New Trier Sailing has partnered with the Chicago Yacht Club to provide coaches for the team.
Telmo Basterra, head coach, CYC Sailing School
Telmo is originally from Bilbao, Spain, and came to the United States 10 years ago after being recruited to sail at Jacksonville University.
During his time there, he was a student ambassador, part of the student leadership team on campus, a community leader responsible for one of the residential buildings, and an active member of the sailing team.
As a sailor, he became the B skipper his freshman year, sailed on the team racing team, and served as bow for the match racing team. His best results included 3rd place at Match Race Nationals, 3rd at Fleet Race Nationals, and—one of his proudest achievements—starting an offshore program for the team. In their first (and only, due to budget) offshore event, he skippered the boat, and to everyone’s surprise, they won.
He worked for several rigging and high-performance sailing companies across the country, where his job focused on optimizing boats to make them as fast as possible. At the same time, he served as Assistant Coach for the Jacksonville University sailing team while earning his MBA in Wealth Management.
After graduating, he decided to explore professional sailing full-time. That path brought incredible experiences he never imagined—such as winning a North American Championship and breaking the Nassau Cup record from Miami to Nassau.
When the Chicago Yacht Club reached out with an opportunity to join their coaching staff, he knew it was the perfect chance to contribute to one of the best sailing programs in the country.