Bobby Brooks took over the helm of the St. Thomas Sailing Center in the fall of 2022. Watching the Sailing Center grow over the previous six years as a coach during the annual North U Performance Race Weeks at STYC, he liked what he saw. In the summer of 2022, he further tested our wind and waters as instructor for the VIPCA Marine Apprenticeship program and leading a corporate regatta for the Ashford Group at the Ritz-Carlton. Reinforcing his view that our sailing conditions and venue are superb, he accepted the directorship!

Bobby brings 40 plus years of professional sailing experience including instruction at all levels, race coaching, team building, sailing event planning, and sailing school management–we’re as thrilled to have him here as he is to be here! Bobby began sailing at Santa Barbara Yacht Club’s Youth Program at age seven and later went on to direct that program. In addition to racing on a professional level, he has worked for J World as a US Sailing Certified Performance Sailing Instructor, the North Sails San Diego One-Design loft, as a coach for North U, a sailing director for the Austin Yacht Club, and as a private coach for multiple racing teams.

In the 2010’s, Bobby was Director of Operations for the renowned Offshore Sailing School. At Offshore, he honed his team building skills conducting events and seminars for corporations including Jet Blue, Ford, JP Morgan Chase, BTG, Emory School of Business, Hiscox and others. Over the years, he has led multiple international seminars in Canada and Mexico and on boats ranging from  J24’s and Flying Tigers to 12 meters.

As a professional racer, Bobby has been successful both offshore and inshore, with top offshore finishes in Newport to Ensenada, Transpac, Pac Cup, Coastal Cup, and San Diego to Puerto Vallarta races.  His one-design racing accomplishments include a World Championship in the Mumm30 class; North American Championships in the Mumm30, Melges24, J24, J80, and J35 classes, and several national championships. He also enjoys cruising, and has explored waters throughout Mexico and from California to New Zealand.

 Hailey is the Sailing Center Assistant Director and Lead Sailing Instructor. She is originally from New Jersey, where she learned to sail and race opti’s and 420’s on the East Coast competing in several Junior Olympics. While in New Jersey, she worked as the sailing director of Rumson Country Club. Hailey attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington to study psychology and sailed at the collegiate level. While in school, she coached various race levels of dinghy sailing. She later found herself cruising the East Coast on her Freedom 30! She has a passion for teaching sailing and decided on making it her full time career and moved to the island! Hailey’s passion for her work comes from wanting to keep sailing alive and inspire all to gain the confidence and skills to become great sailors! 

Hailey helps with the daily operations and marketing on the business side while also sharing her knowledge and passion on the water from beginner all the way to performance training!

Chris Rosenberg is known for coming up with good ideas and more impressively, bringing them to life. While he conceived the idea of the St. Thomas Sailing Center in 2016, you might say that it all started back in 2000 when Chris collaborated with fellow STYC member Morgan Avery to create the IC-24 by modifying a J 24. The IC-24, with it’s open and comfortable cockpit and performance rig and hull is a big improvement on the J 24 and is now one of the most successful one-design classes in the Caribbean. 

With the IC-24 fleet established, Chris began thinking about STYC’s next big thing. Wanting to see club racing continue to grow, to provide more non-racing sailing opportunities for club members, and to share the excellence of the club as an international sailing venue, Chris ran with the idea for the St. Thomas Sailing Center and recruited sailing center expert Dave Franzel to build it.

As Commodore, Chris continues to guide the Sailing Center. You’ll find Chris racing regularly in the club IC-24 series and coaching club sailing events. At the St. Thomas International Regatta, you’ll likely see him on the podium.

Spencer started sailing and racing Optis in Miami, Florida at eight years old and then later moved to Austin, Texas where he continued. He moved to the Laser class and raced the local Texas circuit and the national circuit. Spencer started coaching sailing five years ago at the Austin Yacht Club and then became their Youth Sailing Director. In 2022, he started working at Outbound Sailing School as an American Sailing instructor. Spencer was even selected as one of American Sailing’s Outstanding Instructors of the Year for 2022. Spencer loves to teach and share the sport of sailing with anyone who wants to get out on the water. When he isn’t teaching, he is trying to get out on the race course on any boat he can get his hands on!

Bruno started sailing as a teen and fell in love with it immediately, knowing it would be part of his future in many ways. He began sailing on Chesapeake Bay and later in New Hampshire and Maine. His sailing escapades vary widely: from Halifax to Bermuda to the Caribbean, from Lasers to Elliot 6Ms, from 6.5 to 70 foot vessels. In winters he actually enjoys sailing his 6.5′ Cape Cod Frosty in New Hampshire! Bruno is US Sailing certified as a Small Boat Level 1, 2 and 3 Instructor and Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Cruising, and Coastal Navigation Instructor.  Bruno also holds a USCG captain’s license and has a degree in Yacht Design. However, Bruno may be most famous on-island for orchestrating fun and adventurous sailing excursions with a group of STSC sailors known as the Thunderbolts.

Bruno enjoys teaching sailing and feels he is able to show and share the infinite possibilities that sailing has to offer. He has been a key member of the St. Thomas Sailing Center team since 2018. You can find Bruno teaching courses from Intro to Hobie to the Cruising Course and Bareboat Certification Program.

Michael Connor is a lifelong sailor who moved to St. Thomas from Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands after living in South Africa and Chile, among other exotic locations. He has delivered boats on the West Coast, to and from New England, as well as down island. He has also raced in numerous Virgin Islands regattas as well as San Francisco Bay and offshore waters for more than 30 years.

Michael became a US Sailing Certified Instructor in Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Coastal Navigation and Bareboat Cruising in 1998 and taught at Olympic Circle Sailing Club in San Francisco Bay for many years. Michael has been a part-time sailing instructor at St. Thomas Sailing Center since 2017.