Waterfront Staff
Whether this is your first time learning how to sail or whether you are a seasoned race team member, Hampton Yacht Club is committed to providing the absolute best instructors and coaches for all of our programs. HYC takes pride in hiring the best and knowledgable employees to deliver a safe, fun, and rewarding experience for your sailor. I am happy to introduce the 2023 line up of all star sailing instructors and coaches for the
HYC Junior Program!
Maxwell J. Plarr
Sailing Director
Juan Manuel "Paton" Briones
Head Performance Optimist Coach
I am a World Sailing level II certified coach with more than 16 years of experience in Optimist sailing. I am returning to HYC after the summer of 2021 season when HYC Sailor James Allgeier won the USODA National Championship. In my career I have coached at many IODA events and was the former Argentina Optimist National Head Coach, having great results.
I am looking forward to coaching again at HYC and transmitting all of my experience and knowledge to the sailors so they can reach their maximum potential.
Juan Pablo Carranza
Performance Optimist Coach
With over two decades of experience, I serve as a high-performance sailing coach, playing a pivotal role in the development and expansion of Junior Sailing Programs in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
I have crafted and implemented training programs and curricula for young sailors across Optimist, ILCA, 29er, and C420 Classes, allowing them to fully realize their potential as emerging athletes. I am passionate about refining sailing techniques, with a focus on error reduction and achieving greater boat-speed .
My enthusiasm for sailing extends to various boat classes, and I am currently honing my Wingfoiling skills. Joining Hampton Yacht Club marks an exciting new chapter, as I eagerly anticipate contributing my expertise and unwavering commitment to elevate the team's prowess.
Vir Menon
Head Performance Laser Coach
Vir Menon started sailing the Optimist at age five in India and competed at regional, national and international championships representing the Indian national squad in the class until age 14. He was the Indian National Champion until he moved into the Laser where he competed in 4 world championships, 3 European Championships and was National champion in the 4.7, Radial and Full-Rig disciplines. He is a former Captain of the Christopher Newport University sailing team where he majored in History. He then got a Masters in Cybersecurity from New York University and is now back in the area running a small business. This will be his 4th year coaching for Hampton Yacht Club and is looking forward to a great summer on the water.
Kyle Pfrang
Green Fleet Coach (Opti 2)
I started sailing at Hampton Yacht Club when I was 12 years old in the Opti. I soon found my passion for racing and competed up and down the east coast of the US. My love for sailing has only grown as I started to compete in other classes like the laser radial and keel boats. Kyle won the 100th Anniversary of the Sears Cup with Hampton Team mates in the RS21. In the past few years, I have been given the opportunity to teach and coach other sailors at international regattas to teaching how to sail. I now sail competitively for Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.
Brian Fox
Head Dinghy Instructor
Brian is a graduate of Christopher Newport University where he was a team member of the varsity sailing team. Brian will be starting his third summer at HYC and has taught and coached optis for the club year round as well. Brian's younger brother is also in the program and they are both looking forward to the summer!
Margaret "Maggie" Campbell
Head Optimist Instructor
Maggie started learning to sail before she could walk when her grandfather took her out on the family sunfish. She learned to sail a Sunfish and an Opti by herself at the age of six and loved sailing with her cousins as a little kid. She began racing for her school’s JV team on Flying Juniors in seventh grade and moved to varsity in eighth grade. Maggie graduated from Norfolk Collegiate in 2022 and currently attends Virginia Tech. She will be a sophomore majoring in Ocean Engineering, and wants to pursue a minor in Nuclear Engineering. Her favorite things to do at school are go hiking and work on her design team. She is a part of the Human Powered Submarine Design Team and helped build a submarine over the past school year, which the team will race this summer. Maggie sailed for the Norfolk Collegiate Varsity team in the Mallory Doublehanded National Championships in 2021 and 2022, which has been the high point of her sailing career so far. She also raced in the National Invitational Tournament for team racing. She won the Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association (VISA) Women’s Championships in 2021 and 2022, and placed third at the Mid-Atlantic Women’s championships in 2021. She was an All-VISA skipper her last three years of high school and the top VISA Skipper the last two. Maggie also sailed her Laser in regattas and junior events during the summer, in addition to crewing for Randy Stokes in his Hampton One Design in summer regattas. Currently, she enjoys racing during Wednesday Night Racing and weekend regattas on a Viper. This will be Maggie’s third year coaching at HYC, and her second time coaching Opti 1. She is looking forward to teaching her students to love sailing as much as she does!
Caroline Campbell
Opti 1 Instructor
Hi! My name is Caroline Campbell and I am a rising senior at Norfolk Collegiate School. I grew up sailing Sunfish with my grandfather on the Chesapeake Bay. This is my second year coaching Opti One at the HYC and I am so excited for the summer! I love teaching the kids how to sail and watching them progress over the course of the week to become comfortable sailing on their own.
Blake Goodwin
Opti 1 Instructor
Blake learned how to sail and race on the Chesapeake Bay, and have been a member of the Opti, c420, and ILCA race teams at Hampton Yacht Club. I am a rising freshman at Old Dominion University where I will continue sailing at the collegiate level. Throughout and post college, I plan to continue coaching both beginners and advanced sailors!
Tyler Brown
Explorer Instructor
I have been sailing since the age of 13 when I started with my high school team and since then I have never stopped! I am a graduate of the Hampton Yacht Club c420 team and have competed at multiple levels of competitions around the United States. Currently I am racing at the collegiate level for Old Dominion University.
