When the Australian 18 Footers League’s 2025-26 season starts on Sydney Harbour on Sunday, October 12, one of the long-time skiff sponsors back for the 15th continuous season is The Kitchen Maker, which will be skippered by Lachlan Steel, who is having his 5th season at the helm of a TKM-sponsored skiff.

Darren McKavanagh, the owner of the custom kitchen joinery specialist The Kitchen Maker, was already an 18 footer competitor from 2001, when he sailed with Greg Windust and Daryl Milham on an 18 named Total Recall, prior to TKM becoming a skiff sponsor from the 2010-11 season.

He recalled “It was a huge learning curve as I had only sailed Flying 11s before then. Greg was a family friend who I sailed Flying 11s with and against. Clynton Wade-Lehman then joined us as a skipper for the 2004 JJ Giltinan World Championship and we sailed under the South African Flag on the skiff named 7 Sunrise.”

“I sailed a variety of different 18s before deciding to sponsor my own boat. A lot of my work had come through sailing contacts, so I thought it would be nice to give back and also touch base with a bigger market of sailors and good contacts.”

“In my first year of sponsorship, I sailed with Brett Van Munster, which was a good experience as I learned a lot. Then Cameron McDonald, who was an old friend, took over the skipper role and we had a great time.”

“Prior to the 2012-13 season, I bumped into Malcolm Page, who was also an old sailing friend, and I asked if he would like to sail 18s again. When he said yes, I asked him if he would like to sail on The Kitchen Maker with me and, without any hesitation, he said yes.”

“I was shocked, then spent the next two years sailing with Malcolm and Cameron. It was another huge learning curve, and great fun sailing with good mates.”

Malcolm Page skippered The Kitchen Maker for two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) followed by John Sweeny (2014-15), Andrew Chapman (2015-16) and former Giltinan World champion Stephen Quigley in the 2016-17 season.

In the 2017-18 season, The Kitchen Maker sponsorship achieved its greatest success when Scott Babbage skippered her to victory, along with his two young teammates Tom Quigley and Sam Ellis, in the NSW Championship.

The rookie team later finished 10th at the 2018 JJ Giltinan World Championship.

It was Scott’s one and only season as skipper in the 18s after having scored five consecutive Giltinan World championship victories as sheet hand on Gotta Love It 7 (from 2011-2015, inclusive) with Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton (four times (2011, 12, 14 and 15) and Peter Harris (once, in 2013).

Jordan Girdis became the skipper of The Kitchen Maker in 2018-19 and competed consistently well for three seasons before Lachlan Steel took over at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, and will again lead the TKM team this year.

Whether you are on the League’s spectator ferry on magnificent Sydney Harbour or sitting in a living room or club somewhere around the world, you can watch every action-packed 18 footer race LIVE during the season.

The club’s ferry leaves Double Bay Public Wharf, alongside the clubhouse, each race day at 2pm, while SailMedia’s professional Livestream team gets right in among the action to bring viewers a brilliant coverage, backed by expert commentary from the race track.

The Australian 18 Footers League’s 2025-26 season will start on October 12 with Race 1 of the six-race Spring Championship. The League will also conduct the NSW Championship in December, the Australian in January and the JJ Giltinan World Championship from March 6, 2026.

Australian 18 Footers League’s full 2025-26 season race calendar here.

by Frank Quealey