Austria is a landlocked country, but that didn’t stop David Bargehr from making sailing his career. He started sailing when he was 8 years old in Bregenz, which sits at one end of Lake Constance, a 40-mile-long lake that borders Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Learning to sail with the Bregenz Yacht Club gave young David new ways to challenge himself, and he fell in love with the sport.
When you catch a big wave, “it feels like you're on a roller coaster,” he said. “It’s fantastic. I’ve never found anything in life that comes even close to that.”
As an adult, Bargehr continued to pursue his passion for sailing in the Austrian military, which he was a part of for over 10 years.
Now, he lives in Miami with his wife, fellow sailor, Olympian, and former US Coast Guard Lieutenant Nikki Barnes, and their young son. “Without sailing, I would have never met her,” he said. “She gets what it’s like to be in the military and work as a professional athlete.”
Before he moved there permanently in 2022, Bargehr regularly visited Miami with the Austrian National Sailing Team to compete in regattas. “Miami is really nice; it's warm and has really good sailing—huge waves. I loved it. I can go sailing all year long here,” he said.
Life as a sailor is not a regular 9-5. When he’s not coaching junior and youth sailing in Miami, Bargehr represents Austria in global competitions, professional conferences, and regattas. These come with their own accolades: He has been a multiple national champion, achieved top finishes at World and European Championships as well as World Cup regattas, and won bronze together with his partner at the 2017 World Championships, which was the first medal in the history of the Austrian Sailing Federation in the Olympic 470 class.
Bargehr has established himself as an elite international athlete and was even awarded the Decoration of Merit in Gold of the Republic of Austria for his achievements. In addition to coaching in Miami, he shares his expertise with young athletes as a coach in Austria’s elite sports and national team circles.
Bargehr can see himself living in Austria in the future while continuing to coach. He wants to show his son how he grew up while giving back to the sailing community there. “Sailing and sports gave me so much, and if I can get a couple of people excited about sailing and give them a future, show them a pathway, that's pretty cool,” he said.
In some ways, sailing has prepared Bargehr for an international life and career.
“Being at sea everywhere in the world, you learn a lot about safety and trust, and also how you can thrive in very different environments.”
