Kingston, September 17, 2025 – Sail Canada announced today that Kyle Martin of Vancouver, B.C., has been selected Sail Canada Coach of the Year for 2024 as the country celebrates National Coaches Week, an annual event which ends this Sunday.
The Sail Canada Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to a coach who demonstrates high coaching skills and contributes to sporting excellence by offering a healthy attitude towards winning and enjoying the sport, in addition to having shown effectiveness in training. The winners are Sail Canada certified and registered coaches who demonstrate and have made a significant impact on athletes’ performances at competitions, and who reinforce the spirit of sport values to her/his athletes, measured by a respect for the game, a love for sport, a respect for others and a commitment to fair and ethical sport.
Nominations were evaluated based on a time period ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
Kyle Martin owns an Advanced Coaching Diploma while also having his CANSail Competition-Development certification.
In 2024, he was Sail Canada’s Talent ID Program lead and a coach for the National Training Centre – West when he started his Masters in High Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership at UBC.
He coached Canadian sailors at the ILCA U21 World Championships for the third year in a row, including Canadian Sailing Team member Annie Balasubramanian, who took the 15th spot overall in ILCA 6, the best-ever Canadian performance in the history of that competition in that class. Kyle Martin was also the team leader for the Canadian team at the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championships, which was comprised of 13 sailors.
In 2024, he was the Head Coach of the Canadian Concord Pacific Racing Youth Team at the America’s Cup, helping his squad take the fourth position in Group B in the Qualification Series.
A former member of the Canadian Sailing Team in ILCA and Finn, Kyle Martin was also the Main Trimmer at the SSL Gold Cup and a crew member for Canada Sail GP GC32 in 2024.
From the nomination form: “Kyle Martin exemplifies what it means to be a world-class coach, leader, and ambassador for Canadian sailing. Over the past five years, Kyle has played a critical role in athlete development across a wide range of classes, from single-handed Olympic dinghies to cutting-edge foiling platforms. As Head Coach for Concord Pacific Racing, Canada’s entry in the Youth America’s Cup, Kyle has been at the forefront of preparing young Canadian sailors for one of the sport’s most prestigious and technically demanding events. His leadership in this program has not only developed athletes’ high-performance racing skills but also strengthened Canada’s presence on the global stage in professional foiling circuits.”
“It is an honour to be named Sail Canada Coach of the Year,” said Kyle Martin. “Past winners of this award are coaches I’ve admired and have looked up to as role models, and I’m humbled to be recognized among them. I would like to thank Sail Canada for their ongoing commitment to my development as a coach.”
More information about the Sail Canada Coach of the Year Award is available at https://www.sailing.ca/coach-instructor-of-the-year-award-past-winners/.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
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Patrick Godbout
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Sail Canada
Email: patrick@sailing.ca
Phone: 514-213-9897