Sisters Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance from Chester, Nova Scotia, have been named Sail Canada’s 2026 Sailors of the Year, capping a stunning season that placed the duo at the pinnacle of Canadian sailing. The announcement was made in Kingston on October 21, 2026, recognising their outstanding results across international competition.
The Sail Canada Sailor of the Year Award has been presented annually since 1986. It honours individuals who have brought global recognition to Canadian sailing and Sail Canada, who are renowned leaders demonstrating the highest levels of excellence through significant results at world events. Recipients are also celebrated for exemplary sportsmanship and the respect they command among fellow sailors. Nominations were evaluated based on performances from January 1 to December 31, 2025.
After competing at their first Olympic Games in 2024 and committing to a new Olympic cycle targeting the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the Lewin-LaFrance sisters collected four medals across six competitions during the evaluation period.
Their haul included a gold medal at the 2025 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships held in Greece, along with three bronze medals earned at French Olympic Week, Kiel Week, and the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Italy. French Olympic Week and Kiel Week were both contested as part of the Sailing Grand Slam Series. The pair also finished fourth at another Grand Slam event, the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta.
Their 2025 campaign was historic. They became the first Canadian sailors ever to medal at the 49erFX World Championships. Few teams in Canadian sailing history have managed a gold-bronze combination at the European and World Championships in the same year.
Those results propelled the sisters to the top of the World Sailing rankings in the 49erFX class heading into the following season. They also captured the Gallagher Skippers’ Plan Female Athletes of the Year Award for 2025, the first time in their career they received the honour.
“We’re very honoured to be named Sail Canada’s Sailors of the Year,” said Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance. “We’ve been working toward our Olympic goals together for nearly eight years, and this recognition means a great deal given the intensity and commitment that come with the day-to-day life of an Olympic campaign. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we know there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We’re excited to keep building toward our ultimate goal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. A leading international sailing nation, Sail Canada is proud of its world-class athletes, lifelong participants, and inclusive culture. The organisation and its members are committed to excellence, developing and training leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches, and officials. With valued support from partners, Provincial Sailing Associations, member clubs, schools, organisations, and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms, from home pond to podium, dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing.
Sailing has been part of the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, absent only in 1904. That pursuit of Olympic success fuels Sail Canada’s focus, as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
