Fresh Breeze

A steady, 10-knot breeze blew as the medal race of the men’s skiff (49er) began in front of a packed seawall off the coast of Marseille, France, at the 2024 Olympics in July. Starting in fourth place in the 16-foot boat with wings for hiking horizontally over the water in a trapeze, Team USA, consisting of Ian Barrows and Hans Henken, had to overtake close rival Team Ireland to medal, and that’s just what they did. In a nail-biting finish that was not over until the last jibe, the American 49er team captured the 2024 bronze medal just ahead of Ireland and Poland.

“It was a lifelong dream,” says Barrows, the new assistant sailing coach at the College. “I was training in the 49er for seven years, but Marseille is a tricky place to sail. The wind can come from anywhere. It’s super choppy, super shifty. Winning the bronze medal was an incredible feeling.”

Nothing can top standing on that podium representing your country, but the opening ceremony in Paris was a close second.

“I was able to see all the basketball players, track athletes and tennis players, who I consider to be idols of mine, and that was a really neat experience,” says Barrows. “I had the opportunity to chat with Novak Djokovic and Steph Curry, and they were so personable.”

Not long after winning the bronze, Barrows began his next chapter at the College.

“We are so excited to have Ian join our staff,” says head sailing coach Conner Blouin, who recruited Barrows at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile. “His numerous accomplishments speak for themselves, and we are excited to add his expertise and pedigree to our staff.”

This offer was a no-brainer for Barrows, who previously coached at sailing clubs in the Northeast.

“I’ve always looked up to the College of Charleston program,” he says. “It’s a very historic program. And I love the warm weather. That’s kind of rare to come by.”

Barrows has had his hand on the rudder since he was 5 years old growing up in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Highlights include winning a gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and multiple national titles in the FJ (Flying Junior) and 420 National Championships and the FJ Team Racing National Championships.

“I love the freedom of it,” he says of the sport. “It’s an art form, trying to figure out how to make the boat go fast. There’s no manual. You have to figure it out yourself. You have to feel the boat, which is a really cool part of the process.”

Barrows graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics in 2017, the same year he was named the College Sailor of the Year after winning five national championships. After college, the four-time collegiate All-American turned his attention to his first Olympic campaign sailing in the men’s skiff (49er) class. Inspired by his brother, who went to the Olympics in 2008 and 2016, Barrows teamed up with Mitchell Kiss, but they narrowly missed qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games with a second-place finish at the United States Olympic Trials.

Barrows teamed up with California native Hans Henken in 2021 and secured their ticket to Marseille by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Miami in January 2024, which he says was more nerve-wracking than the Olympic race itself because it’s such a sigh of relief to qualify.

Everything that followed at the Games was smooth sailing. – Marissa Bamonte ’18