US sailor Ian Barrows, 29, is the second-ranked 49er in the world. Whose brother Thomas is Yale University’s sailing team captain and whose father Shep is an experienced sailor.
Ian Barrows’ Early years in the Virgin Islands with his Supporting family
Ian Barrows was born on 14 January 1995 and grew up surrounded by sailing and the ocean while being raised in a supportive family environment on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Ian’s parents, Shep and Jean Barrows sailed down to the Caribbean shortly after getting married and lived aboard their 32-foot sailboat Restless for five years, embracing the sailing lifestyle.
The family eventually moved ashore on St. Thomas a few years before Ian’s older brother, Thomas, was born in 1988. Thomas went on to become a leading sailor in his own right – competing for the U.S. Virgin Islands in two Olympics (2008 and 2016) and recently coaching the U.S. Men’s 470 team at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Ian’s father, Shep, served as the director of junior sailing at the St. Thomas Yacht Club (STCY) in 1997. Shep created two major annual junior regattas that are still held today – one over Martin Luther King Day weekend in January and the other over Columbus Day weekend in October.
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Growing up, Ian was inspired by both of his parents and the Olympic accomplishments of his brother Thomas.
“If it wasn’t for my brother, I probably wouldn’t have started sailing. He really encouraged me,”
says Ian
Ian attended Yale University for college, graduating in 2017 with a degree in Economics. He followed his brother Thomas’s passion, who was captain of the acclaimed Yale sailing team. During Ian’s Yale sailing career, the team won an impressive eight national championships. Ian also racked up personal accolades – being named a four-time collegiate All-American and winning the College Sailor of the Year award in 2017.
Career
Ian Barrows’ Early career in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Ian Barrows began sailing as a young child, learning on small single-handed Optimist dinghies (Optis). He quickly progressed to larger two-handed 420s and other dinghies like Lasers and Bytes.
In 2006 at age 11, Ian was selected for the Virgin Islands Optimist Racing Team. As part of this intensive program under the coaching of Argentina’s Agustin “Argy” Resano, Ian trained 5 days a week focusing on Optimist boat handling and racing skills.
Ian competed actively on the regional and national junior sailing stage in his teenage years.
His father Shep Barrows recalls Ian’s grandfather and great-grandfather were both avid racers in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
“My grandfather and great-grandfather both raced sailboats off of Marblehead, Massachusetts,”
“I remember racing aboard my grandfather’s 61-foot sailboat when I was about three to four years old. He passed away when I was 13 and my grandmother bought a 36-footer. We raced that and I continued to sail all through college.”
says Shep Barrows, Ian’s father
Shep notes that Ian was racing on his 61-foot family sailboat by the age of 3 or 4. So sailing was truly “in his blood” from the start.
Professional Career as Post-College with 49er Olympics Campaign
In 2008 at age 13, he finished 2nd at the prestigious Optimist World Championships. He represented the U.S. Virgin Islands two years later at the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, winning gold in the male single-handed Byte CII dinghy event. That same year as a 15-year-old, Ian finished 2nd at the Byte World Championships.
While at Yale University, Ian emerged as one of the top performers in collegiate sailing. He was named an ICSA All-American skipper all four years (2013-2017), while captaining Yale to multiple national championships. His numerous collegiate accolades include winning the ICSA College Sailor of the Year award in 2017.
After Yale, Ian set his sights on Olympic glory by pairing up with crew Hans Henken in the high-performance 49er skiff class. The duo quickly ascended to the top echelon of competitors on the global skiff scene. Some career highlights so far include capturing gold at the 2021 North American Championships and finishing 4th at the 49er Worlds that same year.
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Currently, in 2022, Ian and Hans are ranked 2nd in the world, having already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After Yale, Ian joined forces with crew Hans Henken to mount a 49er Olympic campaign aimed at the 2024 Paris Games. Ian Barrows and Hans Henken announced their Paris 2024 campaign in early 2020.
The pairing found immediate success in the international 49er competition. He stands up 1st, North American Championship (Bristol, RI), 2021. 5th, 49er Asian Championships (Al Mussanah, Oman), 2021. 4th, 49er World Championships (Al Mussanah, Oma), 2021.
Following a runner-up result at the 2022 Princess Sofia World Cup and other strong showings, Ian and Hans are currently ranked 2nd globally. The two are currently ranked 2nd in the world…and have solid performances on the world stage for the 2022 season. They qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Ian Barrows, Hans Henken Gearing Up Towards Paris Olympics 2024
Ian Barrows and crew Hans Henken have kept up an intense competition and training schedule. After an active 2023 racing season, some recent results include:
- 6th Place at the 2023 Paris Olympic Test Event
- 9th Place at the 2023 49er World Championships
- Gold Medal at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Qualified their nation for the 2024 Olympics at the Worlds
They have now competed together for over 1300 days in the 49er skiff, accumulating 500+ days of on-water training.
Ian and Hans‘ final months of 2023 proved a grueling whirlwind as they sought to qualify for the Paris Olympics. After French Olympic Week, they dove into a summer racing season packed with critical events. At the 2023 Paris Test Event, they sailed well enough to contend late for a medal before finishing 6th—valuable experience for returning to the same venue.
Soon after, it was off to the 2023 49er Worlds of utmost importance as the first opportunity to qualify USA for the Olympics. Despite intense pressure, Ian and Hans delivered a pivotal Top 10 result to confirm their country’s Olympic berth in the 49ers.
After a short rest, their focus returned to the December Pan American Games in Chile and the early January USA Olympic Trials held in Miami. Over a week of physically/mentally draining racing, Ian reflected on their 3 years of preparation:
“We had everything we needed to succeed and to just do what we have always done: nothing new, nothing special.”
Staying their course culminated in the duo officially qualifying for Paris 2024, capping a whirlwind eight months confirming themselves among America’s best.
