Will Jones is sailing to the Olympics again
A member of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and a Burlington resident, Jones will compete in Paris in the 49er class. It’s his second Olympic berth but his first true Games experience.
UPDATE: Will Jones and sailing partner Justin Barnes came 17th in the 49er class at the Paris Olympics.
“It was a really good experience,” Will Jones, in a press release issued by Sailing Canada. “Overall, we were kind of looking to just stay in the fight every race, and I think we did that. We are happy with how we performed.”
Burlington sailor Will Jones will have a true Olympic experience this time around in Paris, where athletes will compete July 26-Aug. 11.
It is the second time the 29-year-old has qualified to represent Canada at the Olympics but his first time was for the 2020 Toyko Games, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
No family, friends or supporters could attend and there were no crowds or ceremonies. Jones and teammate Evan DePaul – who are both members of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club – finished 19th.
“When we got there, we moved from the airport to the hotel. And then you weren't allowed to exit the bubble. You took a bus to the boat park, sailed, got back on the bus and went back to the hotel. Nobody was allowed to come in and you weren't allowed to go out.”
This time around, Jones’s new wife and his parents and brother will be there to cheer him on.
Jones is skipper on a 49er, a high-performance vessel that requires skilled control of the massive power contained in its huge sails. The two sailors are hooked into harnesses and cantilevered out over the water, trying to get as much leverage to counteract the big sails.
Jones and his teammate Justin Barnes of Pickering, Ont. will be training at the sailing site in Marseille for many weeks ahead of the Olympics. Training days mean about three hours on the water, gym sessions, a couple of hours of boat maintenance and set up and debriefing.
The two won’t be able to take part in the opening ceremony since it happens too close to their competition. Marseille is about an hour and a half away from Paris by plane.
When asked about his goals for these Olympics, Jones said: “I think we can go in without any expectations. I think the fleet is quite strong and, and we have nothing to lose, basically. So I think our goal is just to be as aggressive as possible.”
In terms of results, a “dream goal” would be to break the top 10, he says.
Jones, who was born and raised in Jerseyville, took part in his first regatta at 13 and then joined a racing team at the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club.
“It was all totally new to me. They introduced me to the sport and the fun of it. There's a really nice sense of independence out on the water and a great community and team that I was part of.”
Jones graduated from mechanical engineering at Queen’s University in 2017. That year, he finished first in the junior world championships in Kingston and then second at the North American Championships. He’s been racing full-time since then.
Jones says much like his chosen field of study, sailing requires problem solving.
“You go out and there's a set of conditions. And there's a certain way that you can figure out how to best sail through those conditions.”
Barnes is charged with trimming the main set, the big sail, and Jones, the helmsman, is driving and pointing the bow at an angle determined by the wind. The tipping and turning of the boat must be highly coordinated and synchronized between the two of them. They must constantly react to wind conditions and the reactions of the other boats around them.
Jones and Barnes have tasted success on the podium, winning bronze at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago. That result earned Canada a berth in the 49er event for Paris 2024. Jones and Barnes earned that Olympic spot for themselves by topping the Canadian standings after two selection regattas in early April.
Jones and Barnes were also the top Canadian 49er crew at both the 2023 Sailing World Championships and 2024 49er and 49er FX World Championships.
Jones is the seventh sailor from the RHYC to compete in the Olympics over the past century. Jones and DePaul were inducted into the RHYC Hall of Fame in 2022.
UPDATE: The Hamilton area will be well represented in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games. Best of luck also to athletes Alena Sharp, Hamilton (golf), Carson Mattern, Ancaster (cycling), Eleanor Harvey, Hamilton (fencing), Heather Bansley, Waterdown (beach volleyball), James Hedgcock, Ancaster (cycling), Kia Nurse, Hamilton (basketball), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamilton (basketball) and coach Lisa Thomaidis, Dundas (basketball).
