18ft Skiffs: Queen of the Waves
by Frank Quealey 26 Jan 21:10 PST
1 February 2026
2025 Queen of the Waves, Casey Sexty looks straight ahead on Smeg © SailMedia
An annual tradition in Australian 18 footers sailing
When the fleet lines up next Sunday on Sydney Harbour for the annual Queen of the Waves race, it will continue the time-honoured race which was originally conducted in 1938, and incorporated a Queen of the Waves competition with the race raising funds for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Camperdown.
While the race still acknowledges the support of its followers and families, it is vastly different to the original activities associated with the event.
The aim of the League's administrators of the late 1930s was to use the money raised from the competition "to build a school at the hospital to have crippled children transported from their homes to the hospital, receive treatment and education, and then taken back home each day."
Business houses nominated a young lady from their staff to be their representative who would canvas everyone to support their campaign with 'penny votes' or sponsorship pledges. The young lady who received the highest number of votes was presented with an English Ford De Luxe Sedan motor car valued at 297 Australian pounds.
The top candidates were added to the regular crews of boats in the League's fleet and the young lady in the winning boat was awarded a prize of fifty Australian pounds and crowned 'Queen of the Waves'. The spectators following on the Club's ferries loved it.
Individuals and businesses co-operated with the League, and the scheme got off to a successful start when 'Queen' candidates raised more than $6,000, and plans were made to build the school on the Booth Street frontage of the hospital.
World unrest at the time halted the scheme and the $6,000 was handed to the hospital as a trust fund. Hospital authorities decided to build the school with other funds they had and named it the Fred Birks Activity School, and suggested that a wing of the school be named after the club.
The League weren't happy about that arrangement as donations by members were made specifically for the purpose of building the school. Finally, an agreement was reached for the club's funds to be used to take over a ward at the hospital, have it renovated, and used for in-patients along similar lines as the club had originally intended.
The incredible success of the competition in the early days was published by the League in 1973:
"The total amount donated to the hospital from 1937 to the present (1972) has reached $58,434. Added to this, the sum of $6,560 raised from the Ladies' Committee by competitions on the Official Ferry and other ferries, and donated to the hospital, making the grand total of $64,994."
A fleet of seventeen boats are expected to line up on Sunday to add to the tradition. Early boating weather conditions predict a 14kt North East breeze which should be perfect for the 2026 line up of 'Queens' looking to win the time-honoured title.
The Australian 18 Footers League will conduct the Balmain Cup on Friday from 5:30pm as well as the Queen of the Waves on Sunday, and SailMedia will live stream all the action on both days.
Links to the two days of SailMedia coverage are:
Balmain Cup, Friday:
Queen of the Waves, Sunday: