READY TO LAUNCH FOR L.A.

LET'S LAUNCH!

Without further ado, I'm excited to share that I'm officially announcing my campaign to represent Canada in the ILCA7 at the 2028 Olympics in LA!

Join Me For the Launch Party

There is a lot to look forward to on the road to LA 2028.  I am planning a launch party for my 2028 campaign to kick things off. I want to chat with you in person and get an opportunity to share my passion for this goal with you!

If you are in the Toronto area and are interested in attending, please check the months below that work best for you. (select your choice below)

COUNT ME IN FOR THAT PARTY

LA LAUNCH PARTY - POLL

LONG BEACH CA - LA 2028 OLYMPIC SAILING VENUE

LOOKING AHEAD AT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS

The Qualification Process Explained

As some of you may know, Olympic qualification in Canada is a multi-step process. First, the country qualifies for a spot, and then the country decides which athlete fills the spot. In sailing, only one athlete per country is allowed to go per class.

Having fallen short as a team to qualify the country in the ILCA7 class in the past 2 Olympic cycles - this is the utmost priority. The first opportunity to do so will be the combined World Championship in the summer of 2026, where we need one of our Canadian ILCA7 sailors to place much better than we have in the past. This event will be in Valencia, Spain, a venue I trained in last fall; however, the summer is much different, with a powerful sea breeze and choppy waves favouring physical prowess. I am already planning to improve my fitness level to prepare for this event.

If we miss our chance at that event, the following qualification opportunities (not officially announced yet) will likely include the 2027 Pan Am Games, a European venue, "Last Chance Regatta" in 2028 and potentially the 2027 or 2028 ILCA World Championships.

It's a marathon process, but I am excited about digging into it and look forward to working with my fellow teammates and training partners to ensure that Canada is represented. Please follow along with me and the team. 

Your Continued Support Is Appreciated

As this next quad kicks off, I hope to continue to count on you as a valuable support team member. The road to Olympic success is a costly one. Over the next four years, I will easily spend 800 days on the water, close to 4,000 fitness hours and countless additional unlogged hours dedicated to mastering my sport. It's hard work, but I'm still as passionate as ever about sailing and pursuing excellence. I remain committed to giving everything I have. The hard part is giving what I don't have. As an amateur athlete in a comparatively underfunded sport in Canada, I rely on minimal government funding, loyal sponsorship partners, and the generous support of individuals like you who believe in my potential. Your support is not just financial; it's also a decisive vote of confidence in my potential and a lifeline that helps me cover the costs of my pursuit of being among the best in the world.

If you can spare a small donation at this time, it would mean the world to me, and you have my thanks.

For those who prefer to avoid processing fees or need a tax receipt for your donation, click the button below for more options.

2024 TROFEO PRINCESA SOFIA REGATTA - OLYMPIC TRIALS COMPLETED

This year, the 53rd edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta took place from April 1st to 6th. I traveled to Spain on March 24th to get situated for my 3rd time attending this event. In the lead-up to the event, we saw various conditions, including several days in a row with big wind from the south straight into the bay. This brought massive waves, making the beach launch dangerous and forcing us to launch from the harbour. A number of ILCAs and one coach boat flipped on the way out, but once out there, the huge waves made for some epic training as they were skewed 60 degrees to the left of the wind, allowing for surfing upwind on port.

These high winds stuck around for the first day of the event, with winds of 20-29 knots. After a good start in the first race towards the pin, I found myself on the correct side of the racecourse in around 15th place. Unfortunately, feeling the fatigue of the strenuous upwind, I annoyingly missed my hiking strap tacking at the windward mark. This cost me significantly, and I finished that race 51st out of 66. I again had a good start in the second race and sailed a clean race, finishing in 18th. The second day brought lighter winds, around 8 knots. I had some excellent downwinds but didn’t get off the line as well as the previous day, finishing with races of 29 and 22. With only two days of qualifying, this left me in the silver fleet, 14 points short of my goal of making gold and mathematically eliminated from the Olympic trials for Paris 2024. 

I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who has been a part of my journey these last four years: my sponsors and donors, Port Credit Yacht Club, Sail Canada, the Governments of Canada and Ontario, and my parents. Your unwavering support and belief in me have not only allowed me to represent Canada on the world stage but have also been the driving force behind my every success. I also want to extend a special thank you to my coaches, Larry, Ken, Wil, and Andrew, for their invaluable guidance and mentorship in this sport. 

While this quad has not ended as I had initially envisioned, I am proud of the significant progress I have made in sailing year after year. This journey has only strengthened my resolve to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 games. I am fully committed to this goal and believe that with continued effort and support, I can achieve further mastery in this sport. 

I will take some time this summer and fall to work on my university degree and give back to the sailing community. I will be coaching this summer where I can share my experiences and insights with aspiring sailors. My next event will be the ILCA North Americans, June 6-9.

2024 ILCA 7 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2024 started with a busy month for me. I competed in 2 events, culminating with the 2024 ILCA 7 World Championships, my first peak event of the year. This event was the second last opportunity to qualify Canada for a Men's Dinghy spot for the 2024 Olympics.

Before the Worlds, I competed in the Australian National Championships a few days after arriving in Adelaide. I finished this event in 65th out of 102 entries. Arriving early was critical to get a better feel for the wind patterns in the venue and get situated with the jet lag. After two weeks of training, the 2024 ILCA World Championships came post-Australian Nationals.

With the Olympics now only months away - the best of the fleet are all in attendance.

The first three days of the event and qualifying series saw us complete two races a day in mostly moderate to strong sea breezes ranging from 10-18 knots, depending on how clear the day was and the gradient. We had a return to shore on day two as we waited for the sea breeze to build. The following two days of the regatta in the final series brought more significant winds, with day 5 being 25-32 knots. Unfortunately, with the sea breezes late arrival and the scheduled medal race in the afternoon, the race committee could not get us underway for an 11th race in a narrow window on the 6th day before the top 10 competed in the medal race. 

Starting line action

At this event, I had by far my best qualifying series, sitting in 65th after the first three days, finishing 7th and 15th in races, and having my best finish by percentage of the fleet. I was proud of my performance in individual races, competing with the best in the world, and I am moving in the right direction. 

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The team fell just short of our collective goal of qualifying Canada for the Olympics. With more places being given out at upcoming continental events, Canada will be one of the favourites to win one of the three remaining spots at the SOF Hyeres - Last Chance Regatta. For our internal selection, I currently sit 45 spots behind the top Canadian; my work is cut out for our second and final trials event, Trofeo Princesa Sofia, the Spanish World Cup event held annually in Palma. I want to thank everyone who has supported me on this journey thus far, including my family, coaches, and supporters. 

Next up, I have a long training camp in Tenerife to attack my weaknesses in heavy wind and prepare me as best as possible for Palma. 

2021 ILCA CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CORK

It was great to be sailing on home waters, and in classic Kingston conditions.

The Canadian Laser Class Championships took place this year over the July 31 - Aug. 2 long weekend. The first day of the regatta was a big one that brought a solid 15-knot gradient breeze built on by the classic Kingston thermal to a low 20-knot range from the southwest. This made for some fantastic racing and a hard day fitness-wise.

The following two days brought shifty and puffy conditions from the northeast on Sunday and north on Monday. These challenging conditions gave both myself and the race committee a difficult time, especially on Sunday. Unfortunately, I had a poor day on Sunday, which led to a second-place finish overall, 0.5 points off of first. Congratulations to Ryan Anderson on a consistent and well-sailed regatta. It was great to be on the water with 122 other sailors in Canada again and have my parents back on the water to see me race. Thanks for the photos Mum! 

Left to right: Andy Roy (ILCA World Council North America Chair), Forrest Wachholz (3rd), Ryan Anderson (1st), Liam Bruce (2nd)

RESULTS
PHOTOS