Hernán Vila

We met Hernán, "the Coach of Coaches," in 2024 when Seb needed a new approach to managing frustration during regattas. We were looking for a sports psychologist specializing in sailing who could work with younger sailors. Thanks to Mateo, we were able to find Hernán, who has been the perfect fit. We are very grateful that he has chosen us as part of his extended team. Hernán’s work helped Seb build techniques to manage himself and ultimately qualify for the 2025 IODA European and North American Championships. His work helped Seb make an amazing comeback from 20th place to 9th place overall.

Since 1992, Hernán has been the head coach of the Argentine Olympic Sailing Team, the Youth & Development Coordinator of the Argentine Yachting Federation (FAY), and the Coordinator of the National Sailing Technification Centers of the National Sports Secretariat (SDN). A sailor himself, he is also a World Sailing Expert Coach (certified at levels 1, 2, & 3 by World Sailing) and holds degrees in Psychology and Team Building. As the national sailing team coach, he has had an amazing career.

• Participated in 6 Olympic Games (Barcelona 92, Atlanta 96, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016) 
• Participated in 7 Pan American Games (Havana ‘91, Mar del Plata’ 95, Winnipeg ‘99, Santo Domingo ‘03, Rio de Janeiro ‘07, Guadalajara ‘11, and Toronto ‘15). 
• Earned an Olympic silver medal in Atlanta ‘96 as the coach of Carlos Espínola 
• Earned 10 Panamerican games medals. 2 Golds (Marcos Galvan ‘99 and Carlos Espínola ‘95), 2 Silvers (Mariano Reutemann ‘11 and ‘07, Marcos Galvan ‘03 and Carlos Espínola in Havana ‘91), and 4 Bronze (Catalina Whalter ‘03 and ‘07, María Inés Espínola ‘92, Mariano Reutemann ‘15.)
• Participated in 3 youth world championships (1997, 1993, and 1992)
• Earned the 2003 ISAF Youth World Championship runner-up position (tied for 1st place)
• Four podium finishes at Senior World Championships (2000, 1999, 1997, 1996)
• Earned the 2007 Raceboard World Champion title 
• Earned 1st place at the 1998 European Continental Championship and the 1997 Austral-Asian Continental Championship; and second place at the 1996 European Continental Championship.

Hernán has also worked as a coach for the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA), achieving Canada's best historical ranking in the RS:X class world championships and qualifying for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; he also qualified the Belgian women's team for those Games, and as the coach of the Venezuelan windsurfing team between 2002 and 2004, he achieved Venezuela's first-ever qualification for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, where, in the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, windsurfing achieved its best result with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place.

This days, Hernán continues to coach the Argentine Olympic Sailing Team, he is a technical consultant to the World Sailing Federation, and dedicates most of his remaining time to develop other coaches around the world. We are fortunate to be able to take some of his time for 1:1s with our most advanced sailors and a select number of team sessions each year.