Sailing Staff
Cameron Smith
Waterfront Director
Cameron Smith is relocating from Tampa, Florida, where he most recently served as Waterfront Director at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club. During his time there, he advanced from Head Coach to Sailing Director and ultimately to Waterfront Director, overseeing youth and adult sailing programs, waterfront operations, staff management, and waterfront capital improvement projects.
With 12 years of coaching experience, Cameron has worked with sailors of all ages and skill levels. As a sailor, he competed in both collegiate dinghy sailing and offshore sailing with the University of South Florida Sailing Team. He also served as Sailing Program Director for the Christmas Cove Improvement Association in Maine.
Cameron is passionate about creating safe, well-run, and engaging waterfront programs and is excited to join the Carolina Yacht Club community. He looks forward to getting to know the members and working with everyone to continue building a strong and welcoming sailing program.
Clari Piran
Opti Green Coach
Clari Piran is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been a professional sailing coach for more than 15 years, specializing in the Optimist Class at both national and international levels. She has also conducted 420 and 29er clinics, working with sailors across different stages of development.
For the past 10 years, she has traveled to the United States as Head Coach of various Optimist Race Teams, achieving strong competitive results along the way. During this time, she has also coached numerous clinics and events with CERT and LISOT teams, and has had the opportunity to serve as a USA National Team coach. She is looking forward to an awesome summer at CYC!
Mariano Pellegrino
Opti RWB Coach
Mariano Pellegrino grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been coaching sailing since 2005. Over the years, he has worked with sailors in the Optimist, Cadet, Laser (ILCA), 420, and 29er classes across yacht clubs, clinics, and international championships.
His coaching approach focuses not only on the technical aspects of each boat, but also on helping sailors set personal goals and develop the confidence to achieve them. He aims to encourage athletes to grow both as sailors and as individuals.
For the past 10 years, he has been coaching in the United States, working with both competitive race teams and developing sailors in the Optimist, C420, and Laser classes. He is very excited and looking forward to a great summer at CYC!
Parker Thran
Laser Coach
Parker Thran is currently a student at Jacksonville University and a member of the Jacksonville Sailing Team, which was ranked 20th in the nation last year. He has trained for four summers in the ILCA at Carolina Yacht Club and attended multiple Olympic-level training clinics. With over seven years of ILCA racing experience, he has competed at Midwinters East Championships, Gulf Coast Championships, and various regional regattas.
In 2023, Parker was the ILCA 6 SAYRA Junior Grand Prix Champion and finished as the District 12 ILCA 6 Runner-Up. He has also competed in multiple high-level events, including skippering at the 2023 and 2024 Chubb Youth US Sailing Triplehanded Championship, finishing 11th and 13th. In addition, he raced Melges 24 events including the 2025 National Championship, finishing 11th in the Corinthian Division and 28th in the Open Division, as well as Charleston Race Week where he helped win the Corinthian Division. He is excited to share his experience and knowledge of high-level racing with sailors in the ILCA class.
Dante Garcia
C420 Coach
Dante Garcia is a Division I sailor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a competitive background in dinghy and skiff racing. Originally from Miami, he developed his sailing career competing in ILCA, 420, and 29er classes. He has spent two years coaching at Coconut Grove Sailing Club and three years at Key Biscayne Yacht Club, where he helped develop junior sailors in racing programs. His results include winning the 2023 SAISA Doublehanded District Championship (Mallory Qualifier) along with multiple top-five finishes in SAISA South Points regattas. Dante has also competed internationally at the 2022 ILCA 4.7 World Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal. Outside of sailing, he enjoys fishing and spearfishing on weekends.