About Eric Scherer

Eric began sailing at a young age and progressed through national and international
competition in dinghies and keelboats before transitioning into coaching and program
leadership. His competitive experience spans Optimist and youth performance classes,
high-performance skiff sailing, offshore campaigns, and roles as tactician and crew manager in
grand-prix environments. This diverse exposure shaped a philosophy built on clarity, structure, and accountability under pressure.

After building and developing a successful 29er program in Switzerland, Eric became increasingly focused on the structural side of athlete progression — how fleets grow, how talent is retained, and how youth programs transition sailors toward higher-performance pathways. His work has included leading coaching programs, designing training blocks, and supporting clubs in implementing sustainable systems that balance participation and performance.

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Now based on the U.S. East Coast, Eric serves as 29er Head Coach at Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis while continuing to expand New Wave Sailing. His approach integrates on-water coaching, structured debrief frameworks, and performance analytics to create measurable progression across training blocks and regattas. Beyond direct athlete development, he works with clubs and class associations to design scalable development models aligned with modern competitive demands.

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Eric holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Switzerland and combines pedagogical structure with high-performance insight. Certified as a Swiss J+S Sailing Instructor and U.S. Center for SafeSport trained, he brings both professional discipline and athlete-centered awareness to his programs.

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Whether working with individual sailors, competitive teams, or entire clubs, Eric’s focus remains consistent: build clarity, build structure, and build environments where athletes and programs can progress sustainably.