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AUG 2026

First year at university, first steps in the Olympic fleet

Hello everyone,

As my sailing career has progressed, I want to share the project I'm building through my dream, passion and hard work. If this is your first time here, welcome onboard :) My name is Carlos, I'm 19, I represent Canada in sailing, and I'm passionate about high performance.

I compete in the ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, the men's individual Olympic dinghy class. The goal is two parts: reaching the Olympic podium, and creating a positive impact on our world along the way. Follow along as I share the adventures, the lessons, and the setbacks.

Last year: building the foundation

Last fall I moved to Paris to begin my dual engineering degree at CentraleSupélec and McGill. It felt like being dropped in the middle of a random ocean, new culture, new chapter, and French paperwork.

My main objective was setting the foundation for the years ahead: the university/training balance. What I thought would take one month took an entire semester. Earning the trust of the academic team came gradually, through hard work, consistency and results. Lesson learned: know the culture of the people you're negotiating with, and remember that trust is time plus consistency.

The other challenge was expectations: stepping into the senior fleet while training less. The equation is simple, the environment gets harder and you arrive less ready. It was frustrating: shaking the rust off, mistakes I knew I could avoid, a slow learning curve. Through the right mentorship I learned to reframe and shift my method, thank you Luke :) and to remember this was always meant to be a foundation year.

Somewhere in all of it came maybe my biggest lesson so far: spending this much time away from the ocean showed me how important it is to pursue your heart. And the wind reminded me that with perseverance and staying true to your values, anything is possible.

First senior Grand Slam, Princess Sofia, Palma de Mallorca

In March, exams finally allowed it: my first senior Grand Slam, the 55th Princess Sofia Trophy, racing against the very best. With minimal preparation, all I hoped for was a few good moments.

Day one brought light, shifty winds, anyone's game. Aggressive starts, simple strategy, following my gut. Nine hours on the water, and at one point I rounded the top mark in 2nd place, right behind Micky Beckett. I came ashore that day with one clear message: the level of the best in the world is within my reach, and there is a lot of work between here and there.

The windy days that followed exposed that I was underweight and unfit, and a stomach bug cost me the last day. Humbling, hard, fun, and honestly, I was just so happy to be back at my passion.

Looking forward

With the university balance established, I can now build a proper season. This is my final year at CentraleSupélec before completing the degree at McGill.

I believe in performance by method, a repeatable process. The foundation is set; now it's time to chase the dream. This year's objectives:

How you can be part of it

This journey isn't possible alone. My biggest expense this season is getting to the Worlds in Australia, and every contribution, big or small, makes it possible. Donations come with a tax receipt.

The how to help page explains every option, and you can subscribe to follow the season as it unfolds, stories, lessons, and results, as they happen.

They say "it takes a village," and nothing here is possible alone. Thank you to my family, coaches and training partners, on and off the water; to the university, my teachers and classmates for making the balance work; and to the mentors, Sail Canada and Voile Québec, guiding me through it all.

Thank you for following my journey :)

— Carlos