About the Instructors:
Jill Christie
Jill Christie started sailing on the inland oceans of Ontario and Manitoba at the age of 8. In her youth, when not instructing dinghy sailors, Jill competed at National and International Regattas in Laser 2’s and Bytes while traveling cross country in a van with her teammates and coaches.
Jill has spent 10 years teaching sailing in floating vessels ranging from Optimists to 70 ft Maple Leaf Ketches. She has also been involved in the marine experiential education industry as a guide, program coordinator and expedition leader. She has spent time afloat along the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Eastern Canadian Arctic, and the North Pacific from Baja, Mexico to South Eastern Alaska.
Jill has a passion for racing sporty keelboats and in 2009 she managed to log about 1000 nautical miles racing in Southern Straits, Swiftsure & the Van Isle 360 events (long distance International Yacht Races on the Pacific coast). When she isn’t teaching our future sailors, Jill enjoys instructing the PCOC, Cruising and Power Boat courses to grown-ups too!
Jill is a Physical Education Specialist and a registered Personal Trainer through the BCRPA and holds degrees in both Physical Education and Education. She teaches on call in Nanaimo when she lands at home.
Jill’s current project is developing a mid island dinghy racing fleet for Young Professionals based in Nanaimo. She loves to see the “light bulbs go on!” and is looking forward to inspiring young sailors to nurture their sense of adventure and build their confidence on the water.
Rob Douglas
Rob has been coaching sailing for thirteen years. He has a two-year diploma in Coaching and Sports Sciences from Douglas College as well as a degree in Human Kinetics from UBC. Currently, he is working teaching middle school in Campbell River. He has coached Optimist sailors at all levels from grass roots to the Canadian National Team.
Over the past four years he has focused his energy on the development of the Optimist fleet in BC. He hopes to help the fleet grow to more than a hundred boats competing locally within the next two years.
He coached the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Optimist Race Team for ten years and now coaches the newly formed Comox Valley Optimist Sailing team.
He is very excited to meet new sailors and visit clubs to share his passion for sailing the Optimist this summer. Rob is also eager to share his experiences not only in coaching, but in program management and instructor development with anyone he meets. He is also a lifelong learner and wants to learn as much as possible in each new environment this summer.
Katrina Douglas
For the last four summers, Katrina was an instructor for the MOSS summer program. She enjoyed traveling around her wonderful province of B.C., meeting new kids and teaching them sailing and kayaking skills.
Katrina has worked with youth kayaking programs in different countries such as the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska. She also has Canadian Yachting Association Assistant Instructor who has worked with the Wetfeet sailing program at Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. This past year, she has developed and started up the Comox Valley Optmistic Sailing Team with her husband Rob. During the school year, Katrina teaches for the Comox Valley School Board and the Campbell River School Board.
Katrina has a love for the water that she is eager to share. She has a great passion for working with children and is looking forward to an action packed summer!
Sam Gustin
This will be Sam’s fourth year teaching sailing. He is a Canadian Yachting Association certified coach and has taught at Deep Cove Yacht Club, Mac Sailing Center, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and West Vancouver Yacht Club.
In addition to coaching, Sam has lots of experience racing everything from Optimists to high performance 29ers. He has competed in sponsored races in Italy, three B.C. Summer Games, and is a Canadian Optimist Champion. Sam is currently a member of the Canadian 29er Sailing Team and brings a great breadth of experience to the Mobile Optimist Sailing School.
He has experience teaching both kids and adults, is a fun and dynamic coach, and always willing give individual attention to his students. His principle behind coaching is, “I always try to keep it interesting. It's summer, the kids want to have fun and it’s my job to make sure they do while learning too.”
Karl Jensen
Martine Schlagintweit
Martine started sailing at the age of 3 years when she was first connected to a Hobie 16 trapeze line and told to ‘hang out for a while.’ Since then, there have been some subtle changes in her sailing career. Martine became an educated racer at a summer camps program and joined the West Vancouver Yacht Club race team. Soon after, she became a sailing educator when she was certified as a Canadian Yachting Association optimist coach. Sailing has never lost its charm as Martine continues to race and coach. When she is not out on the water, Martine spends her time travelling, and snowboarding. This will be her fourth year coaching optimist sailing. She looks forward to another fantastic summer turning land dwelling kids into brave aquatic explorers!
Alistair Vittery
Alistair has been around boats and the water his whole life. He first started sailing on his family’s boat in the summer at the age of four. Then at the age of seven, he enrolled in his first sailing lesson at the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Soon after, Alistair was racing Optimists, Bytes, 29ers, and the Mistral windsurfing boards. He hopes to continue to race on the RS:X board next year while enrolled at UBC. This is Alistair's first year coaching with MOSS and he is very excited to get out on the water and have fun teaching the kids.
Jill ChristieJill Christie started sailing on the inland oceans of Ontario and Manitoba at the age of 8. In her youth, when not instructing dinghy sailors, Jill competed at National and International Regattas in Laser 2’s and Bytes while traveling cross country in a van with her teammates and coaches.
Jill has spent 10 years teaching sailing in floating vessels ranging from Optimists to 70 ft Maple Leaf Ketches. She has also been involved in the marine experiential education industry as a guide, program coordinator and expedition leader. She has spent time afloat along the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Eastern Canadian Arctic, and the North Pacific from Baja, Mexico to South Eastern Alaska.
Jill has a passion for racing sporty keelboats and in 2009 she managed to log about 1000 nautical miles racing in Southern Straits, Swiftsure & the Van Isle 360 events (long distance International Yacht Races on the Pacific coast). When she isn’t teaching our future sailors, Jill enjoys instructing the PCOC, Cruising and Power Boat courses to grown-ups too!
Jill is a Physical Education Specialist and a registered Personal Trainer through the BCRPA and holds degrees in both Physical Education and Education. She teaches on call in Nanaimo when she lands at home.
Jill’s current project is developing a mid island dinghy racing fleet for Young Professionals based in Nanaimo. She loves to see the “light bulbs go on!” and is looking forward to inspiring young sailors to nurture their sense of adventure and build their confidence on the water.
Rob DouglasRob has been coaching sailing for thirteen years. He has a two-year diploma in Coaching and Sports Sciences from Douglas College as well as a degree in Human Kinetics from UBC. Currently, he is working teaching middle school in Campbell River. He has coached Optimist sailors at all levels from grass roots to the Canadian National Team.
Over the past four years he has focused his energy on the development of the Optimist fleet in BC. He hopes to help the fleet grow to more than a hundred boats competing locally within the next two years.
He coached the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Optimist Race Team for ten years and now coaches the newly formed Comox Valley Optimist Sailing team.
He is very excited to meet new sailors and visit clubs to share his passion for sailing the Optimist this summer. Rob is also eager to share his experiences not only in coaching, but in program management and instructor development with anyone he meets. He is also a lifelong learner and wants to learn as much as possible in each new environment this summer.
Katrina DouglasFor the last four summers, Katrina was an instructor for the MOSS summer program. She enjoyed traveling around her wonderful province of B.C., meeting new kids and teaching them sailing and kayaking skills.
Katrina has worked with youth kayaking programs in different countries such as the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska. She also has Canadian Yachting Association Assistant Instructor who has worked with the Wetfeet sailing program at Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. This past year, she has developed and started up the Comox Valley Optmistic Sailing Team with her husband Rob. During the school year, Katrina teaches for the Comox Valley School Board and the Campbell River School Board.
Katrina has a love for the water that she is eager to share. She has a great passion for working with children and is looking forward to an action packed summer!
Sam GustinThis will be Sam’s fourth year teaching sailing. He is a Canadian Yachting Association certified coach and has taught at Deep Cove Yacht Club, Mac Sailing Center, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and West Vancouver Yacht Club.
In addition to coaching, Sam has lots of experience racing everything from Optimists to high performance 29ers. He has competed in sponsored races in Italy, three B.C. Summer Games, and is a Canadian Optimist Champion. Sam is currently a member of the Canadian 29er Sailing Team and brings a great breadth of experience to the Mobile Optimist Sailing School.
He has experience teaching both kids and adults, is a fun and dynamic coach, and always willing give individual attention to his students. His principle behind coaching is, “I always try to keep it interesting. It's summer, the kids want to have fun and it’s my job to make sure they do while learning too.”
Karl JensenKarl Jensen is from Victoria BC and was introduced to sailing at the age of 7, when he took a White Sail class. It didn’t take long before he joined the Royal Victoria Yacht Club where he was active in the junior race team until the end of high school. Karl Started out in Optimists and progressed to Bytes, Laser Radial, Laser, 470, and more recently the 29er.
At the same time he has worked to enhance his coaching credentials and currently holds a CYA Level 2 Technical coaching certificate. Karl has been teaching sailing at RVYC to both youth and adults sailing since 2006. Last summer, he helped deliver the MOSS program in Tofino and he is looking forward to being involved in the program throughout the entire summer this year.
In 2007 Karl sailed on board the S.V. Concordia, completing two trans-Atlantic crossings and stopping on three continents. He is currently enrolled in engineering at UBC.
At the same time he has worked to enhance his coaching credentials and currently holds a CYA Level 2 Technical coaching certificate. Karl has been teaching sailing at RVYC to both youth and adults sailing since 2006. Last summer, he helped deliver the MOSS program in Tofino and he is looking forward to being involved in the program throughout the entire summer this year.
In 2007 Karl sailed on board the S.V. Concordia, completing two trans-Atlantic crossings and stopping on three continents. He is currently enrolled in engineering at UBC.
Martine SchlagintweitMartine started sailing at the age of 3 years when she was first connected to a Hobie 16 trapeze line and told to ‘hang out for a while.’ Since then, there have been some subtle changes in her sailing career. Martine became an educated racer at a summer camps program and joined the West Vancouver Yacht Club race team. Soon after, she became a sailing educator when she was certified as a Canadian Yachting Association optimist coach. Sailing has never lost its charm as Martine continues to race and coach. When she is not out on the water, Martine spends her time travelling, and snowboarding. This will be her fourth year coaching optimist sailing. She looks forward to another fantastic summer turning land dwelling kids into brave aquatic explorers!
Alistair VitteryAlistair has been around boats and the water his whole life. He first started sailing on his family’s boat in the summer at the age of four. Then at the age of seven, he enrolled in his first sailing lesson at the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Soon after, Alistair was racing Optimists, Bytes, 29ers, and the Mistral windsurfing boards. He hopes to continue to race on the RS:X board next year while enrolled at UBC. This is Alistair's first year coaching with MOSS and he is very excited to get out on the water and have fun teaching the kids.
