Shaw and Partners Financial Service 18ft Skiff racing - Keagan York, looking for a change of fortune
by Frank Quealey 5 Oct 20:07 BST
Racing towards Rose Bay in a good North East breeze © SailMedia
When Keagan York, the 2022-23 Australian 18ft skiff champion, lines up in his Shaw and Partners Financial Services 18 for the 2026-27 season at the Australian 18 Footers League, he will be looking for a change of fortune when the 2027 JJ Giltinan World Championship comes around next March.
Over the past four years, Keagan has finished as runner-up to John Winning Jr (Andoo) in 2023, Tom Needham (Yandoo) in 2025 and John Winning Jr, again, (Yandoo) in 2026 at the world's greatest 18 footer championship.
He joins a list including three 18 footer legends, David Porter, John Winning and Michael Coxon, who were also multiple runners-up in the championship, but unlike the others he is yet to taste the success they ultimately achieved.
In his attempt to put his name on the JJs' winners list, Keagan will have a new team of Otto Henry (sheet) and Jerome Watts (bow) on board Shaw and Partners Financial Services for the challenge.
Otto Henry has had a very successful career in the 49er, 420, Moth and Optimist classes before having his first season in the 18s this year, while Jerome Watts has been competing in the 18s since his first campaign with Pedro Vozone on Ilve in the 2019-20 season.
Keagan's goal for the coming season is not surprising, "The goal is always to win the JJs. Everything from planning, to racing week to week, is for that one week in March."
The 'friendly rivalry' against the New Zealand Shaw and Partners Financial Services team will have to wait until the Giltinan World Championship as Keagan and his team won't be going to Auckland for the regatta in January 2027. "We are not going to NZ as Jerome and I have 16 nationals already booked in (on different boats) and I also have the nationals to defend".
Keagan first began competing in the 18s during the 2010-11 season as a crewmember on De'Longhi-Rabbitohs, skippered by Simon Nearn, and continued until he became a skipper of the self-sponsored Compassmarkets in 2014-15.
After three seasons, Keagan continued to self-sponsor his campaigns but changed the name of his future skiffs to Finport Finance until to the end of the 2024-25 season.
During the eight seasons of the 'Finport Finance era', Keagan and his teams were, with one exemption, never worse than seventh at the Giltinan World championship regatta.
His eleven years of sponsoring his own campaign changed in the 2025-26 season when he took over the helm of the Shaw and Partners Financial Services skiff. Keagan is naturally aware of what's important with the link between the competitor and sponsor, and is quick to say, "Earl (Evans) is very passionate about not only the Shaw's brand, but also about the team having the best possible chance of winning. It's great to have the support of a sponsor like that".
The first race of the season, Race 1 of the Sixt Spring Championship will be sailed next Sunday. The Australian 18 Footers League will have its usual spectator ferry on the course to capture the action while SailMedia will again film the live coverage, backed up by an expert commentary team. Watch on YouTube live.