Rod Zemanek doesn’t have the same high profile in 18 footer history as many other leading skippers over the past 100 years, but he was certainly one of the best during a sailing career which was shortened by a business career which forced him to travel overseas.
In a full-time skippering career in the 18s, totalling just four seasons, Rod won the Australian Championship and was runner-up twice in the World Championship (one of those in the first-ever sail-off to determine the winner).
Rod honed his skills in the VJ class before he began sailing on the 16ft skiffs as a sheet hand in 1959 and over the next four seasons did a lot of sailing each weekend in both the VJs and 16s, winning an Australian 16ft skiff Championship and being runner-up in the VJ nationals.
In the 1966-67 season, he moved into the 18s where he skippered Minamit and “started to test the four men on trapeze idea, “with me being the skipper out on a wire as well as the crew”.
The following season he filled in on Daily Telegraph for regular skipper Ken Beashel, when Ken was sailing his champion 16 footer Elvina Bay, but it wasn’t until the 1968-69 season that we began to see the real class of Rod Zemanek in the 18s.
Anyone fortunate enough to see the Bill Barnett-built Willie B will never forget the style of the boat and the performances of Rod Zemanek, as skipper, and his excellent crew of Ian Perdriau, Bob Ferris and John ‘Steamer’ Stanley.
According to Rod, “Willie B was my purpose-built design for ‘four on the wire’, built by Billy Barnett. Sails were by Jack Hamilton, who took the challenge and built my high aspect design sails, and a big rig 4ft taller than any previous 18ft skiff.”
“The so-called ‘tall ship’ was a handful early but a winner with the excellent crew.”
“After just three months of sailing since launch, we were involved in a famous dead-heat sail-off for the 1969 worlds on the Brisbane River. In 1969-70 we won the Australian Championship then were runner-up in the 1970 World Championship on Sydney Harbour.”
“The Willie B was the first 18ft skiff where the skipper was on the wire purposefully 100% of the time and started the new trend in 18ft skiff sailing, high aspect sails and high-power crews all out of the boat.”
On his return home to Australia, Rod ended his skiff career as President of the Flying 11 association in 1996 and recalls having fleets of more than 100 boats starting in regattas.
In 2024, Rod’s passion for “skiffs being an essential part of Australian sailing’ that has led him to seek out the support of the skiff fraternity to “encourage the Skiff Clubs to amalgamate for a cause –“the long term success of Australian sailing and its sailors.”
As Rod rightly claims, “Australian sailing is rated highly across the world in competitive sailing sports and has ‘punched above its weight’ in sailing world sports.”
“Our skiff sailors have provided skippers and crews for the world’s premier yachting and sailing events.”
“The secret weapon is the open boat sailing known as skiffs.”
Rod’s aim to encourage Skiff Clubs and skiffies, “I’d like to set in motion a movement to preserve and develop this unique Australian skiff system and to develop it into an open door for our youth from whatever background to enter sailing, experience skiffs, and go on to train to become skilled skiff sailors, following the method/experience and opportunity afforded to me as a child.”
“Each Skiff Club could become a short course sail training centre 5 days per week for schools and youth from areas away from water as a gateway to enter the sailing sport. A feeder system to provide skippers and crews for the whole sailing and yachting scene, a need currently lacking in the sport.”
“Our skiff sailors, builders, and designers have led the world in development and use of specialized sailing craft.”
“I hope my thoughts can stimulate a movement to enable Australian skiffies, and Skiff clubs to join and progress this unique section of the sailing sport and maintain our unique heritage which was forged in Sydney Harbour by the early skiff sailors.”
NOTE: The 2024-25 Australian 18 Footers League season on Sydney Harbour commences on Sunday 13 October when the club will stage Race 1 of the SIXT Spring Championship.
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
