Bo Westlake took up rowing at a young age and soon joined the Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club, of which he became a lifelong member. He qualified to represent Canada at the 1948 London Olympics, but was unable to travel due to a lack of funds to send the team overseas after World War II. He fared better in 1952, when he captained the coxed eights crew at the Helsinki Games. There, with Ted Chilcott, Jack Taylor, Frank Young, John Sharp, Mervin Kaye, Jack Russell, George McCauley, and Norm Rowe he was eliminated in the semi-finals repêchage. By career, he worked in the oil industry.