On This Day – 17 June. A Newspaper History of Sailing

by Richard Crockett

From the overwhelming response I receive from these posts, from all over the world I may add, the interest is cranking up rapidly and I am being connected with some wonderful people thirsty for more. Thank you all who have made contact.

Should you wish to copy, forward or share material from here, PLEASE acknowledge the source as: Sourced From the SAILING Mag Archives & Historical Records.

To read the full reports, click on the LINK following each headline.

1968. “We Know Dalling is Safe – Sister”. Bruce Dalling’s sister, Mrs. Carole Shamire, said yesterday she was very relieved to hear that Baldock radio station had picked up a faint radio signal from Voortrekker. “At least we know now that Bruce is safe. Obviously he has been having trouble with his radio,” she said.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1968 06 17 – OSTAR 817

1968. “Only One Yacht Finishes”. Gerry Schmidt, the skipper of the 30 square metre Hjalmaren, sailed well to be the only finisher in yesterday’s offshore Durban yacht race.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1968 06 17 COMBINED573 26

1970. “They Aim to Win Rio Yacht Race”. Beside the broad grey waters of the Medway at Hoo, in Kent, a sleek shape is poised at the head of the launching slipway.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1970 06 17 450

1982. “Lipton Cup Yachts Dominate”. Two Lipton Cup entries dominated the scene in the second round of the combined Royal Natal and Point Yacht Club’s Southern Series.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1982 06 17 743

1987. “Top UK Yacht Enters Lisbon to Cape Race”. The 23,5-metre British yacht Great Britain, owned and skippered by Bob Salmon, is the first firm overseas entry in the yacht race from Lisbon to Cape Town, which starts on December 1 and coincides with the Bartolomeu Dias Festival.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1987 06 17 5

1992. “SA Yachtsmen 1st in Niagara Race”. The three yachtsmen, who will represent South Africa at the World J22 Championships, to be sailed on Lake Michigan later this month, scored a first place overall in the Niagara Frontier Invitation Regatta last weekend.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 06 17 200

2011. “Crew Hang on As Yacht Capsizes”. ·Four yachtsmen clung to the hull of their capsized yacht and then huddled in their liferaft for more than nine hours before they were rescued in a gale-force storm with swells 5m high and winds gusting up to 111km/h.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  2011 06 17 080

Comments and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za

What is “On this Day” About?
I am busy archiving many boxes of press cuttings I have accumulated and which I guestimate run into tens of thousands! A daunting task which I believe to be necessary before ditching them as I have been concerned for many years about the lack of interest Clubs, Classes and other sailing related organisations give to preserving their history.

Should you wish to copy, forward or share material from here, PLEASE acknowledge the source as: Sourced From the SAILING Mag Archives & Historical Records.

From the overwhelming response I receive from these posts, from all over the world I may add, the interest is cranking up rapidly and I am being connected with some wonderful people thirsty for more. Thank you all who have made contact.

This is my personal crusade, and instead of simply archiving and keeping the contents away from prying eyes, I will share my spoils in the hope that you will enjoy reminiscing as much as I do, and continue to do as I wade through the labourious process of scanning each and every cutting in my archives.

As each scanned cutting will be searchable, I will be able to create presentation packs personally tailored to a persons exact requirements – ie. Rothmans Week, the NCS Regatta, the Rio Race, Mauritius Race, Vasco da Gama Race and more – or simply by the name of an individual (like Ant Steward and his open boat exploits) who want a record of his/her sailing career for the family archives.

I have already done this by scanning in excess of 18 000 pages of material I have on ‘Voortrekker’ – from idle chatter, to concept, to the formation of what ultimately became the South African Ocean Racing Trust (SAORT), to the fruition of the 1968 OSTAR Race in which Bruce Dalling and ‘Voortrekker’ excelled – and even beyond that.

The possibilities are endless – so watch this space.

Comments and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za