Fresh from his top 10 ranking in a world sailing competition in Buenos Aires, Gulliver Schools’ new sailing coach, Brian Kamilar, is focusing on placing his team in a major upcoming Southeast regional competition.
Kamilar and his crewmate, Enrique Quintero of Miami, recently returned from the Snipe Western Hemisphere and Orient Championships, conducted in November near Buenos Aires. He placed eighth among 50 teams from seven countries in the Americas and Asia. Six boats competed with Team USA. All competitors had to qualify within their countries to participate, so those selected were their countries best sailors.
“Our goal was top 10, so we were happy where we finished,” Kamilar said before switching the subject to his Gulliver team.
“Looking forward, our aim at Gulliver is to place in the South Atlantic District competition in April,” Kamilar said. “With our new team, it’s really important that our most experienced sailors help the least experienced. That’s the best way to make a team strong.”
Some of those more experienced sailors participated in the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta, Dec. 26-30, at the Coral Reef Yacht Club before returning to regular competition in January.
Ransom Everglades in Coconut Grove will host the Interscholastic Sailing Association’s South Atlantic District (SAISA) Mallory Fleet Racing District Championship on Apr. 12-14, in which top school sailing teams in the coastal Southeast and Caribbean will compete.
The sailing team got its start this past August when Gulliver expanded its water sports program to include sailing, under Kamilar’s full-time leadership as coach. The varsity team of 19 high school and two middle school sailors practices weekly at Coral Reef Yacht Club, 2484 S. Bayshore Dr., and competes every month throughout the school year. In addition, Kamilar conducts a weekly learn-to-sail class at the yacht club for middle-school students.
“The team is improving at a great pace and our results at events show it,” Kamilar said. “We are becoming very close-knit team and embracing the team-based idea of sailing, with everyone assisting each other to become better.”
Kamilar, 25, a Miami native, has more than 15 years of racing experience and more than 10 years of coaching experience. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he was a three-time All-American and two-time College Sailor of the Year finalist. He helped lead the team to two consecutive team race national championships and two top-five finishes at fleet race nationals.
At age 8, Kamilar began his sailing career in the Optimist class. For the next seven years he competed in more than 100 national and international regattas, winning his first event at the age of 10. He was a three-time member of the U.S. National Team and a two-time member of both the U.S. North American Team and U.S. South American Team.
He won multiple national events, including the Southeast Dingy Optimist Championships, Florida State Optimist Championships, and Biscayne Bay Optimist Championships. He also had two top five finishes in the Optimist National Championships
In 2004, Kamilar won the Bemis Double- Handed National Championship and was one of Gary Jobson/Sailing World magazine’s junior sailors of the year. In high school, he was captain and MVP of his team for three years. In 2005, Kamilar tried his hand in the Snipe and won the 2005 Snipe Junior National Championships. Currently he is sailing Snipes, J24’s, and team racing in V15’s. Kamilar competed in the 2011 Snipe World Championships in Denmark and placed in the top 15 among global competitors.
For more information about Gulliver Schools visit www.gulliverschools.org
