Year 12 student sets sail from Lake Ontario to the North Atlantic |
10/16/2026
BZ Coleman-Goldkrand ’27 was nine when he first sailed at a summer camp run by the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club. Now, just over eight years later, he’s preparing to represent Canada at the Youth World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, in December.
“I just kind of fell in love with sailing,” BZ says. “It’s the most magical thing ever, being on the water and and moving because of the wind.”
BZ and his new skipper, Simon Thompson, who just concluded an impressive opti career, began sailing together in March. Their boat is a 29er — a high-performance, two-person youth sailing skiff that acts as the pre-Olympic class to the 49er. “It’s extremely fast and responsive, but also extremely tippy,” BZ says. “It feels like pure sailing with a true connection to the conditions.”
This summer, the team earned second place at both the North American Championships at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club on Toronto Island and the Canadian National Championships in Victoria, B.C., making them the top male Canadian boat in their class and qualifying them for a spot at the championships.
The competition in Victoria was a highlight for BZ. “We had to study things like depth charts and polar diagrams for the boats,” BZ says. “It got pretty gnarly out there. The waves swelled to about three metres pretty quickly.”
BZ adds that sailing is an extraordinarily mental sport. “A lot of my goals align with the personal things I want to work on: Am I able to move forward and also analyze myself? Am I able to control my mood? Am I able to communicate with someone and have a conversation about what we need in this moment? In some ways, the personal lessons that I’ve learned from sailing have had more impact on my life than the specific techniques that I’ve learned.”
That personal growth and competitive spirit have recently been supported by an unexpected UCC connection. This summer, BZ trained under sailing director and UCC Old Boy Chris Tully ’15. The two connected through the sailing community and quickly discovered their shared UCC bond. “It’s inspiring to see where a UCC education and Old Boy connections can bring you,” BZ says. “Wherever I go, there is this support system around me.”
With the UCC approach, says Tully, “it’s not just about economic or athletic success — you’re helping build a person, and I feel the same way when it comes to coaching.” He sees sailing as a sport that fosters life skills, teaching athletes to think critically, solve problems under intense pressure and rely on themselves in ways that extend beyond competition. In sailing regattas, he says, you need to be able to react to an ever-changing environment and to make choices without the guidance of a coach beside you. “BZ does a fantastic job of that.”
As they prepare for the Youth World Championships, BZ and Simon recently completed a training stint in Halifax. After Portugal, BZ’s next big goal is to compete in the 2027 World Championships in Marseille, where he hopes to finish in the top 25. More youth championships and regattas will follow. “Next year I hope to start transitioning into the 49er and see what that world is like,” BZ says. “I hope to keep pushing as far and as hard as I can.”
Follow BZ and Simon’s journey through their Instagram account @bs.sailing or on BZ’s Wind Athletes page.
— Kelly Jones
