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In June at 15 years of age Dylan became the youngest ever sailor to be named Otago Yachtsperson of the year. Dylan Edwards is a Kings High School pupil and member of Macandrew Bay Boating Club. Some of his achievements this year are listed below.
Dylan won the 2013/2014 season Otago Optimist Summer Series.
At the prestigious Auckland Anniversary Regatta held in January at Kohimarama Yacht Club in Auckland he placed third in the Optimist Open Division. In recognition of this achievement he was invited to attend a black tie award ceremony along with current NZ Olympic medalists and America’s Cup sailors.
He is the current South Island Optimist Champion. In achieving this goal Dylan is the first Otago sailor to win the South Island Optimist Championships.
Dylan with his South Island Trophy © Jayvee Buchanan
Sailing in all four New Zealand International Optimist Dinghy Association ranking regattas Dylan earned his personal best national ranking of 21 out of 300+ national sailors. This was the highest ever national ranking by an Otago Optimist sailor and resulted in an invitation to train with the New Zealand National Optimist Squad.
Dylan in action © Jayvee Buchanan
Dylan also sailed a Starling dinghy during the 2013/2014 season and qualified to compete in the 2014 New Zealand Starling National Match Racing Championships held in January at Glendowie Yacht Club in Auckland. He was the youngest sailor at this event and placed 10th out of 12 sailors.
He is now sailing in a 420 Dinghy with George Early, another very promising young Otago yachtsman. Together they won the 2014 Otago Secondary Schools Sunburst Championships. They both share a future goal of representing New Zealand at an International Sailing Federation World Youth Championships in a 420.
YNZ’s Otago Regional Support Officer, Graeme Wall says, “It has been really great seeing Dylan racing in all the regattas down here and being able to personally watch him competing at the Opti Nat’s in Timaru in 2013.”
“But what gives the whole sport hope is when the likes of the Dylan come back to help the Learn to Sail kids starting off in the plastic Opti’s – Dylan Edwards was able to do that for part of the four week last Summer Breakaway Sailing Programme held on the Otago Harbour.”
