Those watching the Olympics this week might be surprised to find a bit of Burlington sailing hard across the shimmering blue waters of the Enoshima Yacht Harbour, the site of Tokyo 2020’s boat racing events.
The team of Evan DePaul and skipper William Jones are contenders in the men’s 49er skiff competition, and are representing not only Team Canada, but Halton Region as well, as they battle their way across the surf on the world stage.
While they had a rough start on their first day, earning 19th place overall, their progress up the scoreboard has been slow but steady and is impressive for a pair of first-time Olympians finding themselves up against seasoned competition.
DePaul and Jones, natives of Burlington and Hamilton respectively, have been a unit since first teaming up in 2015 to compete in 49er FX events, which uses a lighter boat, before moving up to competing in the standard 49er class in 2016.
After more than half a decade sailing together for the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and with a Junior World Championship gold under their belts, Tokyo is the first Olympic competition of their careers and is proving to be a test of their mettle.
Speaking with DePaul’s father, Mark DePaul, sheds some light on the unseen intricacies of the 49er race. “It’s a 3D chess game,” he says. “You have your boat to manage, you have your environment to manage, and you have your competition to manage.”
Growing up with a healthy appreciation for boating thanks to so many summers spent on his parents’ keelboat, Evan DePaul enrolled in a summer sailing camp at the age of 14 with his father’s encouragement.
“He wanted to quit after about the first week, but I convinced him to finish out the camp since he’d committed to the two weeks,” the senior DePaul recounts. A classic dad move, and one that paid off in spades. “When he came back after the second week, he was already talking about going back the next year!”
The younger DePaul’s passion for his sport is evident from his level of commitment. Training year-round by travelling to ports around the globe, he has also put his diploma at St. Lawrence College on hold so as not to interfere with his shot at the podium.
“Much of their training is done out of country, you know they have a 49er in Europe, one in Asia, another in Australia,” his father says. “All told, they have about seven in different countries around the world.” With the sheer time commitment involved, it’s understandable that school has taken a backseat in the meantime.
Team Canada is represented by a total of nine sailors in the Tokyo games. Counting DePaul and Jones, three of them have roots right here in Halton Region, the third being Burlington native Sarah Douglas.
With an unmatched competitive pedigree, having taken home gold in 2019’s Pan-Am Games, Douglas is also going into Tokyo as the third-best ranked women’s Laser Radial competitor worldwide.
For those unfamiliar, the senior DePaul puts the specifics of the event into perspective. “Laser Radials are widely considered the fastest, most powerful, and most physically demanding type of racing.”
On the water, the one-person craft requires a high degree of coordination and stamina from competitors as they rip across the waves, steering and counterbalancing their craft in displays of grace, dexterity, and strength that can appear borderline superhuman to the uninitiated.
Douglas started her sailing career when she was only 7 years old, following and surpassing the example set by her elder brother Greg, himself a two-time Olympian at the Beijing and London games.
Training off the coast of Barbados allowed her to embrace the sport as almost a lifestyle, practicing year-round for future competitions.
While Douglas had a rough Olympic start, taking 18th place in the first of her races, she bounced back in the second race, rocketing up the board to take 4th place, just shy of a spot on the podium. Finishing 6th overall after her final events, Douglas has made history with the best finish on record for a Canadian woman in the Laser Radial, and is ready to outdo herself at the next summer games in 2024.
Mark DePaul’s parting words of wisdom? “It’s a journey, you know. Success, getting on the podium, takes time and dedication.” In that case, with uncommon strength of character and youthful spirit on their side, victory lies in the future for these locally-grown Olympians, be it near or far.
