Teen doing ‘apprenticeship of life’ on supermaxi
Teenager Ryan Ewings is in for the ride of his life in his first Sydney to Hobart and, if the weather plays ball, maybe a little bit of history as well.
The 19-year-old has snagged his dream job as a boat captain, which means he is helping to run one of the world’s top supermaxi ocean racers as it prepares for an assault on the famous bluewater ocean race before it is shipped overseas for several years of international campaigning.
Just a year out of school, Ewings is doing “an apprenticeship of life”, working side-by-side with veteran skipper David Witt to prepare the line-honours contender Scallywag for her latest assault on the great race starting at 1pm on Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour.
The former Engadine high school student said that he knew more about the inside of the boat than how to sail it after working overtime on the yacht’s modifications and refit ahead of the 78th Sydney to Hobart.
Ewings’ first time on the 100footer was when he was a 14-yearold with his father and former 18footer skiff champion Dave, a friend and skiff crewmate of Witt’s.
His second race was just weeks ago, with the Sydney to Hobart his first major offshore ocean race.
“I’m pretty pumped,” Ewings said.
“I just love the intensity of it, there’s always a lot going on.
“Everyday I learn something new, learn on the job.
“Witty jokes I’ve done an apprenticeship in boat maintenance, painting, electronics and hydraulics all at once.
“It’s an apprenticeship of life.” Ewings said his boat captain position entails a multitude of roles and he’s embracing the versatility of the job.
“It’s a bit of everything, fixing stuff, liaising with contractors, mechanics, whatever needs to be done really.”
Boat captains tend to be much older than Ewings but Witt wanted to give the youngster a chance to impress – and he has.
The 2023 Sydney to Hobart fleet boasts four supermaxis in Andoo Comanche, Scallywag, LawConnect and Wild Thing 100.
Yachts in the fleet this year range in size from the 100-footers to the 30-footers including Currawong and Nikson with Sylph VI, which was built in 1960, the oldest boat competing.
The are also 10 entries.