MBYC Coaches and Staff
ÁINE McLEAN
Junior Program Director
Áine has been coaching sailing for over 30 years, and the Junior Program Communications Director at MBYC for the past several years before moving into the role as the Program Director. She also is the head coach of La Jolla Country Day's sailing team. She enjoys sailing Snipes because of the culture and competition of the fleet. Áine is a decorated sailor with accomplishments like winning Women's Nationals in Lasers, the only female skipper to win PCCs in Snipes, 5th in Snipe Women's Worlds in Argentina, winning College Women's Singlehanded PCCs, and winning the Dutch Shoe. When she is not on the water herself, she is watching and cheering on her own kids that sail in the program.
MEGAN LANSDALE
Assistant Junior Director & Coach
Megan has been coaching at MBYC for 10 years, and grew up sailing in the junior program. She is also the head coach for Mission Bay High School's sailing team. She sailed as one of the varsity crews for Point Loma High School's sailing team and was the Vice President for Dalhousie University's sailing team. She enjoys sailing in the Snipe Fleet in her free time because the fleet is very competitive (with a lot of world champion sailors at MBYC), and Team Racing because the racing is like a chess game of sailing at a very fast pace. She is an accomplished sailor in both fleet racing and team racing. She has competed in Ida Lewis (Jr Women's Double Handed Championship) placing 3rd, High School Team Race Nationals (3 years as a crew) placing 1st as a sophomore, 1st at Herb Shear 2023 (Snipes), and 9th at 2022 US Team Race Nationals. When she is not on the water herself, she enjoys practicing yoga, weightlifting, and reading.
RYAN RATLIFFE
Race Team Coach
Ryan has been coaching at MBYC for 8 years, and grew up in the junior program. He sailed for both Cathedral Catholic High School and College of Charleston as a varsity Skipper. He enjoys sailing a plethora of boats from Sabots & Snipes, to 29ers and Wazsps. He was the 2016 29er Class Open National Champion, the Junior 29er representative for the USA Olympic Development Team, and has several wins in the Snipe fleet. In his free time he enjoys photography, surfing, snowboarding, cycling, and rock climbing.
COLE TILLSON
Coach
Cole has been coaching at MBYC for 4 years, and started sailing in the junior program when he was 5 years old. He sails in college as a skipper, and will be transferring into Cal Maritime in the fall to finish his engineering degree. He enjoys sailing in several different boats, specifically ones that he can go fast in. He is an accomplished sailor with several wins under his belt in Sabots. When he is not sailing, we enjoys reading and cooking.
JOHN ALEXANDER
Coach
John is a coach at MBYC, and would visit MBYC from Iowa during his summers growing. He is a sailor for UCSD's sailing team as a skipper. He likes to sail Lasers, Finns, and C Scows because they have highly competitive fleets and a great onshore atmosphere at events. "The best classes of boats are the ones where the top of the fleet interacts with and shares their knowledge with other sailors." He is an accomplished sailor with achievements like being the Interlake X-Boat Champion, 4th place at 2018 Finn North Americans (U40 Division), and 4th place at 2019 Finn North Americans (U40) / 8th Place Overall. In his free time he likes to fish, hunt, hike, and spend time with his dogs. He also started playing the violin at 3 years old and soloed with the orchestra in Carnegie Hall in NYC!
CHARLOTTE PLANT
Coach
Charlotte has been coaching at MBYC for 1 year. She is a sailor for Francis Parker High School as both a skipper and crew. Charlotte likes to sail CFJs because there are two people in the boat working together. She has sailed in several places around the world, and competed in the US Junior Women's Double Handed Championship. When not on the water, she enjoys photography, golf, growing trees, and watching the Padres.
BEN CONROY
Coach
Ben has been coaching at MBYC for 1 year, and grew up in the junior program. He is a skipper for La Jolla Country Day's sailing team. He enjoys sailing Lasers and Snipes because they are tactical, technical, and challenging fleets. Ben went to 2022 Snipe Junior Worlds in Portugal, placed 8th in US Youth Championship, and is the MBYC ILCA Fleet Champion. In his free time, he runs a business journal, a medical journal, and is the team lead for Genetic Engineering at his school. His name is even on a patent!
"I am excited to foster love of the sport in the next generation of sailors"
COLIN KREBS
Coach
Colin is a summer coach at MBYC, and has grow up in the junior program. He sails for Coronado High School's sailing team. He likes to sail sabots and CFJs, but spends most of his time Wing Foiling. He has won the Junior Commodore's Regatta in C2, 5th in Summer Gold Cup in B Fleet, and 2nd in B for the Dutch Shoe Marathon. In his free time you can find him surfing, fishing, or wing foiling. He is very knowledgeable about the ocean!
ALISTER MUTO
Coach
Alister is a summer coach, and started sailing in the Junior Program at a young age. Alister sails for Mission Bay High School as a varsity crew and silver fleet skipper. They like sailing CFJs because they are a fun boat to sail in high school with a team. They have sailed in CFJ Nationals, and qualified for Gold PCCs with their high school team. Alister enjoys cycling, art, and snowboarding in their free time. They used to compete in triathlons!
EFE DERMAN
Coach
Efe is a summer coach at MBYC, and started sailing in the junior program when they moved from Turkey. He sails for La Jolla High School's sailing team as the top skipper for their team. He likes to sail unique boats from around the world, as well as Lasers and Snipes. He likes to try new boats because he can feel the difference in how they each sail. He has competed in over 6 countries and more than 10 different types of boats. He has raced internationally in the biggest youth fleet in the world, and was ranked 3rd in his age group in Turkey. In his free time, he likes robotics and woodworking.
RYLAN STEWART
Coach
Rylan has been a coach at MBYC 1 year. He sails for La Jolla Country Day's sailing team as both a skipper and a crew. Rylan enjoys sailing double-handed boats like CFJs and C420s because he gets to sail with a team. He has sailed along the coast of California in several events for his high school team, and was 1st in his division for the high school Rosebowl Regatta. When he is not on the water, he enjoys flying airplanes. He will be working towards getting his pilot's license!
"I like to inspire a new generation of sailors"
INDIGO CRAIG
Coach
Indigo has been coaching at MBYC for 1 year. She is a crew and skipper for Mission Bay High School's sailing team and does pit for an all Junior J105 team. She enjoys sailing a variety of boats like CFJs, Lasers, and J105s. She enjoys CFJs because of the sailing team at MBHS, and J105s because of the competitive fleet. With her experience in keelboat racing, she has competed as an all junior team in J105s against adult teams, and was a part of a team that won SDYC's opening day race.
JOEY RICHARDSON
Coach
Joey had been coaching for 2 years, first at SDYC and then MBYC. He sails for Francis Parker High School's sailing team as a skipper. He likes to sail CFJs and keelboats. He has skippered several big boats like J105s and J22s! He has sailed CFJs all over California and in some other states in the US. He enjoys double handed sailing because it requires a connection with your crew that single handed and bigger boats can't match. In his free time he likes to work on cars, baking, and social dancing. He has been around boats his whole life and started racing when he was 7 years old. He won his first regatta, which was a Fall Gold Cup. Catch him dancing his way around the yacht club!
JOSH KOZAK
Coach
Josh is a summer coach at MBYC, and grew up in the junior program. He sails for Mission Bay High School's sailing team as a skipper. He likes to sail CFJs, C420s, Snipes, and Lidos because of the teamwork and speed involved with the boats. He has sailed in CFJ Nationals, qualified for Silver PCCs, and sailed all over California. In his free time he like to hike, camp, run, and participate in Boy Scouts & Mock Trial.
KADEN MILLER
Coach
Kaden is a summer coach at MBYC, and grew up sailing in the junior program. He sails for Mission Bay High School as a varsity skipper. He likes to sail CFJs, Lasers, and Snipes because they are competitive fleets. Kaden has won several SoCals for his high school team and is a Gold Cup Champion in C1 & C3. In his free time he likes to surf and play football with friends.
"I grew up sailing in the program and have many fond memories in the program that I want to foster in the kids this summer."
SHANE TILLSON
Coach
Shane is a summer coach at MBYC, and has grown up sailing in the program since he was young. He sails for Point Loma High School's sailing team as both a skipper and crew. He likes to sail fast boats like 29ers, C420s, and Sabots. He has many accomplishments during his sailing career like 3rd in the O'Pen Bic North Americans, Dick Sweet Team Race Champion, and sailing Optis in Florida. In his free time he likes to ride his bike around San Diego, Surf, and Winging & Foiling.
"I am excited to share my knowledge and insight of sailing to the kids, while also teaching them a new perspective of sailing."
GARRETT HENDERSON
Coach
Garrett has been coaching at MBYC for 4 years, and grew up sailing in the junior program. He sailed for Francis Parker High School and Team MBYC; he will be sailing for Cal Poly in the fall. He sails Snipes in his free time because the competition is high level and enjoyable. He also sails CFJs because the fleet is sailed all the way through high school. He has previously qualified for Snipe Junior Worlds and has travelled all over California for high school sailing. When Garrett is not sailing, you can find him playing volleyball, surfing, or camping. He has also started learning how to foil.
MARY D'ARCY
Coach
Mary has been coaching for 5 years. She sails for Western Washington University as a skipper. She enjoys sailing Lasers, C420s, and FJs because of their big fleets that provide tactical and technical challenges. She also loves sailing 29ers and Foiling because it gives her the opportunity to go fast! Mary is a decorated sailor that has grown up sailing advanced big boats with her family. She is one of the youngest women to compete in the Transpac Regatta, raced in Canada, along the West Coast, sailed to the South Pacific, and won several regattas in High School Sailing. In her free time she enjoys listening and playing music, cooking, and being out in nature. Read more about Mary in her article!
PATRICK HENDERSON
Coach
Patrick has been a coach at MBYC for a year, and grew up sailing in the program. He sails for Francis Parker High School's sailing team as a skipper and crew. He sails CFJs because they are a fun fleet to sail in high school and the fleet is competitive. He also sails Lasers because he enjoys controlling all aspects of the boat and making decisions on his own, and Snipes because the competitors always share tips. He has had the opportunity to sail in a variety of conditions, which gives him the ability to give specific coaching based on the location and conditions that his sailors will encounter. In his free time he enjoys playing tennis, volleyball, basketball and being outdoors.
SEAN MCDERMOTT
Coach
Sean has been coaching at MBYC for 4 years. He sailed for Cathedral Catholic High School's sailing team as a skipper, and now plays college baseball for Trinity University (pitcher). He likes to sail Lasers because they are a competitive fleet and a very athletic boat. He is a competitive sailor and continues to try and get on the water when he is in town from university. He sailed in CFJ Nationals, and sailed in Doug Hart's competitive Laser program. In his free time you can find him weight lifting and surfing.
SHEA McGRATH
Coach
Shea has been a coach at MBYC for 4 years. He was a skipper and crew on Francis Parker High School's sailing team, and will be attending Bowdoin College in the fall where he looks forward to continue sailing. He enjoys sailing Snipes in his free time because of the technical side of the boat, and there is always room to improve in the fleet. He has sailed in the 2022 US Snipe Nationals, travelled all over California for High School Sailing, was captain of his high school team, and the 2022 SDAYC Junior Yachtsman of the Year. When he is not on the water, you can find him reading, gardening, or cycling.
"I love coaching because seeing kids improve their sailing skills in the span of a couple weeks is really fulfilling."
Ximena Escobar
Coach
Ximena has been a coach at MBYC for 4 years. She was a crew for Point Loma High's sailing team, where she graduated in 2021, and currently sails for Yale University. She enjoys sailing C420s with her college sailing team, and Snipes because it is an international fleet and there is always room for improvement in the fleet. She is an accomplished sailor in both collegiate sailing and fleet racing. Ximena and her brother, Diego, qualified for Snipe Junior Worlds in Portugal where they placed 7th overall. In her free time she likes to go to the beach, go hiking, and play word games.