Queensland's 2026 Giltinan Challenge

by Frank Quealey 26 Feb 06:40 GMT 6-15 March 2026

Looking to build on the Nationals' top-10 results

While the three-boat Queensland team at last month's Australian 18ft skiff Championship was expected to be competitive with local Sydney teams, the performance of all three crews was better than expected and has propelled the northerners into the top group of contenders at the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff World Championship, presented by The Winning Group, which will be sailed from March 7-15 on Sydney Harbour.

The result brought back memories of many Queensland champions that played such an important role in the evolution of the class and was the best Queensland squad result for the past 50 years.

The last Queensland squad to compete at a high level was in 1976 at the World Championship on Sydney Harbour when Australian 16 footer champion Nev Buckley, along with the very experienced and competitive 18ft skiff campaigners, Merv McKell and Sam Allen, formed a quality team for Queensland in a highly-competitive fleet.

That unfortunate situation is about to end thanks to the Brisbane 18 Footers Sailing Club, which is being represented at the 2026 Giltinan championship by the same three teams that performed so well during the recent nationals.

Scott Cunningham's GC Sails led the attack at the nations when she finished 5th overall with very consistent performances throughout the six-race series. Josh Sloman's Brisbane 18 Footers was 8th and Dave Hayter's Big Foot Bags and Covers 9th to complete the top-10 result.

The three Queensland teams set to compete in the upcoming Giltinan World Championship are:

• GC Sails Scott Cunningham, Joel Turner, Dave Cunningham
• Big Foot Bags and Covers Dave Hayter, Trent Neighbour, Elliott Mahar
• Brisbane 18 Footers Josh Sloman, Ben Roxburgh, Angus Barker

The improvement of all three teams has been stunning this year and certainly the result of great work by the Brisbane 18 Footers SC and dedication by the three teams.

Former Victorian competitor Scott Cunningham, skipper of GC Sails, "This year we're very fortunate to have begun a working relationship with the Brisbane 18 Footers, and with this support we have seen an incredible growth from our team which came together for the first time."

"With the commitment of the three boats, the club put in place a great program backed with coaching to help build all three teams to more competitive levels. The goal was to push each other constantly in each session to improve everyone's level and it was nice to see some of our hard work paying off in the nationals and subsequent races leading up to the JJs."

"Whilst we all feel there is still plenty of work to do and still lots of improvement to go, we're pleased with the progress we have made so far. For us on GC Sails, the club invested in bringing the former C Tech skiff up to a racing level so that we can compete and push the guys in Big Foot and the Brisbane 18 Footers."

"It was this incredible support which then brought on GC Sails as a boat sponsor, plus technical sponsors Ronstan and Vaikobi, a great collaboration for the Brisbane 18s club as well as our team."

"It goes without saying that without the support of the Brisbane 18 Footer SC and its members, our results to date as well as the squad's presence in Sydney and Brisbane would not be possible. We're proud to be representing the Brisbane 18 Footers and we're looking forward to the JJs."

Dave Hayter (skipper of Big Foot Bags and Covers) began the Queensland resurgence back in 2019 when he contested the Giltinan championship in an ageing skiff named Brisbane 18 Footers and has since been the driving force, along with the Brisbane 18 Footers SC, leading to the present success.

According to Dave, "The Queensland team's performance at the recent Australian titles was fantastic; that lingering question 'have we done enough?' was somewhat answered. The group displayed a significant step up in speed and composure on and off the race course. Have we done enough? Maybe."

"This year the Brisbane 18s embraced the 'Mexicans' (Cunningham brothers), who travelled twice a month (from Victoria) for four months to join our training and racing weekend. When they teamed up with Joel Turner to make a really strong team, the Brisbane 18s saw the potential and invested heavily in the team with new masts, paint job and sails for the old C-Tech hull."

"We feel that the investment is paying off, not only with the improvement in the collective group's performance but also with genuine new enquires from experienced sailors looking to join the team next season. It is a great place to be in, puts more pressure on the finances, but that was always our dream, push to the limits of the Brisbane 18 club's capability to support sailing 18s at the highest levels."

"I believe that Ash Brunning (team coach) and Joel Turner joining the team has made a huge difference. The structure of the training sessions with the clear identification of objectives and targets has kept us all focused on improvements. The addition of Dave Alexander Sails and GC Sails expertise has also lifted the collective speeds of the boats, enabling us to collaboratively leverage speed improvements to lift the overall performance of the team. Getting access to a sailing sailmaker (Joel) makes tweaks and adjustments so much easier."

"None of this happens without the support of the Brisbane 18 Footers Sailing Club, the small but hardworking volunteer base keeps us going, providing the support and motivation so that we represent ourselves and the club to the highest standard possible. A huge thank you really needs to go to the Brisbane 18 Footers Club and its members past and current. We truly appreciate the opportunities that the Club provides."

The Brisbane 18 Footers bowman Angus Barker, speaking on behalf of his skipper Josh Sloman, "I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution the Brisbane club has made during our time in the Brisbane fleet; providing us with a boat and supporting us with competitive equipment and coaching opportunities."

"Thanks to Dave Hayter and the committee of the club who have put together such a great program in Brisbane, and to GC sails, Bigfoot, and Ash Brunning for helping to take our preparation up a level this year."

"When Josh asked me to sail on the 18 with him a few years ago I thought I was ticking off a sailing bucket list. At the time I didn't know much about the history of the Brisbane 18s or their desire to mount a serious challenge but this soon became clear when my Saturday mornings were spent trying not to be sick as Rob Brown was making us do figure of 8s around the start line before rolling into a race."

"Having Rob there to train us was amazing as I was still very green and it's a lot easier to be broken in by somebody you've idolized since you were first introduced to the class. To this day, every tack I do I hear his voice in my head telling me to keep my weight forward."

Last year we were fortunate to be given a brand new 18 by the club, which honestly was something I never thought was ever possible and throughout the whole build process I genuinely could not believe how lucky I was that there was a club willing to give me and my mates this opportunity."

"We are also lucky to have Dave Hayter, not only is he running the business side of the club as Commodore and maintaining his own boat, he is also instrumental in building, fixing, innovating and maintaining the other two boats in the Queensland fleet. Without his knowledge and willingness to share it I don't think our boat would have made it off the ramp."

"Leading into the nationals and JJ's campaign, I felt like we had gone up a gear. With GC Sails joining the fleet, we all sensed the opportunity we had to take three well drilled and fast boats to Sydney. Dave and Joel helped to give us a good crack when they secured some training blocks with Ash Brunning. He gave us the blunt desire to do the best we can in Sydney and sharpened it into all the specific tools we need to be right in the mix for race wins."

"For me, I really started to see the momentum we were building when our training sessions went from two maybe 2 half hours to 4-hour sessions. All three boats were pushing each other the whole time before coming in and sharing our findings before some rehydration ready to do it again the next day."

"I think the strength we bring to the JJs this year is the squad mentality. When any one of the Queensland boats were in front during the nationals, they weren't just referred to by their sponsor name, but also as the 'Queenslanders' which is something I think we all take a lot of pride in. It's not just an individual boat that is up the front of a world class fleet, but it is also Queensland up the front which, as sailors, is the best we can do to payback the generosity and opportunity the club and all its members have given us."

Norman Wright Jr (Jenny VI in 1956) and Bob Miller, aka Ben Lexcen, (Venom in 1961) have won the World 18ft skiff Championship. Can the enthusiasm and dedication shown by this group add another Queensland name to the 'Past Winners' list in 2026?

Whether it is achieved in 2026, or not, it is a big step forward and hopefully will lead to a third world championship victory for the northern State.

Race dates for the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff World Championship, presented by the Winning Group:

• Friday March 6, 2026 Invitation Race
• Saturday March 7, 2026 Race 1, George Calligeros Trophy
• Sunday March 8, 2026 Race 2, Cliff Monkhouse Memorial Trophy
• Tuesday March 10, 2026 Races 3 & 4, Alan Cole Memorial Trophy
• Wednesday March 11, 2026 Races 5 & 6, AJ Reynolds Trophy
• Thursday March 12, 2026 Race 7, Bill Miller Memorial Trophy
• Saturday March 14, 2026 Race 8, Bill Kite Memorial Trophy
• Sunday March 15, 2026 Race 9, Ribbon and JJ Giltinan Trophy