Eddie Warden Owen - a madforsailing profile

25th June 1949.

Where were you born?
Holyhead, Anglesey.

At what age did you start sailing?
At seven crewing for my father on light wind days in a GP 14.

What inspired you to take up sailing?
My father Norman is a founder member of Holyhead Sailing Club and we seemed to spend more time at the club than at home when I was little. I preferred football, basketball and gymnastics at school and only started to take sailing seriously in my late teens.

Where was your first sailing club?
Holyhead.

Which class did you first race in?
The first boat I helmed was a Cadet.

How did you buy your first boat?
We borrowed the Cadet and at 16 I inherited my fathers GP 14 after my brother bought his own GP 14, an insurance write-off for £10, and my father moved into a Shearwater Catamaran.

What was your first regatta win?
Cadet Week at Holyhead in the mid 60’s but the most significant was winning the Dunhill Finn finder series in 1970 (with a new wooden Taylor Finn as the prize), which made me realize that Olympic sailing was not beyond me.

What’s your biggest event or championship win?
Probably the Congressional Cup match racing event as it set me along the road of professional sailing, but winning the Midnight Sun Cup race in Northern Sweden against 12 other 12 Meters, at midnight, and in front of a crowd of over 5,000 spectators on my birthday is one I fondly remember.

Any other notable regattas that you have taken part in, that you would like to mention?
Yacht racing has taken me all over the world to some great events and fabulous venues, including the America's Cup (Louis Vuitton series) as a competitor, and three times as a coach. Winning the Admiral's Cup for Britain and Italy and the Southern Cross Cup series (including the Sydney/Hobart) for Britain, representing Britain in the Kenwood Cup in Hawaii and travelling the world on the professional match race circuit - qualifying for six world match racing championships making the semi-finals four times - none are easily forgotten.

Do you do any sailing specific off-the-water training?
No, just general fitness.

Which coaches do you use if any?
Never used a personal coach.

Do you have any professional links to sailing?
Yes as helmsman, tactician or coach.

If you weren’t doing the job you are, what would you like to be doing instead?
Teaching Physical Education.

Which other sports do you take part in?
Golf and tennis.

Do you have other hobbies or interests outside of sailing?
Playing sport with my boys or watching them play.

How do you like to relax?
Reading, going for a bike ride with the boys or enjoying a good meal with friends.

Do you have a favourite bar, pub or restaurant?
The Jolly Farmer pub in Warsash and The Key restaurant in Hamble.

Tell us about your most memorable sail?
There are so many from the earliest dinghy championships to Maxi boat and America's Cup sailing that it’s hard to pick one out. However, a J24 championship race in Poole Bay in 25 knots plus and huge seas is high on the list, because of the downwind sleigh ride we all enjoyed. As we approached the finish we had to bear away for what we thought was a lobster pot flag but was instead the burgee on top of the mast of a sunken J24. The spinnaker was still flying with the tide!!!

Who are your role models?
Buddy Melges.

What’s your biggest remaining goal in sailing?
To be part of a winning America's Cup challenge, preferably British.

How much time do you spend on the water each week?
I only sail at regattas.

Who are your sponsors?
Although I am not personally sponsored by Hoya I do a lot of work for the company in organizing their sailing interests such as the Hoya Round the Island Race.

What is the best excuse you have ever given for a poor performance in a race?
Sinking the boat.

What is the funniest thing you have either witnessed or experienced whilst sailing?
The sinking of Indulgence in the first race of the Admiral's Cup trials wasn’t funny at the time, but the story has been embellished so much over the years that guests find it extremely funny at dinner parties and speeches.

Do you have a favourite sailing venue and what makes it a great place to sail?
Key West is high on the list because of the time of year (January), the Solent because of the complexity of the tides and wind, but sailing the ‘Winds of Paradise’ in Hawaii has to be the best in the world and a place I would choose to go.

What’s the single thing that could most improve the running of regattas?
Professional management.

What is your greatest strength in sailing?
My understanding of the relationship between mast and sails and how to adjust them to make boats go fast.

What is your greatest weakness in sailing?
Being too relaxed about not winning races.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you could give to younger sailors?
Enjoy it and don’t take it too seriously.

Who are your sailing heroes and why?
It’s not something I have ever considered but Buddy Melges could be one as he has a great attitude to the sport and even as an America's Cup winner always has time to talk to the amateurs in the sport.

If you could sail for a day with anyone of your choice who would it be and why?
My father and brother because they enjoy the sport as much if not more than I do.

Who do you think are the best sailors in Britain?
The current crop of medallists must be the best sailors we have seen in the UK for many years and they represent a generation of sailors who are able to get along and work together as a team.

Who do you rate as the best sailor in the world?
Jochen Schumann must be right up there with the world's best having three gold medals and one silver to his name. He is probably the coolest sailor under pressure I have ever sailed with.

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