18ft Skiff Academy Success - Graduates who have what it takes
by Frank Quealey 10 Dec 05:55 UTC
Sotheby's Ballard Property crew © SailMedia
Sporting organisations don't always 'get it right' when they try something different to improve the competition or overall standard within their ranks, so it's good to be able to praise the Australian 18 Footers League for taking an unprecedented decision in 2023 to establish an Academy to encourage more females into the then 131-year-old class.
The two successful graduates from the 2023 Academy were Emma Rankin and Bec Hancock, who joined the League's 2023-24 season fleet and, in the meantime have become well entrenched in the fleet and are having a very successful season in 2025-26.
Emma is the skipper of Club Marine and has Jed Cruikshank and Brandon Buyink in her team. Bec is skipper of Sotheby's Ballard Property and has Cam Walker and Ed Swain in her team.
Despite the extremely difficult conditions that have prevailed throughout the entire first nine weeks of the season, both teams have recorded personal best results as well as good close racing against teams with much more experience to call upon.
Club Marine's victory in Race 2 of the NSW Championship created a record for Emma Rankin, who became the first female skipper to win a NSW Championship race.
Emma and Bec aren't succeeding because they are females, they are successful for the same reasons as any winning sportsperson. They have confidence in their ability, they are prepared to do the hard work, they prepare well for their competition, they have determination, they have a good team with them, and they have a winning attitude.
Having watched both for two seasons, it was obvious that they both had all of those qualities, so it came as no surprise to see the 2025-26 season success that has come to both.
I was interested to get each one's thoughts about the two-year journey, as both have had to 'do it tough' prior to having the successes they now enjoy.
Prior to joining the 18s, Emma's record included, 2016 and 2017 NS14 National Champion, 2018 Australian Women's Match Racing National Champion, 2019 Governor's Cup Youth Match Racing America (9th Place), 2022 and 2023 Formula 16 Catamaran National Champion, 2023 Hobie 16 Woman's State and National Champion, and 2023 Formula 18 Catamaran National Championship (6th place)
On meeting her for the first time in 2023, I got the impression she was a quietly determined competitor and, despite lacking the usual size of an 18 footer sailor, she would not be overawed by competing against the world's top 18 footer sailors on Sydney Harbour.
She acknowledged the question of size at that time and said, "If you told me a year ago that I would be steering an 18 foot skiff, I would look at you with disbelief, as physically I'm not big and chunky and definitely not the ideal 18 footer skiff sailor."
According to Emma in 2025, "The League has been a big driver in getting woman into the class. Without them providing the opportunity to get involved, I wouldn't be sailing an 18 today."
"Sailing 18s is a team effort, so having two experienced crew members and a well set up boat in my first year was a huge leg up. In some way I had it a bit too easy.... "
"My second season, I didn't have any regular crew members on the books. I was dropped in the deep end, I remember driving home with the boat and wondering what I had signed myself up for, and boy, was I in for a rough ride. The stress of finding crew each week and trying to meet the expectations of the sponsor, as well as dealing with miscommunication and poor planning between the club, sponsor and myself. It was draining and I didn't look forward to racing each Sunday."
"I knew if I could get to the end of the season, there was the opportunity to entice some good crew for the JJs. That almost didn't happen until Maritimo and Michael Spies came along and organised Joel Turner to sail with Brando and me."
"We got so close with Joel and Brando, but I made a mistake at the top mark, hitting it and dragging it. We did a penalty turn and finished the race in 3rd place, which was still a fantastic achievement, but it was nice to redeem ourselves."
Emma was looking forward to this season with an upgraded hull and a new sponsor, but had to be patient due to circumstances beyond everyone's control when the upgraded Finport Finance hull, was delayed in transit on return from Lake Garda.
"We kept our current suite of sails and rigs from the previous boat, but every skiff is set up differently so it's been a challenge to get everything to fit. We spent two days in the North Sails car park fitting the rigs and sails to the new hull. New signage then had to go on the hull in the same week. It was a massive push to get it all done in time for the next Sunday."
"I've learnt from the mistakes last year. I think that's showed so far this season. I'm more organised, we have a spreadsheet of everyone's availability and a fresh sponsor who's interested in myself and my teams journey to improve. The guys are eager to be there and, I've learnt a lot from Jed and Brando."
"I think the JJs is going to be one of the most competitive in the class' history. There's a lot of good teams hitting the water with new boats. I'm aiming to be in top 10 again for the JJ's and improve on our results from last year. It's really exciting because we have a list of things we know we can improve, and we can get the boat moving faster.
The determination and will to win was rewarded with the victory in the NSW Championship race, "It was fantastic to finally join all the dots and win a race! It's been a goal of mine, since I started sailing the 18s. It's even more exciting that it's happened in the new boat and with a fill in sheethand, Aron Everett."
"It's been so rewarding to see it come together so successfully. I have a big thank you say to Brando, Jed and North Sails for their assistance with bringing the whole package together."
She's not about to sit around and wait for everything to happen, "There's still a lot to do but I have no doubt we'll make it all work."
Bec Hancock started sailing at Northbridge SC as an 11-year-old and was in the NSW Youth Sailing Team all through her youth career. The highlight was winning the Nacra 15 Youth World Championship, Australian Championship and Australian Youth Championship.
She says she got the bug after going for a sail with Yvette Heritage on the Noakes Blue skiff. "After that, I was determined to sail 18s!"
"I joined the women's 18 footer winter training program (Academy) and got selected to sail the Noakes Youth alongside Andrea, and we shared skippering without having permanent team members. I eventually took over as sole skipper and battled to find both a sheethand and bowman every single weekend."
"I found it incredibly difficult to try and teach a new crew how to sail the boat every weekend when I myself was still trying to learn how to steer the 18. It was difficult showing up to the race every Sunday already exhausted and defeated."
"Completing the first JJs with Lindsay Stead and Brandon Buyink, was a rocky ride but sailing 10 days straight was a huge learning curve."
"The second season with Cam Walker on the sheet, who also taught me to sail as my instructor at Northbridge, was exhausting as we had no permanent bowman, and had to find fill-ins every weekend. But we were slowly improving."
"There were moments of potential in my second JJs with Ben Kirkby and Cam Walker, but I lacked confidence in myself and the boat. In one super fun light easterly race, we rounded the first top mark in the top 5 and finished just outside of the top 10. It was a super fun regatta which sparked a determination to go to Garda."
"I sailed in Garda this winter with Jack Taylor and Cam Walker, and had an absolutely unforgettable experience. The experience and skill really came into play with the tricky 25knot conditions and big waves every day. I learnt so much and gained valuable confidence for the new season."
"This is my first season with a consistent team of Ed Swain and Cam Walker. Having a new boat and dedicated team, going into the start of the season I was confident we would finally be able to show our abilities."
"Saying that, if you had told me three months ago that we would be fighting for podium positions, I wouldn't have believed you. I think we were all really shocked at just how competitive we have been so far this season. We are thrilled to see our long hours of boat work and training are paying off."
"Both of the boys on my team are incredibly dedicated and hard-working, we all have that competitive streak that drives us to keep improving every week. Ed has done a fantastic job, jumping straight into his first 18s season with so much enthusiasm and energy and I am so thankful to Cam; he is incredibly talented and has stuck by me every step of the way. He has taught me so much, without him I doubt I would still be sailing 18s."
"We are all super excited to see where this season takes us, because believe me, we still have more potential."
"We are so grateful to have our new sponsor on board for this season; it takes a lot of trust to sponsor a small female skipper in a fleet of experienced men, but they put their faith in us and we are keen to make them proud."
"Looking back on my journey, I can't believe how far I've come in such a short amount of time. There were days I questioned what I was doing, whether I was even good enough to sail the 18s.
But I refused to quit, and looking back I don't regret a moment."
"This is only the beginning."
Emma and Bec are not the only winners in this story. The Australian 18 Footers League was a winner due to the success of its initiative, and the 18 footers class was a winner because it got two talented young sailors into its ranks, who they may never have had without this opportunity.
Emma and Bec are role models for other talented young females, and males, who are prepared to back their talent with hard work, good preparation and a strong 'will to succeed'.
The NSW Championship continues next Sunday when the League will stage Races 5 and 6. Yandoo has the lead (before each team discards its worst performance) with a total of 9 points, followed by Balmain 10, Rag & Famish Hotel 17, Smeg 26, Sixt 28, Shaw and Partners Financial Services 29, Vaikobi 31, Club Marine 32, Lazarus Capital Partners 35, The Kitchen Maker 36, Sotheby's Ballard Property 44, The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines 45, Killer Coffee Co 47, Fisher & Paykel 48.
The League's spectator ferry leaves Double Bay Wharf at 2pm next Sunday to follow the races and SailMedia will livestream all the action: