Alex Samano

I am a serial entrepreneur and a sailing dad. Our son, Sebastian, started sailing at CYC during COVID at age 9, and he was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, he couldn't begin competing until he was almost 12—significantly later than the norm. When I started looking for options in the PNW, I discovered an internally focused sailing scene dominated by two organizations with no real alternatives and a small group of people holding most of the decision-making power in the region. This was surprising in such an affluent area with plenty of water, boats, and resources. Since then, I've made it my mission to elevate the standards in our region for the benefit of all our young sailors and their families. I have experienced and studied from a coach, sailor, and national organizations perspective how other countries and regions do sailing. I believe I am qualified to have an opinion about what works and what doesn't. Thankfully, over the years, I've connected with individuals at CYC and SSP who share the same concerns and we are actively working to improve things for our sailors in the PNW. No turf issues or defensiveness—just a shared commitment to raising the bar. 

For our team, I am responsible for everything from Marketing and Legal to Accounting. I spend a lot of my time listening to our sailors, parents, and coaches to understand their needs and turn them into clinics, programs, trips, or coaching for all sailors. The other bulk of my time goes into ‘ambassing’ to grow our network of coaches and clubs around the world and find other great individuals who can help us get the best from our sailors, like Hernán Vila.

I sailed Lasers when I was a teen and I am US Sailing Level 1 Certified (berly). I support our coaches or sailors in the water when needed. I have done plenty of boat rescues in crappy conditions. Lots of great stories and some heart pounding moments. I have learned a few tricks from many hours on the RIB with some of the best Opti coaches around the world. Lately, Sebastian and I have started building curriculum for our intermediate sailors focused on Opti tuning, boat handling technique, and boat speed - stay tuned!

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