Following are some of the great instructors who will be teaching in the Teen Sailing Academy in 2022.
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Parker Ludwig-Larsen
I am a 21 year old sailor from New York City. I look forward to returning to teach adults and teens for my third summer at the Manhattan Yacht Club. Before teaching, I myself was a sailor in the teen program at MYC. I have been sailing and racing for as long as I can remember. My favorite places to sail are the Long Island Sound and the Virgin Islands, but sunset races on the Hudson River are also at the top. I grew up learning to sail on a classic yawl and later spent two summers as an Inshore Match Racing Acorn at Oakcliff Sailing. I have also raced on 420’s, lasers, thistles, and IOD’s. When I’m not sailing, I attend Connecticut College majoring in psychology and French and try to travel and sail the world as much as possible.
Isobel O’Donovan
I am currently living in Dublin, Ireland and am in my second year of studying medicine in Trinity College Dublin. In college I enjoy being part of the sailing team, which predominantly competes in team racing competitions. I am also a member of the U25 keelboat racing team in my own yacht club, the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. I like meeting new people and forging friendships with people from different backgrounds and cultures, one of the higher points of going to college was broadening my range of acquaintances and friends. I am an enthusiastic cyclist, using it not just for everyday commuting but also enjoy cycling in the Dublin Mountains, and have even taken some interesting cycling trips on the Ring of Kerry and the Gap of Dunloe. I also enjoy sea swimming, which is a family activity for us and an important part of any summer spent in Ireland. Travel is a huge area of interest for me, the most standout place I have visited recently is certainly Brazil and the difference in cultures is fascinating.
Tom Shanahan
My Name is Tom Shanahan. I have grown up sailing in Ireland with my friends and family. I have raced dinghies and yachts and began skippering offshore races at a young age. I am extremely excited to work in Manhattan, as I visited a few years ago and was entrapped by the concept of sailing in New York. I can teach you about navigation, racing, or any aspects of boat handling. I have sailed thousands of miles and last summer spent nine days sailing from the West of Ireland to the Canary Islands off West Africa. When I’m not sailing, I’m pursuing my Mechanical Engineering Masters at Trinity College Dublin. I have sailed around Europe and in parts of the US, and am excited to add the Hudson to that list!
Iseult Kneafsey
My name is Iseult and I have been sailing all my life! I love sailing. Not a week goes by when I’m not in some sort of boat. I have sailed many different types of dinghies and keelboats and have competed both nationally in Ireland and internationally across the world. I am the captain of my college sailing club and race year-round with students all over Ireland. I have made countless lifelong friends and amazing memories throughout my sailing career. I can’t wait to give you the platform to do the same and to pass on my love for the sport.
Niamh Henry
Hello. I’m 22 years old and from Dublin, Ireland. I’ve sailed since 5 years of age and started competing at 7. Among the many things I have achieved was being the youngest person to represent Ireland as part of an Irish sailing team which I did at 10 years of age on an Optimist dinghy. Sailing plays a huge role in my life. Recently I have enjoyed sailing on a Puma 42 as well as Fireflies with my college team. Other than sailing, I love to travel. In summer 2019, I traveled around Europe with friends. I sky dived over Lake Bled in Slovenia which is something I never imagined doing! I am also a school prefect and one of four student leaders acting as a Deputy Sport Captain. Recently, I qualified with my college to compete in the Wilson Trophy, a prestigious regatta next May. Afterwards, I am looking forward to traveling to the US to teach sailing. This will be the icing on the cake to finish off my college experience!
Kieran Hall
I’m a Master Student of mechanical engineering at University College Dublin. I’ve taught sailing in America before. In 2019, I worked at the Port Washington Yacht Club and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to also visit the Manhattan Yacht Club. Ever since then I hoped to join the great MYC team. At the age of 10, I started sailing in Laser Picos and instantly fell in love with the sport. My sailing progressed into Lasers and then into Rs400s. Currently I sail Fireflies in university team racing leagues throughout Ireland. I get immense enjoyment from dinghies, however my heart lies with keelboats which are where I spend the majority of my sailing time. At home in Dublin Bay I sail regularly on an XP44 called WOW and on a J109 called Ruth. Despite the Covid-19 restrictions here in Ireland, I was fortunate to fit in some incredible sailing experiences last summer. I competed in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Offshore Yachting Race on WOW where we finished in 4th place. I also spent nine days sailing 1,800 nm from Ireland to Lanzarote on an Oyster 625 and took Ruth sailing around Ireland’s dramatic coastline from Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) to Crookhaven (Cork). When not studying at university or out sailing, my other passions include hiking in my local mountain range, the Wicklow Mountains, and cycling. Last summer I, along with a group of great friends, cycled the 180 km around the beautiful Ring of Kerry in Southwest Ireland, which was an amazing achievement. From my countless sailing trips I have learned many new skills which, along with my passion for the sport, I am very excited to share with Manhattan Yacht Club’s superb keelboat sailing students this summer!
Heather Spain
I’m 22 and love sailing, teaching, and engineering! I am finishing my Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering with Business at University College Dublin, learning lots about new energy solutions. I started sailing at the age of 8 in my little Opti. Since then, I have represented Ireland in ten World and European championships. My favorite place to race was in Lake Garda in Italy, one of the most beautiful places in the world! I have been teaching sailing for years and am passionate about showing people how much fun sailing is!
Dan Little
I am from one of the most northerly parts of Ireland called Donegal, where I learned to sail. I started sailing at the age of 8 at my local club in Rathmullan. We have the third deepest pier in Europe, so I have become well adapted to teaching in strong tidal streams. After braving the rainy northwest for 5 years I decided to teach sailing somewhere warmer. This led me to Menorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain followed by Devon yacht club in Amagansett on Long Island. I am currently sailing with my college TU Dublin and have been since 2017. I have had the opportunity to helm on the college J80 team for nationals and helm on the college team racing first team. We recently won the team racing nationals and look forward competing abroad! When I’m not sailing I enjoy surfing. I have recently taken up surfing due to travel distance restrictions which were in place in Ireland over Covid. I am so fortunate to have great surfing beaches close to me where I spent the vast majority of my lockdown time. In short I am crazy about all sports in and on the water!