Rag & Famish Hotel 18ft Skiff Racing - Young team set for the challenge in 2026-27 season
by Frank Quealey 12 Aug 22:09 BST
Rag and Famish Hotel leads Yandoo at the 2025-26 state titles © SailMedia
When the Rag & Famish Hotel 18ft skiff team of Ben Crafoord, Marc Chapon and Max Nearn line up for the start of the Australian 18 Footers League's 2026-27 season on Sydney Harbour in October, it will be the 31st continuous season of the hotel's boat-sponsoring partnership with the League since it began back in 1996-97.
The partnership represents more than a successful sponsor and sport association, it brings together the North Sydney-based hotel and the iconic Australian 18 footers class which both go back into the 19th Century and remain prominent features of Sydney today.
Another similarity between the two bodies is the strong family tradition. The 18 Footers has long been a sport with a strong family tradition, and since the late George Calligeros purchased 'The Rag' in May 1975, the hotel has developed equally strong family values as Peter and Anna Calligeros continue the business under the Calligeros Hotel group banner.
It was even a family situation which brought the two identities together in the 1990s when Peter Calligeros began sailing on an 18 with Anthony (Jack) Young and Charlie Diekman in the 1996-1997 Season, and the skiff carried a Rag & Famish Hotel name and logo for the first time.
Peter recalls: "Dad soon got the taste of victory in him and wanted to win the JJs, so we got punted and David Gibson became the skipper."
Then, in 1999-2000, John Harris became the new skipper for Rag & Famish Hotel and George realised his dream of Rag and Famish Hotel winning the JJs, when John Harris, Craig Ferries and Chris Cleary won the JJ Giltinan World Championship on Sydney Harbour in 2001.
George Calligeros was a regular in the Double Bay Park rigging area, speaking with his crew, then following the team as an on-the-water supporter, from the cockpit of 'Bonito'. He would sit, with a beer in hand, watching his crew go around the track and screaming at the top of his lungs "Go The Rag", a phrase that has long been heard from the spectator fleet.
One problem for George was his eyesight on the harbour and it concerned him that he couldn't always see where his boat was on the track. He soon solved that problem when we suggested 'The Rag' should start carrying a bright fluro-yellow spinnaker, which could be seen all over Sydney Harbour.
Fortunately, George got to see his dream of winning a JJ Giltinan World Championship before he passed away in 2005 and, thanks to Peter and Anna Calligeros, his memory is still large at each regatta as the George Calligeros Memorial trophy is presented to the winning team of Race 1 in the annual Giltinan world championship.
When John Harris moved to the US to further his business career, and Craig Ferris and Chris Cleary retired from the 18s, Jack Macartney took over as the skipper of Rag & Famish Hotel in the 2010-11 Season.
According to Peter Calligeros: "One thing that is very important to the brand has been the Rag's succession planning for its sailors."
"When John Harris decided to stand down, we looked at who was coming through the ranks and who we thought had the potential to carry the Rag attitude towards being a competitive fleet racer week-in-and-week-out, keeping the boat and crew looking sharp."
"We settled on Jack Macartney who, at the time, had not won a great deal, but was committed to the class and had a long-standing history. Once again, it was not long before the Rag was back on the podium."
"Jack served the brand well and we were in constant communication about performances, and how and where we could do better. This is the part that I love. Coming up with a plan and then watching it work is pretty good."
"The sailing team has always respected us as sponsors, and keeps us involved every step of the way."
Jack skippered The Rag for seven seasons, including five seasons with the co-sponsorship of Coopers, and was never out of the top eight at seven JJ Giltinan (world) Championships. His team's best results were impressive. Coopers-Rag & Famish Hotel was runner-up to Seve Jarvin's Gotta Love It 7 in 2013, and to Michael Coxon's Thurlow Fisher Lawyers in 2017.
Jack Macartney retired from the 18s at the end of the 2016-17 Season. The next four seasons were an unsettled time for the local 18s, including the period of the Covid pandemic, and the results for The Rag teams were less successful that before.
By the time the 2021-22 season rolled around, the 18s were beginning to get back to normal and the highly-skilled Harry Price took over the helm of Rag & Famish Hotel. The results at the 2022 Giltinan Championship saw The Rag back on the podium with a third-placed finish.
Harry led the 2022-23 season challenge in a brand new skiff and finished in fourth place at the top of a tightly bunched point score, then backed it up with a runner-up to Micah Lane's Yandoo at the 2024 JJs.
Rag & Famish Hotel won the 2024-25 Australian Championship on Waterloo Bay, Brisbane then went into the 2025 Giltinan worlds with a strong title chance. Unfortunately, fortunes didn't go The Rag's way at the JJs and Harry Price and his strong team had to be satisfied with another third placing.
Following Price's retirement from the 18s at the end of the 2024-25 season, there was speculation about who would take control for 2025-26.
When 19-years-old Ben Crafoord (skipper), 21-years-old Ryan Ewings (sheet hand) and 17-years-old Max Nearn (bow) were announced as the new team it raised a few eyebrows.
All three youngsters had plenty of talent, but how would a team, with an average age of 19 years, handle the pressure of racing an 18ft skiff each week in an experienced fleet on Sydney Harbour. Max was the only one of the trio with one season's full time competition in the 18s.
We didn't have to wait long for the answer. In conditions ranging from very little breeze to very strong winds coming from all directions, the 2025-26 Rag & Famish Hotel team finished 3rd in the NSW Championship.
Despite his age, Crafoord was experienced in racing successfully in large international fleets and had already shown he had what it took for the new challenge.
Ben and Jacob Marks (who is now a rival skipper, on SIXT, in the 18s) teamed to contest the 2023 World 29er Championship at Weymouth, UK and finished in 7th place in a 50-boat fleet after winning the 205-team Q (qualifying) series with race results of 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, (6) for a total of 8 points.
Asked to recall his first season in the 18s, Ben Crafoord says, "Overall, I believe our 2025-26 season was a good starting point for my team's future endeavours in the class. The high point was definitely winning our first race with George Moreton filling in for Race 7 of the NSW Championship. The low was probably crumbling a bit towards the end of the JJs after a pretty good start."
Ben's assessment was very modest as the young 2025-26 Rag & Famish Hotel team also recorded a 2nd placing in Race 2 of the NSW titles and finished in third place overall behind only the world champion Yandoo and Australian champion Balmain teams in both the NSW and Club Championship series.
They also finished third in both the Season Point Score and Spring Championship series.
Marc Chapon, who is very experienced in the 18s, recently joined Ben and Max for the 2026-27 campaign and the trio competed for the first time together when they sailed a chartered skiff (a former Yandoo from Sydney) at Garda early in July.
Once again, the newly-combined trio were at the pointy-end of the fleet. They scored one race victory and finished third overall behind Yandoo and Germany's European champion Black Knight.
According to Ben, "Marc was fantastic in Garda and I can't wait to do more sailing with him. He coached Jacob Marks and me a bit leading into the 29er worlds in 2023 and, of course, having Marc on the boat will help us get closer to being a competitive weight."
Adding, "Garda was great, the 2013 Yandoo was set up quite well from Fang Warren the year before, and getting to trial the new team was great. The best experience was sailing 18s in a place that is not Sydney Harbour as you get really used to that."
When looking at the coming season on the harbour, Ben was naturally not going to over-state his hopes, and said, "Our hope for the next season is just to keep on improving every week and do the Rag and Famish proud as Pete and the Calligeros family are such a great long term sponsor that has put so much into the sport, and they deserve a successful team."
While the young Rag team may be giving away experience to much of the local and international fleets next season, they are certainly among the best 18ft skiff teams and will be challenging for a position on the podium at all the major regattas.
Peter Calligeros, reflecting on the 30 years, said, "I would also like to thank long time sponsors such as Paul Espisito (who has worked with various companies) who has been with us from the start along with Carlton and United Breweries."
"Whilst the JJs seem to be something of a Holy Grail to all 18ft skiff sailors I have learnt over the years winning one is a lot easier said than done. We have only ever managed to win the one so far (2001) and I suppose it's a bit of the reason we keep coming back."
Peter added, "I think the class has done an amazing job keeping talent coming through the sport and I like to think The Rag has contributed somewhat to that with the amount of talent that has sailed our Rag boats. From other class world champions, Olympians to Volvo around the world sailors we have had the privilege of having something to do with all of them on the journey."
"One thing we have learnt in this class is that 'The road to success is always under construction'. I have really enjoyed being able to now watch the 18s from the pub or the couch on some days with the 18 footers TV. It's just fantastic and I don't have to burn fuel and get in everyone's way on the harbour every weekend now."
Realising that it was early August 2026, Peter reflected, "It was only a couple of days ago, 1st August, that we lost George, and it's been 21years. How time flies. I just love being part of the 18 footers community, both the club and the sailors, young and old."
"It truly is a tight knit community."
Looking to the 2026-27 season, Peter ponders, "Onto another year and let's see what the stars have lined up for The RAG this year. It will be a big one I'm sure because the Rag and Famish Hotel has just undergone a huge renovation and we are really looking forward to the next chapter in the Hotel's amazing history."
Simon Nearn, President of the Australian 18 Footers League, recognises the success of the partnership between the Rag & Famish Hotel and the League, "For more than 30 years, George, Peter and the Calligeros family have been part of the fabric of the 18 Footers. Their extraordinary loyalty to the Club, support of generations of young sailors and contribution of the spirit of the 18s is without rival."
As Peter Calligeros says, "GO THE RAG!!!"