Edwin Delaat. Supplied image.
by Zoe Hawkins
Crac-a-Jac is a 35 year old Bruce Farr design that has helped to launch many of New Zealand’s top yachties on their international careers.
Edwin Delaat, 14, is hoping that it will be no less true for him. The teenager has ambitions to complete a Volvo Ocean Race, and he is taking the path less travelled to get there.
While most budding young sailors focus on the traditional youth classes until they are adults, Edwin has supplemented his career in dinghies with a move to sailing in adult keelboat classes aboard a boat he saved for and owns himself.
In 2009 Edwin was the youngest skipper to participate in the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic, and his yacht one of the smallest in the 200-boat fleet.
This year he is upping the ante, taking on a challenge that many adult sailors are reluctant to do: completing the HSBC Premier Coastal Classic with just one other person to back him up.
He has already excelled in the gruelling SSANZ two-handed series, securing three podium placings (on handicap) in his division this winter.
“Two handed racing is exciting, full hands on deck,” says the versatile young sailor who started his career in Opti dinghies and who now has several marine qualifications, including a NZ GPS Operator Certificate, and was named RAYC Academy Sailor of the Year for 2010, his first year in 420 class dinghies, and who is now a member of the very prestigious Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Scheme.
His father Adrian Delaat says that Edwin has averaged twenty hours or more each week on the water over the years of his sailing career. “He is just a young yachtie with that dream and has his own action plan to go with it,” he says.
At an average speed of five knots, in reasonable conditions the 119 nautical mile race should take approximately 24 hours aboard Crac-a-Jac.
“Edwin is keen to learn all aspects of yachting, he eats and sleeps sailing,” says his crewmate Steve Alloway. “He is great to sail with, he is trustworthy, reliable and extremely focused.”
Between them, Edwin and Steve have completed 27 Coastals – with Edwin contributing three to the total tally. Edwin is admiring of his crewmate: “Steve is a top guy. There is still lots to learn, and Steve has a lot of experience and knowledge on offer.”
Joining HSBC Premier, which is also sponsor of Division 1, are eight divisional sponsors, each contributing prizes to its line honours winners and handicap placegetters: Musto (Division 2), Safety at Sea (Division 3), Mt Gay Rum (Division 4), Steinlager (Division 5), Duke of Marlborough Hotel (Division 6), RAILBLAZA Ltd (Division 7), Jucy Rentals (Division 8), PredictWind.com (IRC), and SailNZ (Classic Division).
Snitch GPS will provide real-time GPS tracking of ten members of the race fleet, and Sunday Star Times and Trade-A-Boat Magazine are official media partners to the race.
Predictwind.com will issue an official, detailed race forecast on the eve of the race.
The supermaxi Alfa Romeo broke a thirteen-year record drought when it set a new overall record last year, completing the race in 6 hours and 43 minutes, but Split Enz remains the fastest multihull to ever finish the race with a record set in 1996 of 7 hours and 20 minutes.
The HSBC Premier Coastal Classic starts from 10am on Friday 22 October off Devonport Wharf in Auckland, and finishes off Russell Wharf in the Bay of Islands.
HSBC Premier Coastal Classic
