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Fluent in English, Spanish and Basic Dutch  |   Born in Argentina   |   July 20, 1986

mY STORY

 

Hi, I’m Martin Manrique, a high-performance sailing coach with over 18 years of international experience. I was born and raised by the waters of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began sailing at age 6. After competing internationally in Optimist, Cadet, Laser, and 420 classes—winning the Cadet World Championship in 1999—I turned my passion into a coaching career.

Since then, I’ve coached national teams and top athletes across more than 20 countries, including Argentina, the Netherlands, Mexico, New Zealand, the Bahamas, and Curaçao. I served as Argentina’s National Youth Coach, led multiple IODA Worlds and continental campaigns, and supported sailors at Youth Worlds, Pan Am qualifiers, and Olympic level.

 

Coaching Credentials
  • IODA Level 1 & Level 2 Coach Trainer, certifying new generations of Optimist coaches internationally

  • Head Coach for several national teams:

    • 6 IODA Worlds

    • 3 IODA Europeans

    • 10 IODA North Americans 

    • 3 IODA Southamericans

Athletes & Achievements
  • Mateo Majdalani – 🥈 Silver Medal, Paris 2024 Olympics (Nacra 17)

  • Roos Wind – 🏆 ILCA 6 Youth World Champion, 2023

  • Klaus Lange – Olympic Diploma, Rio 2016 (49er); now US Sailing 49er Coach

  • Dante Cittadini – 🥇 Youth Olympic Gold Medalist; South & North American Optimist Champion

  • Ignacio Varisco – 🏆 Optimist South American Champion; 2nd at 29er Worlds; Founder of Capitanes de BarRIO

  • Eliza Dennings – 🏆 North American Champion (Female), representing the Bahamas
     

Many of my former Optimist sailors now compete at the Olympic level or coach professionally—something I consider my proudest legacy.

 

Current Work

I’m currently based in Eleuthera, Bahamas, where I co-founded the Eleuthera Sailing Academy. There, I lead a program that blends high-performance youth development with inclusive, community-based access to sailing and watersports. Through the Make Them Sailors Foundation, we support grassroots sailing projects globally, providing training, gear, and mentorship to programs in The Bahamas, Tanzania, Argentina, and beyond.

cOACHING EXPERIENCE

 2025

Optimus program Coach 

IODA Certification Level 1, Level 2 Coach

2024 ioda worlds, Argentina
2021 IODA Northamericans, Puerto Rico

2023 ioda worlds, Spain

2023 IODA EUROPEANS, Greece

2022 ioda worlds, Turkey

2022 IODA EUROPEANS, Denmark
2021 IODA Northamericans, Mexico

  2020-2025

Eleuthera sailing academy

 Currently, I'm working on the island of Eleuthera, Bahamas, at The Eleuthera Sailing Academy. Here we created a spot in which we combine High-Performance Sailing with a Community Based Sailing Project, providing new life opportunities for children from the Outer Islands of the Bahamas.

www.eleutherasailingacademy.com

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  2018

IODA Europeans  |   AHO OPTIMIST COACH

Scheveningen, The Netherlands

NACRA 17    |   ARG Coach

Trofeo Princesa Sofía, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 9th Place

World Sailing Cup, Hyeres, France. 12th Place

World Sailing Finals, Marseille, France. 6th Place

 

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  2015 - 2016

CURACAO YOUTH SAILING COACH

I worked with both Optimist and Laser  teams. We trained locally and participated in different international events.

2016 SUNFISH YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

10th & 11th

DUTCH YOUTH REGATTA

Workum, The Netherlands

SEMANA DE BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires, Argentina

2015 IODA NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Antigua

4th place in North Americans Team Racing

2016 SUNFISH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

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  2011 - 2012

CLUB NAUTICO ALBATROS  |   argentina

Dinghy Sailing head coach

2011 Team Racing National Champions 

2011 National male & female individual champions 

2nd place Individual IODA South Americans and 1st place individual Female, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

2012 optimist world championship 

Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.

Team Leader of ARG TEAM.

2008-2014 

industrial Engineering Degree

I finished my degree in Industrial Engineering on 2014. During my Studies I worked as a sailing coach and also for. I did an university exchange in New Zealand where I lived for almost a year.

 

Universidad Católica Argentina

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Otago University, New Zealand

  2007 - 2010

CLUB NAUTICO SAN ISIDRO  |   ARGENTINA

Optimist coach

 

Team Racing National Champions 2008 & 2009

1st Place IODA South Americans 2008

National Champion 2008 

1st, 5th & 6th place Individual IODA South Americans 2010.

  2021-2025

BAHAMAS OPTIMIST NATIONAL TEAM

Head Coach

Achieving the best results in Bahamian history, with the highlight of North American Champion, Eliza Dennings, in Antigua 2023, and 35th in Spain 2023 World Championships, Finley McKinney Lambert

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  2019

Optimist coach selection team kwvl

Loosdrecht, The Netherlands

Laser team radial & 4.7 team kwvl

Loosdrecht, The Netherlands

1st, 2nd, and 3rd in all UNITED 4 Regatta

1st, 2nd and 3rd in Europacup Hoorn 2019

2nd, 3rd in Europacup Warnemunde, 2019

 

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  2017

ORANGE BOWL REGATTA  |   AHO OPTIMIST COACH

NACRA 17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP   |   ARG Coach

La Grande Motte, France

Olympic Campaign for Tokio 2020

Majdalani-Bosco Team ARG 372. Final Result: 14th.

World Sailing EMERGING NATIONS PROGRAM 

 Boca Chica, Dominican Republic for Laser Radial Youth Class. Attended Clinic as CURACAO Coach.

IODA NORTHAMERICANS TORONTO 2018  | MEX COACH

(Main results: 5th. Sebastián Riquelme, 11th. Mateo Cortes)

2016- 

MAKE THEM SAILORS PROJECt

​While living on a boat, we began this social project to raise money and supplies to help children from remote islands to learn how to sail. We connect different sailing communities (Competitors, Cruisers, Charter Companies and fishermen) to recycle gear, provide knowledge and tools to create opportunities through Sailing.

 

www.makethemsailors.com

  2013 - 2014

FEDERACION ARGENTINA DE YACHTING

Youth Sailing Head Coach

2014 IODA SOUTH AMERICANS

Punta del Este, Uruguay

1st, 2nd, 5th Individual Championship

 

2014 IODA NORTH AMERICANS

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

7th & 10th Open Regatta

2013 IODA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

RIVA DEL GARDA, ITALY

2013 IODA SOUTH AMERICANS

Puerto Alegre, Brasil.

1st & 2nd  Team Racing Championship.

2nd, 3rd & 5th  Individual Championship

1st, 2nd  South American Female Champion

1st Junior

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  2010 - 2011

timaru yacht club  |   new zealand

During university exchange in New Zealand I worked as Dinghy Sailing head coach of a club in the South Island, coaching mainly optimist team but weekly coaching of 420 and Laser.

‘Eastern Beach Clinic 2011’ (Auckland)

Optimist International Clinic. (NZL top 30)

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Sailing Experience
sAILING EXPERIENCE

1997               

First steps in yachting practice in Optimist Class.

Club Náutico San Isidro, Argentina.

1999–2001    

International Optimist Class, Argentina National Team

                       

IODA 2000 South American Championship, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil  (71st)

 

IODA 2000 Team Race South American Championship, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (1st)

 

‘Copa Aaron Saenz’, Acapulco 2000, Méjico, (3rd)

 

IODA 2000 North American Championship, Acapulco, Méjico (24th)

 

IODA 2000 Team Racing North American Championship, Acapulco, Mexico (1st)

 

IODA 2001 North American Championship, Kingston, Canada (16th)

2003-2004      

International 420 Class.

Team with sailor Mario Segers (Optimist TR World Champion 2001, Quindao, China).

                       

2004 National Championship (Bronze)

2020               

5.5 m Class Europeans in San Remo (4th.)

1998-1999      
International Cadet Class National Team

  

Argentina National Champion, Cadet Class

                       

World Champion Cadet; Melbourne, Australia 1999

2002                

 International Laser Class (4.7, Radial)

South American Championship, Laser 4.7, Buenos Aires, Argentina (6th)

South American Championship, Laser Radial, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

2017               

Sunfish Worlds, Cartagena.

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