RNZYS THREE KINGS OFFSHORE RACE – MEET THE ENTRANTS PART 2

In the second edition of our RNZYS Three Kings Offshore Race meet the entrants series, we catch up with Hamish McLaren from Omega. Hamish will be the youngest skipper taking part in the race at just 19 years old. Hear from Hamish below, and if you haven’t yet, make sure you get your race entry in ASAP as there are now only 5 spots remaining! 

How did you get involved with Omega?

When I was a lot younger my family owned Omega and used to cruise on it over summer, while dad would race on it with his mates during the year, and we absolutely loved the boat. Unfortunately we had to sell the boat for a short while before the opportunity came up for us to buy it back in the second half of last year. We now race on it with family and friends. 

You have a young crew involved, What are you going to do to prepare for the race?

Recently we completed a sea survival course which was very helpful and eye opening to what can happen once you get out away from the harbour where we are used to racing. Currently the majority of the crew are racing on the boat throughout the RNZYS Doyle Sails Winter Series racing so we are getting to know the boat well by doing that. We are also planning on going for a few sails as a full team before the race starts to practice manoeuvres we wouldn’t normally have to do in harbour racing and to get a bit more experience sailing in the dark. 

What excites you about the Three Kings Race this year?

The Three Kings Race will be the longest race I have ever competed in so the thought of being out racing for a couple of nights is really exciting. It will be really good to get some experience in this type of sailing because a few of the crew are coming from dinghy sailing backgrounds. 

What’s your crew going to be like, have you done any other sailing with each other recently?

Our crew is going to be a mix of both young and experienced sailors. There will be four 18 year olds on board as well as my dad and a couple of his mates. Most of the crew has been on the boat racing in the Doyle Sails Winter Series this year but we have also done a large amount of racing against each other in other boats over the years.

What are your essentials offshore?

Good food and warm and dry clothes.

RNZYS Three Kings Offshore Race Information HERE