A 15-year-old sailor from Kingston, Ontario, has made Canadian sailing history. Will Keilty of the Kingston Yacht Club became the first Canadian ever to win the Optimist North American Championship, held May 21-28, 2026 at Halifax Harbour.
The championship, hosted by the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, brought together 172 young sailors from across the Americas, the Caribbean, Japan, and Hong Kong. After finishing 41st in the opening race, Keilty found his stride, winning six races in a row to climb to the top spot. He finished with 12 points, eight points ahead of American Briggs Kossmann, who took second place with 20 points.
Keilty said he focused on the next race after a tough start, crediting support from Team Canada coach Federico Donzino and longtime teammate Kai Luther. Donzino, an Argentine-born coach based at Port Credit Yacht Club, helped him adjust after the slow start. Keilty also helped Team Canada earn a bronze medal in the team racing portion of the event, finishing behind two teams from the United States.
Keilty is no stranger to success on the water. He has won three Canadian Optimist championships, in 2022, 2023, and 2025, and took third in 2024. Before the North Americans this year, he placed fourth at a regatta in Spain and seventh in another in Valencia, among more than 350 sailors in each event. Coming from three generations of Kingston sailors, Keilty started sailing at age four on Lake Ontario. He is a Grade 9 student at Kingston Secondary School and trains with the Lake Ontario Optimist Team, known as LOOT.
This summer marks his final season in the Optimist class before he ages out. Next season, he plans to move into 29er boats, with his sights set on one day racing 49ers at the Olympics. The historic win in Halifax is being celebrated as a milestone not just for Keilty but for Kingston’s tight-knit sailing community.
