With a long and storied association with sailing on Sydney Harbour, sailing sponsorship is a prized and enduring fixture on our summer calendar, starting over 15 years ago with Kookaburra and Spirit, two 75ft America’s Cup yachts. Since then, we’ve championed Transpac 52 (TP52) class Miss Scarlett and 5.5 International class Sic Em Rex II, as well as the 16ft and 13ft skiffs at Manly.
2024/25 imei 16ft skiff racing
With multi-national champions, sheet hand Trent Barnabas and forward hand Rob Napper onboard our 16ft skiff, we’ve been thrilled to see them add to their already impressive collection of wins and titles in the years since our sponsorship began in 2019.
But sailing the 16-footers is never a breeze as the 2023/24 season proved. In what was a blip on an otherwise distinguished run of results, a host of medical and mechanical issues combined to frustrate the crew and proved difficult to navigate around. That said, the crew still managed to end the season with a valiant top 10 place.
So, to the start of the 2024/25 season, there was no surprise to see the imei crew was hungry to reassert their dominance on the imei boat that had undergone a full strip and rebuild. Joining Barnabas and Napper for the Australian 16ft Championship was young rookie, teenager Joel Beashel. On shore, the crew was assisted by Trevor Barnabas and Adam Beashel.
Australian Champions
Working like a well-oiled machine in the national regatta, the crew notched up three runners-up placings, as well as a third and a fourth placing, putting them well ahead of their nearest rival and capping off a thrilling series of races by being crowned Australian champions. With the win, Barnabas claims a third Australian 16ft title, Napper gets a fifth, and Beashel gets a maiden victory at just 16 years of age.
imei’s sponsorship of skiff racing this year included the 13ft skiff racing team. Our crew had a great run at Harvey Bay for the 2025 Nationals and finished in a commendable 6th position out of 21 boats. Then just last weekend, on the last race day of the season, the imei 13ft skiff finished second overall in the club championships and short course point score series.
Meanwhile, Tim in his 5.5 International class Sic Em Rex II also impressed, taking a win PHS in the International 5.5m Australian Championship 2025, organised by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
