Salve Regina University

A Newport, R.I. native with a lifetime in competitive sailing, Nick Johnstone joins the Seahawks as Assistant Sailing Coach for the Spring 2026 season. He grew up racing Optimists, 420s, 29ers, and Vanguard 15s both on Narragansett Bay and at the national level as a junior sailor and went on to sail for Tabor Academy where he captained his team to winning a National Championship in team racing and multiple New England Championships across different disciplines. After Tabor, Nick sailed for the College of Charleston and was a part of several teams that won numerous national and conference championships during his tenure there. After college, Nick competed in various one-design and PHRF classes ranging from Sunfish to the 69F Foiling Monohulls. He has coached at Greenwich Bay Sailing Association and The Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, SC, and most recently served as Head Coach at The Citadel from 2020–2025, where he earned SAISA Coach of the Year honors in 2022 and revitalized a dormant program into a consistently competitive team, finishing as high as 6^th in the SAISA conference in 2024.
 
Notable Results:

• Optimist Midwinter Champion (2005)
• C420 Marblehead Race Week Champion (2009)
• C420 National Championship (2009)
• New England High School Singlehanded Champion (2009)
• New England High School Team Race Champion (2010)
• High School National Team Race Champion (2011)
• Marblehead Team Race Champion (2012)
• SAISA Team Race Champion (2014)
• 3x Charleston Race Week Champion (2015, 2019, 2024)
• Sea Island One Design World Champion (2021)
• Top 5 Finishes: Optimist Nationals (2006), C420 North American Championship (2008), C420 US Youth Championship (2009), C420 US Junior Championship (2009), Melges 32 National Championship (2011), Vanguard 15 National Championship (2012), New York Yacht Club Morgan Cup (2013), New York Yacht Club Team Race (2012 & 2013), Charleston Race Week (2014), Southern Soiland Cup (2024)

 
Accolades:

• Optimist World Team Member (2006)
• Jobson Junior All-Star Honorable Mention (2006)
• Norman E. Cressy Trophy Recipient (2009)
• Tabor Academy’s Braitmeyer Award Winner (2011)
• SAISA Coach of the Year (2022)
• 2x US Sunfish World Team Member (2022 & 2023)