Canadian Olympic Team Leader Dennis Toews Passes Away
by Sail Canada 8 Nov 15:03 PST
Sail Canada’s 1988 and 1992 Olympic team leader Dennis Toews © Sail Canada
It is with deep sorrow that Sail Canada announces to the Canadian sailing community the death of its Team Leader for the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games, Dennis Toews from Gladstone, Manitoba, who passed away on November 3, 2024, at age 93.
Dennis Toews began his journey in boating and rowing, ultimately discovering sailing in 1959 at the Burlington Yacht Club.
He thrived as a sailor and, in 1978, alongside Hans Fogh and John Kerr, his crew clinched consecutive titles in Soling at both Kiel Week and the European Championships.
Following his role as alternate crew in Soling and Star for the 1984 Olympics, Dennis was approached by Sail Canada (formerly the Canadian Yachting Association) to become Vice President of National Sailing Teams, tasked with cultivating Canadian Olympic sailors.
In Seoul, 1988, he led 15 members of the Canadian Olympic Sailing Team to secure a bronze medal in Flying Dutchman (Frank McLaughlin and John Millen), alongside three top-10 finishes: Donald Maconald and Ross Macdonald, 6th in Star; Nigel Cochrane and Gordon McIlquham, 8th in 470; Kevin Smith and Dave Sweeney, 10th in Tornado.
Canada dispatched a 16-member team to the 1992 Barcelona Games, where Eric Albert Jesperson and Ross Macdonald earned a bronze in Star, Kevin Smith and Dave Sweeney took 5th in Tornado, while Robert Stuart Flinn, Philip Gow, and Robert Paul Thomson finished 7th in Soling, and Frank McLaughlin and John Millen ended up 9th in Flying Dutchman.
Dennis Toews served as “A” Director for the Canadian Olympic Association for 18 years and for the International Yacht Racing Union.
John Kerr remembers him fondly: “He was a Mountie, a singer, an insurance agent, a world-class rower, sailor, and for many of us, an incredibly dear friend with a captivating sense of humor that had us laughing for years. He contributed immensely to the sport and gave so much to all of us who were lucky enough to know him. Dennis was my mentor, friend, and the driving force behind my sailing career’s success. The sport will greatly miss him.”
“On behalf of the Sail Canada community, I wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to Dennis Toews’ family and friends,” stated the Chair of Sail Canada’s Board of Directors, Kate MacLennan. “Dennis was an exceptional sailor who inspired our Canadian athletes, particularly during the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.”
Sail Canada will publish his obituary when it becomes available.
In the meantime, sailors can read about him in the May 2015 issue of Canadian Yachting.
