Some athletes find their sport late. Others grow up with it stitched into the fabric of their summers. For Canadian Olympian Ali ten Hove, the journey to the world stage began in Kingston, Ontario—on the same waters where generations of the nation’s best sailors have honed their skills.
“I started sailing young, and instantly fell in love with it,” Ali says. “Summer camps turned into weekend regattas, provincial events, and then international competitions.” That journey eventually carried her to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the Women’s America’s Cup.
Along the way, one regatta kept showing up in Ali’s story: CORK.
“It was one of my first big events,” she remembers. “It’s where I learned to race against the best in the country—and often against international competitors too. I remember watching National Team athletes and thinking, ‘I want to be like them.’”
Ask her for a memory of CORK, and she doesn’t hesitate: the D-flag rising, hundreds of boats streaming onto Lake Ontario, the wind filling in, and the quiet before the start horn breaks the air. “It’s an atmosphere like no other,” she says.
CORK wasn’t just about racing, it was about learning and improving. Kingston’s famous thermal winds humbled her more than once, capsizing her boat and forcing her to adapt. “It built resilience, It taught me consistency, preparation, and mental toughness.”
Today, Ali has raced on some of the most celebrated courses in the world, but she still calls CORK unique. “It’s world-class racing in a tight-knit community. You have young sailors learning the ropes and Olympians on the same start line. Friendships are made here. Rivalries too.”
And for Canada’s next generation of sailors, CORK remains what it was for Ali—a launchpad. A place to learn, compete, and dream bigger than the shoreline.
