Ian Bruce (sailor)

Ian Bruce, CM (7 June 1933 – 21 March 2016) was a Canadian sailor.[1] He competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics.[2] Along with Bruce Kirby, he invented the laser dinghy,[3] which has been used at the Olympics since 1996.[4]

Ian Bruce
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born(1933-06-07)7 June 1933
Kingston, Jamaica
Died21 March 2016(2016-03-21) (aged 82)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Sport
SportSailing

Biography

Bruce was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1933, before moving to Nassau, Bahamas after World War II.[1] He then moved to Canada, where he attended Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario,[2] before studying at McGill University in Montreal.[4] He married his wife, Barbara, in 1958. Her brother was Donald Brittain, a film director for the National Film Board of Canada.[5]

Bruce competed at two Olympic Games.[4][6] At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Bruce competed in the Finn event, where he finished in seventh place.[7] At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, he raced in the Star event, finishing in twelfth place.[8]

Outside of competing as a sailor, Bruce along with Bruce Kirby designed the laser dinghy in 1970.[2] It was made available for commercial use the following year,[4] before being used at the Olympics in 1996.[2] His company was producing up to 18,000 boats per year during its peak.[4] He was involved in the design or development of many international classes, including the 29er, Byte, Contender, Finn and Laser Radial.[1][9]

Bruce was a two-time winner of the Prince of Wales Trophy in sailing,[10] and in 2009, he was honoured with the Order of Canada.[11] He died in Hamilton, Ontario from cancer, at the age of 82.[12]

References
  1. "Renowned Sailor Ian Bruce Dies Age 82". The Tribune. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  2. "Ian Bruce". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. "Ian Bruce Brought Sailboat Racing Back to the Basics: 1933-2016". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  4. "Ian Bruce was the father of the Laser sailboat and two-time Olympian". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. Hawthorn, Tom (20 April 2016). "Olympic sailor Ian Bruce designed the popular Laser racing boat". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  6. "The Boat That Ian Built". Laser International. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. "One Person Dinghy (Finn), Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  8. "Two Person Keelboat (Star), Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  9. "Ian Bruce". Sailboat Data. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  10. "Ian Bruce passes away". Sail World. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  11. "Mr. Ian Bruce". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  12. "Eight Bells: Ian Bruce". Sailing Scuttle Butt. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
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