Hans Fogh's childhood was firmly rooted in the soil, but his destiny lay on the surface of the sea. Born in Denmark to a family of gardeners, the young Hans was expected to continue with the family business. Fogh apprenticed in his father's greenhouse for five years, but he spent summers at his aunt and uncle's cottage. It was there that he fell in love with the sea and discovered the joys of sailing. Fogh bought his first boat when he was 17 and, two years later, claimed his first championship at Copenhagen. He soon after took a job with Olympic and World Champion sailor Paul Elvstrom, from whom he learned the intricacies of sailing and the art of sail making. Fogh quickly excelled in his sport. In 1960, he won the European Flying Dutchman title as well as a silver medal at the Olympics. He claimed additional Flying Dutchman titles at the 1962 World Championships and the 1964 Kiel Week Regatta. Fogh continued to claim sailing titles at regattas across Europe until his immigration to Canada in 1969. The Canadian sailing world rejoiced when Fogh gained Canadian citizenship in 1975 and qualified for the national sailing team in 1976. He led the Canadian team to glory at numerous international sailing championship events over the next two decades, mainly in the Soling and Flying Dutchman classes. His greatest victory came at the 1984 Olympics when he skippered the Canadian boat to a bronze medal in the Soling class. The 24-year span between his first and second Olympic medals stands as an Olympic record. Known as one of the finest yachtsman of his era, Fogh was ranked among the world's top ten competitive sailors. In all, he claimed three World Cups in the Soling class, eight North American, six European, and four Canadian titles in various classes of boats. He won more titles than any other Canadian sailor, was a member of seven Olympic teams, and was one of the only sailors in the world to excel in three of the seven classes of Olympic yachting. In addition to these competitive feats, Fogh was skilled in the craft of sailmaking. His sailmaking company, North Sails Fogh Limited, created the original laser sail, which put Canada on the map as a supplier of yachting equipment.