U23 Pan American Champion. US Sailing Olympic Development Program. Tulane Captain.
One goal: Los Angeles 2028.
Born in Honolulu, raised on three coastlines, and now competing among the world's best singlehanded sailors — Hamilton Barclay's rise through the ILCA ranks is a story of 250-day training years, a U23 Pan American title, and an unwavering goal: the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, I grew up on the water, learning to sail in Toppers and Club 420s at Hawaii Yacht Club. Sailing has always been a central part of my life, with both my father and grandfather sharing a passion for racing.
When I was ten years old, my family relocated to the East Coast, where I was introduced to a much more competitive sailing environment. I began racing regularly on the Club 420 circuit, often competing against high school sailors while I was only in sixth grade. The challenge accelerated my development and helped me establish myself at the national level — highlighted by a second-place finish at the 2018 U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship at just 13 years old.
In 2020, while much of the world was in lockdown, I transitioned to the ILCA class. Living in Damariscotta, Maine, and unable to sail doublehanded boats due to COVID-19 restrictions, I committed fully to singlehanded sailing, logging more than 250 days on the water that year alone. That experience laid the foundation for my competitive career in the class.
In early 2021, my family moved to Texas, where I began training alongside national-level coaches and training partners. My results quickly progressed — from winning the Maine District Championship in 2020, to capturing the Gulf and No Coast Regional Championships in both 2022 and 2023, before winning the 2023 U.S. Youth Championship in the ILCA 6. During my final season in the ILCA 6, I was recruited to sail for Tulane University under Head Coach Charles Higgins, and simultaneously began transitioning into the ILCA 7, the men's Olympic singlehanded dinghy.
Now 22 years old and a senior at Tulane University, I serve as captain of the Green Wave Sailing Team while competing full-time on the international ILCA 7 circuit. In 2025, I won the ILCA 7 U23 Pan American Championship in Asunción, Paraguay. I am also a two-time ILCA 7 U.S. National Champion and a two-time Intercollegiate Singlehanded National Championship runner-up.
Today, I am a member of the US Sailing Olympic Development Program, with my ultimate goal of representing the United States at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
These organizations support Hamilton's 2028 Olympic campaign — providing the gear, equipment, and resources that make international competition possible.
As a member of the US Sailing Olympic Development Program, Hamilton trains and competes under the national federation's framework for the road to LA 2028.
Kingfisher supplies Hamilton's sheets and control lines — high-performance ropes engineered for the loads and precision demands of ILCA 7 racing at the international level.
Zim Sailing provides Hamilton with gear and equipment support — keeping him rigged and ready for training and competition across the international circuit.
The foundation of the campaign — Barclay Sailing provides the core organizational and financial support that underpins Hamilton's pursuit of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Every contribution goes straight into the campaign — coaching, travel, equipment, and time on the water on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
To everyone who gives — thank you. Olympic sailing comes with costs most people never see: flights and boat charters for regattas on four continents, entry fees, coaching, and new sails and equipment as the old ones wear out, not to mention months each year spent away from home training. Much of that falls on the athlete and their family, which means this journey only happens because people like you decide to believe in it. Whether you give five dollars or five hundred, you are part of the team that gets me to the start line in Los Angeles, and I am more grateful than I can put into words.
US Sailing selects one athlete for the ILCA 7 at the LA 2028 Olympics. The pathway is defined: a top-3 finish at the LA28 Test Event earns automatic nomination, or the athlete with the lowest combined score across the 2027 European Championships and 2028 World Championships earns the spot.
All selection criteria drawn from the official US Sailing LA 2028 Olympic Athlete Selection Procedures, signed and published September 2026.
View Official DocumentFive international championships, from the ILCA Worlds in Brazil to the Pan American Games in Peru. Each one starts with about 8 days of travel and training on the venue before racing begins — roughly $10,000 per event, or about $1,250 a day, for flights, boat charter, accommodation, food, and coaching. Every dollar goes directly to competition and training on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
100% of donations fund Hamilton's 2027 season — international regattas, coaching, and travel.
A one-time or recurring gift of any size directly funds Hamilton's campaign. Tax-deductible when given through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.
Donate Now →Brands and businesses interested in partnering on the road to LA 2028 — through gear, content, or campaign support — are welcome to reach out to start a conversation.
Get in Touch →Follow on Instagram and YouTube, share this campaign, and help build the momentum that takes Hamilton to Los Angeles 2028.
Follow Along →For sponsorship inquiries, media requests, or to learn more about the campaign, reach out directly. I respond to every message.
Hamilton Barclay
ILCA 7 · Houston, Texas
Tulane University · Class of 2027
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Hamilton grew up sailing at the Hawaii Yacht Club, where his father raced before him and first taught him to sail. His mother, a talented surfer, shared the family's love of the water. Spending weekends racing with his dad on the Pacific, Hamilton developed a deep love for the sport and the ocean from the time he was a little kid.
After relocating to the East Coast, Hamilton was racing C420s against high schoolers while still in middle school. He earned podium finishes across the Mid-Atlantic and New England circuits — results that made clear he belonged in older, faster fleets.
In 2018, Hamilton competed in his first national-level event — the US Junior Double-Handed National Championship — and finished second out of the best 18 junior teams in the country. The result was a revelation. Holding his own at that level lit something that hadn't been there before; what had been a pastime started to feel like a direction.
When COVID shut everything down in 2020, racing a Laser was the only way to get out sailing. It was here that Hamilton made the decision to pivot from double-handed sailing. With nothing else on and a fire that wouldn't go out, he put roughly 250 days on the water in the ILCA that year — setting the foundation in the boat and in singlehanded sailing that everything since has been built on.
The move to Houston in 2021 raised the standard of every session. Galveston Bay — a vastly different venue from anything before it — brought bigger breeze, choppier water, and a level of competition that showed Hamilton exactly how much work there was to be done. Training alongside stronger sailors in demanding conditions accelerated his development faster than any regatta could have.
Hamilton won the US Youth Nationals, taking gold in front of the deepest junior fleet in the country. It was a culmination of everything that had been built in the years prior — a result that validated the pivot, the hours, and the commitment. Standing on the top step, the reality of one day campaigning for the Olympics came into focus for the first time.
The transition to the ILCA 7 demands a different athlete than the ILCA 6. Widely considered the most physically demanding Olympic sailing class, the bigger rig requires elite hiking strength and cardiovascular output sustained across weeklong regattas and ten-day training blocks. Hamilton committed to a strict physical regime: structured gym work, endurance training, and body-weight management to meet the physical standard the class requires.
Hamilton's first full season in the ILCA 7 culminated in a national title — though he'd be the first to note the field was still developing. The win mattered less as a measure of dominance and more as confirmation that the move up was working. A genuine benchmark to build from.
Representing Team USA at the ILCA 7 U23 Pan American Championship, Hamilton stood on top of the continental podium — the best under-23 sailor in the Americas. The gold medal and the anthem made it the defining moment of his career to date.
Hamilton finished as the top American at the 2026 ILCA 7 World Championship, competing against the full senior international fleet. Heading into the Olympic selection cycle, it was exactly the result the campaign needed.
