Please select your home edition
Edition
GOAT Marine

18ft Skiffs: Patrick Corrigan, AM - 30 years of 18ft Skiff sponsorship

by Frank Quealey 14 Jun 2020 05:57 BST
A 1970s four-handed Corrigans Express © Archive

Mr. Patrick Corrigan, AM is an Australian businessman, focused mainly in the freight industry, an art collector, jazz enthusiast and philanthropist, who was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia medal in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Fortunately, Patrick's love of our sport also benefited Sydney 18ft Skiff Racing for many years.

His first involvement came in 1969 when he sponsored Vic Robinson, in Corrigans Express, at the 1969 JJ Giltinan world Championship. It was a time when fleet numbers and development to maintain the high standards in the 18s, was heavily dependent on the sponsorship dollars from corporations and individuals.

It had been just four years since TraveLodge Hotels and became the first big sponsorship in the class.

Patrick's support continued with another skiff for Vic Robinson in the early 1970s. He then added Express Livestock (for a young up-and-coming team) to a two-boat sponsorship program.

His wonderful support of 18ft Skiff Racing continued throughout the 1970s with a series of Mitchell Cotts Freight skiffs for a variety of skippers, before the next stage of his sponsorship history came in the 1980s when he sponsored John (Woody) Winning in the Mitchell Cotts skiff.

As costs rose dramatically during the early part of the 1980s, Patrick was obviously pressed to continue his sponsorship at a high level but showed his business skill when he came up with a multi-sponsor combination of individual corporations in his quest to win a JJ Giltinan world Championship.

His boat raced as Southern Cross with the logos of all individual sponsors featured on the mainsails and spinnakers. Robert Brown was the skipper and the boat contested the 1988 Giltinan regatta on Sydney Harbour.

A complicated rule had been introduced for the 1987-1988 Season, which related to what was declared a new or previously used sail. The intent was to try and restrict escalating costs in the sport as fleets were dwindling.

Unfortunately, the rules created confusion and a controversial protest was lodged which led to a decision to declare Southern Cross and Chesty Bond (Trevor Barnabas) joint champions.

Patrick was never really satisfied with the 'shared' victory and continued his sponsorship support of young sailors during the early 1990s in an attempt to win the championship outright.

David Witt and Anthony Young went close to giving Patrick the outright victory he wanted so badly, but it wasn't until Stephen Quigley skippered AEI-Pace Express in 1996 before Patrick finally achieved his goal of winning the JJ Giltinan world 18ft Skiff Championship outright.

Having achieved his goal, was it time for Patrick to pull the pin?

No way, he was a true, loyal supporter of 18ft Skiff Racing and continued to sponsor people like US champion Howie Hamlin, Emery Worldwide, into the early 2000s.

So why did Patrick continue to sponsor 18ft Skiffs for more than 30 years? His simple answer, "It's a three letter word - FUN."

"I sponsor a number of different things in sport as well as the arts. The reason I do it is simple, I like to have fun."

"I've always had fun sponsoring the 18s and enjoyed watching the skiffs. It was also a good way to give the company's staff an interest outside the day-to-day workplace."

Sponsorship has always been a great way for corporations and smaller companies to show their colours on Sydney Harbour, entertain business associates and boost staff morale as Patrick did for more than 30 years.

Related Articles

A look back at the 2003 18ft Skiff JJ Giltinan
The closest of 76 regattas in the greatest championship The recent JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship regatta produced some nervous moments for the Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake during the 'crazy' westerly conditions of the last race Posted on 30 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 7
The Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake wrap up the win The Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake became the world 18 footer champions after scoring a brilliant victory in the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship, which concluded on Sydney Harbour today. Posted on 16 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 6
Yandoo in pole position going into Sunday's final race The Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake went into today's Race 8 on Sydney Harbour with a two points lead over Finport Finance, its closest challenger to retaining the coveted title. Posted on 15 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 5
A critical race going into the weekend's final two races With just one point separating the two leading contenders for the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship, today's Race 7 of the nine-race regatta was going to be critical going into the weekend's final two races. Posted on 13 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 4
Races 5 and 6 were light and shifty Today's wind was light and shifty as it was yesterday, but the results of the two short-course races was vastly different, which has added to the drama of the final three races of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship. Posted on 12 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 3
Light winds and low visibility no barrier for the faultless Yandoo team Two short-course races with rain and light, variable easterly conditions on Day 3 of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship made little difference to the incredible performance being shown by the defending champion Yandoo team. Posted on 11 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 2
Defending champions score second consecutive win The defending champion Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake gave a brilliant display of speed and tactical sailing to totally dominate the top end of the highly-talented teams to score its second consecutive win. Posted on 9 Mar
Winnings JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship Day 1
A great opening race on Sydney Harbour for the 28 teams In the typically light, sometimes fluky Easterly conditions which prevailed for Race 1, the defending champion Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake took the opening day's honours with a 1m9s victory. Posted on 8 Mar
JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Invitation Race
Yandoo prepares to defend the title As we move toward Saturday's first race of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, the defending champion Yandoo team faces a strong line-up of local, interstate and international challengers. Posted on 7 Mar
18ft Skiff Club Championship race 13
Harry Price, Max Paul and Finn Rodowicz already had Club Championship won prior to today's race The Australian champion team of Harry Price, Max Paul & Finn Rodowicz already had the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship won prior to today's race so much of the interest focused on race being a final hit-out for the teams ahead of the JJs. Posted on 2 Mar