Australian champion team eyes the JJ Giltinan Trophy
Sports media commentators often use the phrase “a champion team will always beat a team of champions” but the reason why the champion Rag & Famish 18ft skiff team has been almost unbeatable in 2025 is because this “champion team is also a team of champions’.
The champion 2025 Rag & Famish Hotel crew is Harry Price (skipper), Max Paul (sheet) and Finn Rodowicz (bow), and the 2001 Giltinan Championship-winning team sponsor is having its 28th season as a partner with the Australian 18 Footers League.
Since coming together this season, the trio has been nearly unbeatable over the championship courses on Sydney Harbour and Waterloo Bay, Brisbane.
Their crew work in all conditions has been exceptional but their success is also the result of pre-race management and preparation, the ability to overcome race setback situations and a determination to maintain pressure on the competition throughout the entire course.
The team is a clear favourite to win the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan Championship, which begins on Sydney Harbour on Saturday, March 8.
ABCs long-time yachting and sailing commentator, Peter Shipway, who is also head of SailMedia’s expert commentary team, which covers all 18 footer racing on Sydney Harbour, is full of praise for the team and its ability.
“crew work is absolutely outstanding…right up with the best from over the years “
“mark roundings, whether it’s the leeward or windward mark hardly ever miss a beat …always gaining valuable seconds “
“if they get a poor start which is not often they always seem to extract themselves from the pack and to be in the leading group at the first mark “
“always very powerful downwind especially in a breeze with great boat handling”
The team’s leader and skipper, Harry Price has been skippering the Rag & Famish Hotel’s 18ft skiff team campaign since he joined the 18s in the 2021-22 season and, as well as his obvious sailing talent, his professional management approach to the program has definitely been the reason for its ongoing success.
Prior to his 18s career, Harry had already established a brilliant record as a youth sailor. He started match racing in 2017 and won nearly every youth match racing regatta in the world, including the 52nd annual Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship at Newport Beach, California.
In 2017, along with his team, Gus Williams and Tara Blanc-Ramos, Harry became the World Youth Match Racing Champion.
Harry and his DownUnder Racing team finished in 5th place at their first Match Racing World Championship in 2017, which moved him up the World Sailing Match Race Rankings, securing him his Tour Card for the 2018 World Match Racing Tour.
He was crowned the World Youth Match Racing Champion in 2017 and also scored third place at the 2022 World Match Racing Tour championship. Harry also won the Butler Cup in 2019, the Hardy Cup, a Sydney International Match Racing Regatta, in 2020 and came 2nd in the Australian Open Match Racing Championships in 2018.
Right from the start of his 18 footer career in the 2021-22 season, Harry has competed at the very top level. His three Giltinan Championship results include 3rd (2022), 4th (2023) an d 2nd (2024) and there is a strong possibility he, and his 2024-25 team, could go one better this year.
Harry and the 2024-25 team are also the current Australian and NSW champions.
Sheet hand Max Paul is having his second full season in the 18s, having done the 2021-22 season on Balmain Slake with Henry Larkings and Flynn Twomey.
According to Max, “I have spent the last six years sailing the 49er, alongside various other classes, and in 2024 I just missed Olympic selection with Tom Burton. I then switched focus to the Youth America’s Cup with Andoo Team Australia, where we finished 5th.”
“Tom Needham and I were co-trimmers on the AC40. Ironically, he will now be the skipper of Yandoo, probably our biggest danger, at the JJs”
“After last year’s JJ Gilitinan, Harry and I discussed teaming up for this season in the 18s and Harry ended up being the primary coach for the Andoo Team Australia Youth Cup Challenge, so we spent a lot of time together planning how to attack this season.”
Assessing the season so far, Max thinks “the key to our success this year has been our ability to be consistent across the wind range and give ourselves chances to make overtakes by utilising our solid boat handling. We haven’t always been the fastest skiff, or had the best starts and often make a few mistakes, but we have been able to find different ways to win and make overtakes when necessary.”
“The Rag and Famish Team has been awesome this year. Pete (Calligeros) has been our number one supporter and Harry, Finn and I have formed a really solid team.”
Adding, “Harry is one of the most gifted sailors I have sailed with. He combines an elite level of tactical and strategic awareness with great feel and is clinical around the racecourse.”
“Finn is still very young and is full of energy and despite not being the biggest bowman in the fleet, works harder than anyone particularly on the days where most of the fleet is in the tide. Finn and I have built a strong partnership in the front of the boat and reap the rewards when conditions get challenging and boat handling is at a premium.”
“The Rag’s spectacular, winning form has already been a problem for the rest of the fleet, so Max’s comment won’t make it any easier, “We are still looking to improve every time we hit the water as we know the JJs will be another big challenge with a high quality international fleet adding to other local champions like Yandoo and Finport. If we continue to push the development of our equipment and boat handling, I am confident we will continue to find ways to win.”
Speaking with bowman Finn Rodowicz, hearing the enthusiasm he projects, knowing his skill and desire to be a winner, and it becomes easy to understand why an astute operator like Harry Price offered him a ride on the 18 in the 2023-24 season.
He started sailing “around the harbour on yachts with my dad from the age of 4 and spent a lot of time at the Vaucluse Yacht Club while dad raced his Laser, before my family moved to Annecy, a small lakeside town in the French Alps, when I was 7”
“I started sailing in Optimists, but sailed anything I could find. If the forecast was soft I would crew for dad in his Star, if it was fresh, I would take out an old Hobie 16 with my mates. In wintertime we would race in downhill skiing in the morning and rip around in the Hobie in the evening.”
“Although the area wasn’t great for sailing, it was where I fell in love with sailing; especially fast boats, so when we moved back to Sydney (I was 15) the 29er seemed like the most logical move.”
“With no connections in the youth sailing community I put an ad on the 29er association website asking if anyone needed a crew and eventually heard from someone at Hunters Hill Sailing Club who said they were after a skipper.”
“Never having raced high performance boats, I had a rocky start, finishing 13th in Silver fleet at my first nationals in 2020. Funnily enough I was coached by Fang Warren (now sheet hand on the current Giltinan world champion Yandoo, which is likely to be The Rag’s biggest threat to winning the 2025 title)”
“Later, I started to crew for Ryan Ewings in his 29er but unfortunately it was limited in the competitions due to COVID, although we still trained every week with Larry Cargill which is where my skiff foundations were developed.”
“I owe much of where I am today in sailing to Ryan and his dad “Gill”, who opened so many doors and opportunities which eventually led me to fill in on Bryce Edwards’ 16ft skiff at St George SC. I remember it was a 20-25 knot cold westerly and I was instantly hooked on the thrills and spills that skiffs offered.”
“Every Sunday, I would come home from Hunters Hill SC club and watch the 18 footers on TV with dad, so when I got a call to fill in on Lazarus Development with Hugo Stoner for the first race of the 2021-22 season on the Lazarus Development with Hugo Stoner I instantaneously said yes. Although I swore that I wouldn’t sail on the boat again, it left me hungry for more 18s.”
“I spent the 21/22 season sailing in the bow of a 16, but I knew I wanted to sail 18s. It was around this time that I started coaching for the Scots College sailing program, and where I got to know the other coaches: Hugo Stoner, Darcy McCracken, Lachlan Steel, Alex Marinelli, Hugo Leeming and Harry Price; all of whom sailed 18s (and all who will be competing in the Giltinan Championship).”
“I was back in France on holidays in July 2022 when I got a call from Jerome Watts asking if I would sail on the Kitchen Maker with him and Lachlan Steel for the next season. I couldn’t believe my luck, it was honestly a dream come true. I learned a lot about 18s and had heaps of good times, although we had a tough 22/23 season, finishing 21st at the JJs out of 24 boats.”
“I became frustrated and decided to sit out the 23/24 season and focus on the 16ft skiff I was sailing with Ryan Ewings and Matt Doyle, but I filled in here and there on the Lazarus with Tom Cunich early in the season, and we had some wins which was good fun.”
“Three days before the start of the 2023 Sydney-Hobart, I was sitting in the bar at the CYCA when Harry Price asked if I wanted to do the rest of the season on the Rag & Famish with him and Josh McKnight. I couldn’t believe the opportunity I was being handed and jumped on the offer.”
“Despite being unable to beat Yandoo when it came to the JJs, that half-season drew me back to the class for a second shot at the JJs in the 24/25 season.”
The Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan World Trophy Championship will be sailed on Sydney Harbour from March 8-16. The Australian 18 Footers League will have a spectator ferry following each of the nine races of the Giltinan Championship and SailMedia will live stream every race of the regatta, including the invitation race on Friday March 7.
Current ‘List of Entries’ are:
Yandoo (Aust) Tom Needham, Fang Warren, Lewis Brake
Rag & Famish Hotel (Aust) Harry Price, Max Paul, Finn Rodowicz
Finport Finance (Aust) Keagan York, Angus Williams, Phil Marshall
Black Knight (Germany) Heinrich von Bayern, Thomas Martin, Andy Martin
ASCC (NZ) Eli Liefting, Adam Mustill, Josh Schon
Balmain (Aust) Henry Larkings, Tom Grimes, Flynn Twomey
Big Foot Bags and Covers (Aust-Q) Dave Hayter, Ben Roxburgh, Elliott Mahar
Lazarus Capital Partners (Aust) Tom Cunich, Josh Feldmann, Paddy Bannon
C-Tech (NZ) Alex Vallings, Matt Steven, Brad Collins
Burrawang-Young Henrys (Aust) Simon Nearn, Max Nearn, Tom Quigley
Marine Outlet (Aust) Josh Porebski, Cam Gundy, Charlie Gundy
Vaikobi (Aust) Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson, Daniel Barnett
Sixt (Aust) Jacob Marks, Alex Marinelli, Matt Doyle
Smeg (Aust) Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruikshank, Jack Taylor
Team Vic (Aust-Victoria) Scott Cunningham, Brody Riley, Dave Cunningham
The Kitchen Maker (Aust) Lachlan Steel, Jerome Watts, Darcy McCracken
WLTH (Aust-Q) Josh Sloman, George Morton, Angus Barker
The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Aust) Hugo Stoner, Hugo Leeming, Daniel Watson
Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Aust) Emma Rankin, Brandon Buyink, James Turner
Akarana Eatery (NZ) Tim Howse, Ollie Gilmour, Pat Morgan
Noakes (Aust) Bec Hancock, Cam Walker, Ben Kirkby
Honda Marine (NZ) Harry Butler, Olly Lloyd, Tony Fitzgerald
Gotcha4Life (Aust) David Lightfoot, William Dargaville, Michael Kennedy
18 Footers Bar and Restaurant (Aust) Luca Gambacorti. Nathan Byrne, Nic Livermore
Big Pete (Germany) Mickey Martin, Tami Baumann, Benni Bohringer
Hoefle Haus (Germany) Holger Hoefle, tba, tba
UK91 (UK) Luke Goble, tba, tba
Allen (UK) tba, tba, tba
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
