Hans Fogh passed away peacefully from Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease on March 14, 2014 in Toronto.
Born in Denmark to a family of gardeners, the young Hans Fogh was expected to continue with the family business. Fogh apprenticed in his father's greenhouse for five years, but he spent summers at his aunt and uncle's cottage which is where he fell in love with the sea and discovered the joys of sailing.
Fogh bought his first boat when he was 17 and, two years later, claimed his first championship at Copenhagen. He soon after took a job with Olympic and World Champion sailor Paul Elbstrom, from whom he learned the intricacies of sailing and the art of sail making.
Fogh quickly excelled in his sport. In 1960, he won the European Flying Dutchman title as well as a silver medal at the Olympics. He claimed additional Flying Dutchman titles at the 1962 World Championships and the 1964 Kiel Week Regatta. Fogh continued to claim sailing titles at regattas across Europe until his immigration to Canada in 1969.
The Canadian sailing world rejoiced when Fogh gained Canadian citizenship in 1975 and qualified for the national sailing team in 1976. He led the Canadian team to glory at numerous international sailing championship events over the next two decades, mainly in the Soling and Flying Dutchman classes. His greatest victory came at the 1984 Olympics when he skippered the Canadian boat to a bronze medal in the Soling class. The 24-year span between his first and second Olympic medals stands as an Olympic record.
Known as one of the finest yachtsman of his era, Fogh was ranked among the world's top ten competitive sailors. In all, he claimed three World Cups in the Soling class, eight North American, six European, and four Canadian titles in various classes of boats. He won more titles than any other Canadian sailor, was a member of seven Olympic teams, and was one of the only sailors in the world to excel in three of the seven classes of Olympic yachting. In addition to these competitive feats, Fogh is skilled in the craft of sail making. His sail making company, North Sails Fogh Limited, created the original laser sail, which put Canada on the map as a supplier of yachting equipment.
About the Hans Fogh Fund
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In December 2009, the Ontario Sailing Board of Directors added Olympian Hans Fogh's Endowment Fund. The Fund will be held in trust by a designated Trust or Financial Institution. Investment returns in the Hans Fogh Fund are to be used to support development of high performance athletes, coaches and officials in Ontario, as recommended by the board of directors and approved by the Fogh family.
The Hans Fogh Fund is important to Ontario Sailing because as the Fund grows, it will provide a stable source of funding for many programs, thus reducing our reliance on government funding or other uncertain sources of financial support. All donations contributed into the Hans Fogh Fund will be maintained within the Fund and only the interest earned from the Fund will be used to support our programs.
How the Annual Income Is Used
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The Board of Directors of Ontario Sailing may make application to the Fund on an annual basis to support: the youth of Ontario to achieve personal success through sport, the development of athletes, coaches and officials in Ontario, the development of leadership in sport in Ontario, and the development of a strong and focused sport delivery system in Ontario.
For more information, please contact Glenn Lethbridge, Executive Director, Ontario Sailing at 1-888-672-7245 ext. 224 or execdir@ontariosailing.ca
