Ed Williams-Hawkes
Ed Williams-Hawkes – Navigator – was born in Southampton and now lives in Topsham, Devon. He is one of the most experienced navigators in world powerboating and a class winner in the 1984 Round Britain Race.
With a keen eye for detail, he also undertook the teams planning and logistics, a considerable challenge in its own right. Williams-Hawkes was an early member of the Exe Powerboat and Ski Club and the British Barefoot Club.
He has had a long career racing boats in 20 different classes accumulating more than 200 wins, during which he knocked out his right eye in a powerboat accident.
Racing as a navigator he has broken speed records at World, European and National levels in Classes 2, 3, RIB and Pro Vee. He has raced with Wettpunkt.com for several years, navigating the team to the 2005 Powerboat P1 World Championship title.
His other most notable victories include the Drakkar Noir Class 2 World Championship Final Race and the ultimate award, the Centenary Harmsworth Trophy.
A former owner of the Imperial Hotel in Exeter, Williams-Hawkes is most certainly a man who falls under the category of powerboating’s great characters.
The man now synonymous with an eye-patch he once described as his ‘Ferrari’ was part of a highly successful Round Britain Race in 2008, 24 years after his original success. Five top finishes came the team’s way overall, including three wins in consecutive legs.
Williams-Hawkes was a key member of the Wettpunkt.com trio that took part and so nearly tasted success in the 2009 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes, a ruptured fuel tank is what it took to deny them, and only 1.5 miles from the finish line, proving that the winning habit dies hard.
He spells fun, ‘W-I-N’, and has total respect for the talents of every member of the Wettpunkt.com team: “Of the three pilots, the throttleman is possibly the most important crew member as he or she has to make the boat travel as fast as possible whilst reading the sea ahead.
“Anyone can make a boat go but only very special people can make them dance across the water, and they are the ones who win races.”
