DEC 2023

One year in, 6th in the worlds

Hello everyone,

This one has been a long time coming. As the new season rolls around, I want to share the stories, memories, and progression from what has been my most accomplished year to date, featuring a top 6 finish at the World Championships.

ILCA 6 Worlds, Dziwnów, Poland

My first ILCA 6 World Championship, in a rig still a size too big for me. I was hoping for light winds in qualifying; Poland delivered the opposite, three windy days. Lacking speed and making some crucial mistakes, I ended up in the bronze fleet, my worst Worlds performance to date. It was hard to swallow, but the regatta wasn't over. I reset, talked it out with my coach, and treated the final three days as pure learning. This event mattered: it showed me once again how to take a disappointing outcome and come back stronger.

ILCA 4 Worlds, Volos, Greece

Stronger is exactly how I came back. After a short break at home I was back on the world stage, in the rig I had trained in most of the year. Speed came back quickly, and at the test event I proved to be one of the fastest on the race course, all while recovering from a bronchitis infection. I went into the championship with the most confidence of my life, goals set higher than ever, and delivered the best performance of my career: 6th place out of 282 boats, the best Canadian result at this level in two decades. A truly unbelievable week, and proof of concept for the process I've built. I am so proud to have represented Canada at that level. A special thank you here to my family, especially my parents for their unconditional support, and to my coach Bernardo Loureiro and all my teammates and training partners.

CORK, Kingston, the ISAF qualifier

The job wasn't done. Back home in Montréal, one more target: the ISAF youth qualifier, held at CORK in Kingston. It didn't go to plan, still a touch off the pace in some conditions, and I finished 4th Canadian. The good news: two more years to qualify, and I'll keep working my hardest.

Back to the drawing board

September and October were spent at home, training out of Pointe-Claire Yacht Club, hitting the gym, and racing the local circuit. As winter rolled in, training camps began in Cascais and Florida, with test events spaced throughout.

An exciting year is ahead, with some challenging goals and events coming up. If you've made it this far, thank you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and follow along, it truly takes a village.

— Carlos