Dr. Bern Noack

Biography

Bern Noack has been coaching collegiate sailing for more than 20 years, having joined Harvard Sailing in 1997. He served as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in fall 2022. Throughout his career, Noack has coached over 60 All-Americans and five recipients of the College Sailor-of-the-Year award. During his tenure, Harvard won national team race championships in 2002 and 2003, along with the 2003 national coed championship and the women's national title in 2005. His teams have achieved an impressive record, winning five consecutive Leonard M. Fowle Trophies for top team performance at six ICSA North American Championships from 2001 to 2005, marking the second-longest Fowle Trophy streak in history. Individually, he has played a crucial role in helping Harvard sailors earn four national sailor-of-the-year awards, five ICSA singlehanded championships, and 68 All-America honors. He was instrumental in the inception of the ICSA All-Academic Team in 2006, recognizing student-athletes for their academic excellence, with 57 awards given to Harvard students. Regionally, his teams secured eight New England titles. Before joining Harvard, Noack was a sailing coach at Boston University and served at the United States Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. His racing career spans decades with numerous accolades in various regattas.

Research Interests