Tim Ray

Tim Ray

Tim has raced Stars extensively during his sailing career – Compiling top finishes in the Star Olympic Trials, World Championships, Western Hemisphere Championships, North American Championships, and District Championships. Tim is also a two-time single-handed and two-time double-handed PHRF champion in the Buffalo Harbor Sailing Club. Other offshore and one-design racing experience includes tactician, navigator, watch captain and weather router in the J/120 class, and watch captain racing from San Francisco to Tahiti.

Lisa Downey

Lisa Downey

A certified instructor and instructor trainer, Lisa has been coaching racing and team racing for decades.  A veteran of the J22 and J24 circuit, Lisa has raced the Rolex Women’s Keelboat Championship as skipper and crew.

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Andrew Kerr

Andrew Kerr

Andrew Kerr is a World Class Sailor, Coach and Sailing educator from Plymouth, England, he
was educated at Island School in Hong Kong, Ealing Green High School in London, and the
London School of Economics.

He developed a passion for sailing whilst sailing extensively with his family in England and
Hong Kong and competed in two China Sea Races as a teenager.

Over the course of his sailing career, he has won 30 National and North American
Championships across various classes in the J24, J27, US Sailing Lloyd Phoenix Trophy,
Santana 20, Holder 20 and other classes and has finished 3rd, 4th and 5th multiple times in the
J24 World Championships and 5th in the J22 World Championships.

As a full-time sailing coach, seminar speaker, and North U instructor, he has coached and
presented hundreds of seminars and clinics both in the US and globally and contributed as a
coach to US Sailing programs and at Championship regattas.


He has held Head coaching roles at the Boston Sailing Center, Steve and Doris Colgate’s
Offshore Sailing School in Tortola and for many years at the J World Performance Sailing
school’s in San Diego, CA where he was on the inaugural coaching staff and helped launch the
school, in Newport, RI, Key West, FL and Annapolis, MD where he was also an instructor
trainer.


Teams and individuals that he has coached have gone on to win dozens of championships and
regatta’s – some of which include the J80 North American Championship , J105 North American
Championships, T10 North American Championships , ID 35 National Championships , Overall
Boat of the regatta awards at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Detroit and in Chicago ( twice) ,
Key West Race Week , Block Island Race week and the SORC.


He was named One Design Sailor of the Year in 2000 at Southwestern YC and contributes
coaching articles for Sailing World magazine and various class websites.


Andrew lives in Olympia, WA, with his wife Stephanie, a former America’s Cup sailor on the
all-woman’s team America 3 in the 1995 America’s Cup and a World and National Champion
weightlifter on the US Weightlifting team, their older son is a veteran of the US Marine Corp
whilst there younger son is in the US Army.

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Peter Coleman

Peter Coleman

Head Sailing Coach at Sacred Heart University, former Director of Offshore Sailing at the US Naval Academy, and veteran racer and cruiser, Peter has been teaching sailing and coaching racing for decades. His particular gift as a coach is teaching not just “what to do” but also how to figure it out on your own so you can solve the next challenge when you sail without a coach.
He offered the following insight into his work with North U:
“North U is a phenomenal opportunity for sailors at all levels to broaden their experience, both out on the water and ashore. It is a stated goal for us as coaches to bring the talents of all sailors up the learning curve quickly – with an adequate focus on safety at all times. With North U On Board Coaching we deliver valuable content directly to sailors. Whether it be a cruising couple or racing crew we work to address your particular skills and interests  on the best platform – your boat.”

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Kerry Poe

Kerry Poe

Kerry is the owner of the North Sails Oregon Loft and is a Four time US Sailing Team member. He has competed in 10 World Championships, 470, Laser II, 505, Melges 24 and Farr 30.

A partial list of events won include 470 US Nationals, Laser II US Nationals, Oregon Offshore, Swiftsure, Newport to Ensenada, Chicago Mackinac.

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