SMEG Australia's 30 years of 18ft Skiff Racing
by Frank Quealey 22 Jul 00:56 PDT
Championship winning record for League's long term partner
SMEG Australia's 30-year boat-sponsoring partnership with the Australian 18 Footers League has been a wonderful association which has produced five JJ Giltinan World championships, two Australian, three NSW and seven Club championships for SMEG while providing consistently top line boats for some of the best skippers and crews in the class since 1996.
It's an association which has extended beyond the skiff sponsorship and has included SMEG staff and business associates' regular attendance within the League's harbour-side clubhouse facilities and the club's spectator ferry.
It goes back to 1996-97 when SMEG began sponsoring 18ft skiffs at the Australian 18 Footers League.
Speaking about the 30-year continuous sponsorship, SMEG's Administration Manager Chris Norman recalls it was the result of a telephone call from John Winning leading up to the start of the 1996-97 season.
"Allan King, the then Commercial Business Manager of SMEG, convinced then Managing Director Jim Woodward that the backdrop of the bridge, opera house and the harbour-front was an ideal opportunity to bring our customers and their partners to lunch in the club, then enjoy the afternoon on the ferry watching the skiffs against the backdrop of the harbour."
Trevor Barnabas was selected to skipper a skiff named Omega Smeg-2UE and, along with his son Trent on the sheet and Rod Howell in the bow, won three Giltinan World titles, two in 1997 (one on Sydney Harbour and one in Europe) and another one in Sydney in 1998.
It was a brilliant start to SMEG's sponsorship with the 18 footers and set a standard of quality that has continued over the following twenty-eight seasons.
When Barnabas retired, Sydney 2000 Olympian Daniel Phillips took over as skipper and there have been a number of high-achieving skippers controlling the SMEG racing program over the following seasons.
Nick Press, one of the all-time great Inter-dominion 12ft skiff champions, took over between 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons before the 1999 Giltinan world champion and highly acclaimed international 'big boat' skipper, David Witt followed in 2014-15.
SMEG's fourth world championship victory followed when legendary Australian 16 footer champion Lee Knapton, took out the 2016 title.
When Lee retired at the end of 2017-18, three-times Giltinan worlds champion Michael Coxon became SMEG's sixth skipper in the following season and continued (with one exception in 2019-20) until 2022-23 before he also retired from the class.
During his time, Michael gave SMEG its fifth World Championship victory in 2021 when he led a team including Trent Barnabas, from the original SMEG 1996 champion, and Ricky Bridge, from Lee Knapton's 2016 winning team.
Nathan McNamara led the SMEG campaign for two seasons before Ashlen 'Ash' Rooklyn returned, after an eight season's absence from the 18s, to become the latest SMEG skipper in 2025-26.
Ash Rooklyn will again lead the SMEG team in 2026-27, SMEG's 31st continuous season of 18ft skiff sponsorship with the Australian 18 Footers League.
Ash won two Australian Match Racing titles in 2011 and 2012, and competed extensively in Europe and the US before having two seasons in the 18 footers between 2015 and 2017, but by 2018 he felt "burnt out" and wanted to get out of sailing completely. He "re-set" his goals and moved into motor sport, Motorcross, where he won the 2024 Peter Dow Memorial Series.
With the re-set out of his system, it was time to go back to sailing so Ash looked to prospects at the League for the 2024-25 season as his "priority is always the 18s."
With an attitude of doing the right thing by both himself and the sponsor, nothing came out of the 2024-25 enquiry, but that all changed in 2025-26 when one of the options from the League was to become skipper for the SMEG-sponsored team.
Ash recalls, "It was the right choice and I jumped at the opportunity."
It was perfect for Ash, "It was a privilege to represent the SMEG brand which was a long-time sponsor in the class, and was also a former sponsor of my father during his motor racing career."
Adding, "Everything I thought about SMEG is true. Chris Norman and SMEG have been very supportive so far and I couldn't have asked for better support during my first season back in 2025-26."
Settling back in after a break from the 18s, Ash and the team had the usual growing pains but he showed these were merely a speed bump and he showed his real ability by leading the SMEG team to victory in one of the races at the 2026 Giltinan World Championship.
Another contact with SMEG in the 2026-27 season will be the inclusion of Ricky Bridge in the team, as Ricky was a member of SMEG's 2016 and 2021 world champion teams with Lee Knapton and Michael Coxon, and will be a great asset to the 2026-27 campaign.
Ash Rooklyn is very excited about Ricky agreeing to join the team. "I want to sail with people I respect on and off the water."
"I filled in a few times on SMEG when he was in the team and he took time to help me. His style brings the best out in me and I have spoken to him about us sailing together. I'm really excited to be finally sailing with him in 2026-27."
Ash doesn't like setting goals for the season, preferring to aim for consistency, however he does have an ultimate goal of winning a Giltinan world championship at some time.
Ash's father, Warwick, is a past winner in the 16s and 18 footers and was also a long time commentator of the 18s with both the Australian 18 Footers League and Grand Prix Sailing, but these days will be on the side line, helping Ash and the SMEG program when required.
Warwick's association with SMEG/Omega Smeg as his major sponsor in the early 2000s was with his Rally Team, which won the Australian F2 Rally Championship as well as wins and podiums in major Tarmac Rallys around Australia.
Warwick recalls, "I had a great relationship with SMEG with the Rally Team. We travelled around Australia to every State and Territory for a few seasons and engaged with SMEG's agents and clients with different corporate ride events both in the Forests and Stadiums."
Adding, "Great company and great people to be involved with."
Ash is also thankful to the Australian 18 Footers League for giving him the opportunity and for SMEG and people such as Pat Langley, Vaikobi, for their support.
The Australian 18 Footers League's President Simon Nearn understands the value of supporters such as SMEG. "Like a championship crew, great partnerships are built on trust, commitment and a shared vision. For many years, SMEG has stood beside the 18 Footers through championship victories, unforgettable races and the continued evolution of our sport."
"They've become more than a sponsor—they've become part of our story. Together we've shown that the most successful partnerships don't just support success on the water; they help create it, while building brands and delivering lasting value for everyone involved."
According to SMEG's Chris Norman, "SMEG is a family owned company and the idea of inviting partners was to make them feel they were welcomed into the family. It is not just business with SMEG but a relationship and that extends out from there."
"Nearly every weekend you will find SMEG staff hosting delegates of retailers, designers, architects and builders and their partners in the club for lunch and then onto the ferry."
"Over the years SMEG has also had retailer staff participate in the annual Queen of the Harbour as well as our own internal female staff. We have won a few Queen of the Harbour races with both on board over the years."
"This year we decided we wanted to step up our association with the club in terms of marketing and promotion of the SMEG brand, not only on the skiff, but by cross advertising on social media, discounts on purchases for members via the weekly Club Newsletter and showcasing new product releases in the club main lounge."
"The marketing department is now fully immersed into the relationship and we will be looking to build on this next year."
It's no wonder the 30-year partnership between SMEG Australia and the Australian 18 Footers League will continue and go into its 31st year when the 2026-27 season commences on Sydney Harbour in October.