Pilo Rocha – Opti Gold Fleet Coach
Pilo Rocha has been the Gold Fleet Opti Coach at LYC since 2016 and is excited to be back at LYC again! Pilo grew up sailing Optis in Argentina where he won many regattas such as Mar De Plata and was 2nd at the 1993 Opti Worlds (ARG 1st in Team Racing). Pilo brings over a decade of experience coaching the Optimist Class in the United States. He has coached 4 different sailors to Team Trials victories, as well as numerous wins by his sailors at Nationals, Orange Bowl, and other major regattas. For 2018 he was selected as the Team USA Coach for the World Championships in Cypress and had 2 sailors in the top 5. When not coaching Pilo is an avid surfer and enjoys tennis and soccer.
Alex van Puffelen – Opti Program Manager & Silver Fleet Coach
A native of Miami, Florida, Alex immediately found his passion for the water when he was introduced to Opti sailing at just seven years old at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Upon joining his first race team, Alex became an avid learner and grew extremely competitive on and off the water as he finished his years off as a Green Fleet, then eventually a RWB sailor. Alex then found his passion for laser sailing when he became acquainted with some of the world’s top sailors at the Antigua Yacht Club in English Harbor, Antigua. There, he familiarized himself with the Laser, where he then brought his new talent back home to Miami to be trained by Argentinian, Cuban, and United States National Team Sailors. Alex first began coaching at Shake a Leg Miami, where his main focus was to teach the fundamentals of sailing to the youth in both sailing dinghies, and Catalina sailboats. Alex then returned to his home team at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club where he was assigned to their Green Fleet program. During his tenure at CGSC, Alex significantly grew his team with his recruitment methods, and established a well-ordered curriculum that included an establishment of a growth-mindset, and an analytical approach to sailing technique, boat handling, and boat speed. In 2019, Alex assumed the position of Head Coach of the Green Fleet Program for the Key Biscayne Yacht. Alex then respectively began coaching the United States Optimist Development Program (ODP2), which was created by the United States National Team to develop the next generation of Team USA sailors. In the Summer of 2020, Alex was recruited by the Annapolis Yacht Club to coach their Red, White, and Blue Optimist teams. Alex then returned to Annapolis Yacht Club for the summer of 2023 as the head coach of their Championship Opti Program to continue implementing his curriculum alongside other renowned coaches, helping sailors find their success at regattas in the northeast and helping qualify sailors for the 2023 Optimist Team Trials. In August 2022, Alex assumed the Program Manager/Head Opti Coach position at Lauderdale Yacht Club where he passionately continues to implement his style of coaching and mentoring to sailors, and the next generation of coaches. In addition to his experience sailing the Optimist and Laser, Alex has also sailed in boats such as the J70, the GP26, The Whisper 17, the Viper 640, the 420, the FJ, the 29er, and actively sails the 49er. In his off time, Alex enjoys spearfishing, sailing, triathlon training, and hanging out with friends.