My name is Elspeth Simms. I am from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I come from a large sailing family and I grew up on the water at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. At age 2 I was put in a car seat in the front of a rib while my mum coached Optis and then on my 4th birthday I started sailing myself. Now I have been sailing the ILCA 6 for the past 5 years. I have competed in 6 ILCA World Championships around the world including finishing 19th at the 2024 worlds. I have been on the Nova Scotia sailing Team for the past 6 years and was named Nova Scotia Youth Sailor of the Year in 2024. I am a part of the Sail Canada Identified Athlete Program and was named to the Canadian Youth Squad due to my qualification for the 2024 Youth Sailing World Championship. A major part of my career is my goal to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. With my dedication, international training partners and support systems, I think I can make history for Canadian sailing in the Olympics.
This year I will be competing in the Under 21 World Championship in August and European Championship in October. My goal for this season is to finish in the top 12 at the Under 21 World Championship and qualify for National team carding. Qualifying for this team would be an important step in my campaign towards the Olympics.
What’s next?
This year I am training in Malta and Dublin, Ireland in order to prepare for the upcoming season. I am working with trainers, nutritionists, and sport psychologists from the Canadian Sport Center Atlantic in order to help me feel the most prepared for the season. I will be using 2 World Cup events in order to gage my strengths and weaknesses in comparison with the senior womens fleet. I am very excited to work hard this season alongside a strong team and coach.
A sailing campaign of this caliber is very expensive and impossible without support. Standard costs include things like multiple sails for $1200 each, boat charters $2000, event fees $500, travel $1500 and coaching for $4000 an event. As I’m sure you can see, these costs add up. Help towards paying for these items make my sailing possible. I have been able to use provincial and yacht club funding as well as coaching local sailors to offset past fees. The level of preparation and my ability to participate in numerous international events this season is made possible through donors. Any amount helps buy a sail, replace lines or pay for coaching.
If you are interested and able to donate, I would be grateful for any level of support. Thank you for your interest in my program and being a part of helping me reach my goal of Top 10 at Youth Worlds and beyond.
- Elspeth
