Garry Hoyt

Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1931, Garry Hoyt learned to sail when he was eight-years-old. Hoyt was also a good swimmer, captaining the swim teams in both high school and college, with him serving with the United States Coast Guard after graduating. He soon joined the marketing company Young & Rubicam, working in their offices in New York City. Following a promotion to a senior role he moved to their offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, living there for the next 25 years. Hoyt continued with his love of sailing whilst in the Caribbean, eventually representing Puerto Rico at international competitions.

In 1966 Hoyt won gold for Puerto Rico in the Snipe class at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Two years later he made his first appearance at the Olympics at the 1968 Games in Mexico City, finishing 10th in the Finn class. For the Games in München and Montréal Hoyt sailed with Hovey Freeman, another American living in Puerto Rico, in the Tempest class. The pair finished 16th at the München Olympics, before finishing one place higher four years later. In 1970 Hoyt won the first edition of the Sunfish World Championships.

Hoyt retired from Young & Rubicam in 1980 and relocated back to the United States to live in Newport, Rhode Island. Here he founded his own company, Freedom Yachts, where he worked as a designer. He was acknowledged with multiple awards for innovation and leadership, and was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2022.