Coach

  • Eric Scherer

    29er Development Team Coach

    Eric began his sailing journey at age 8 in Switzerland, starting on his family’s keelboat. After competing nationally in Optimist racing, he progressed to racing dinghies, including the 420 and 29er. As a teenager, he skippered keelboats and later served as a tactician on a high-performance 28ft catamaran, competing in Mediterranean offshore series and contributing to foiling projects in Switzerland. During COVID, he shifted to coaching, where he established a 29er fleet at his home club. He has since dedicated himself to coaching the 29er class intensively across Switzerland. Beyond his sailing expertise, Eric also holds a teaching degree.

  • Guido Pozzi Alcon

    Opti RWB Race Team

    Hello! My name is Guido Pozzi, I am 27 years old. I started sailing at my local club in San Pedro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, when I was eight years old and have loved it ever since. At the age of 18 I began my career as a coach, which has grown to the present day with very good results. I have coached my local club racing team, the Argentine Optimist national team and the Royal Malta Yacht Club racing team. This will be my third summer at SSA and I am very excited to return to the Bay Area and continue learning.

    I have been sailing and competing in different classes for over 15 years, including Optimist and Laser. In my free time, I like kitesurfing, wakeboarding, and mono skiing for fun. I have learned to keep pushing after any setback, to be grateful for every person who has helped me along the way, and most importantly, to appreciate the ability to be on the water and enjoy my passion every day. I am always looking forward to improving my coaching, teaching, and technical skills.

    I am very happy to be able to travel this year to transmit my knowledge and passion for sailing. I can't wait to meet all the young sailors again. A great summer ahead!

  • Coach TBA

    Opti Green Fleet