Canalien Spotlight: Evert McLaughlin
Meet your Fellow Canalien Evert McLaughlin! 🇨🇦 👽Â
What does being Can-alien mean to you?Â
As a sailor on the National Team Athlete for 5 years, I was lucky enough to travel to every corner of the world while flying the Canadian flag. I was a representative of Canada not only to my competitors, but also to the locals wherever I was visiting. Whenever I was travelling somewhere new, I would use an off day, or add a few more days onto my trip so that I could explore new places and connect with people along the way. Being a Can-alien to me is continually upholding our Canadian values and embracing the role of a world-wide ambassador - on and off the water.
What passport(s) do you hold?Â
Canadian, Dutch
What does 'home' mean to you, and where is yours?
In what country have you had the most experiences as a Canalien? What happened?
There is a sailing training centre just north of Puerto Vallarta in Bucerias, Mexico which I would travel to regularly. In some areas there seemed to be more Canadians than Mexicans living there, it was quite surprising at first. I thought it was special that even though everyone was 1000s of miles from home, in this local Canadian community everyone shares common goals and attitudes and is chatty and friendly, especially when catching a big hockey game at the local bar. They even have poutine!
Where is your favourite place in Canada to explore?
For now I enjoy exploring Toronto as it's composed of hundreds of unique and individual communities tied into one - there's always something or somewhere new to try. I haven't explored the rest of the country much yet, but I'd like to spend a lot more time in BC mountain biking, hiking, camping and skiing. I also want to spend more time coastal cruising (sailing) through the Great Lakes and other parts of Ontario.
What city in the world did you travel to that has the best:
Food: San Sebastian, Spain 🇪🇸
People: Charleston, South Carolina🇺🇸
Entertainment: Budapest, Hungary ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º
Scenery: Riva del Garda, Italy 🇮🇹
If you could work anywhere in the world where would it be?Â
Anywhere in Europe so I can make short weekend trips around the continent.
What are you planning for your next big trip?
British Columbia or the east coast because I've seen more parts of the world than Canada. Don't even have to deal with exchanging money! Also on my list is Japan, Argentina, San Francisco, Iceland and South Africa.
Where would you like to retire?
I can't say yet, but I'll choose where to retire based on the people, the food and the nature I'm able to surround myself with. Since I would have more time, I'd like to also be in a position to have a positive impact on my community. Also quite important to live within 20km of a body of water.
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Anything else cool you'd like to share?
Although I won't be representing Canada at the Pan Am Games or Olympics any time soon, I'll always be repping the Canalien way in my travels (sailing or otherwise) and at home when welcoming visitors. (it helps that I have 3 lifetimes of Canada-branded clothing from the National Team). I'll never forget both the support that Torontonians gave me while sailing at home during the 2015 Pan Am Games, and the kind encouragement I'd receive from any Canadian I meet at sailing events around the world. The whole experience has energized me to be a a proud Canalien for life!
