Historical

William Pierce-Jones shared my link of the pics with dinghies atop cars back in the day – as he wanted to see a VW Beetle with a Sprog an the roof. I normally have a memory like an elephant and can remember these things, but this one slipped my mind! So here they are: https://sailing.co.za/talking-sailing-from-my-archives-car-top-boat-transport/

By Richard Crockett The Sprog Logs are a valuable source of good historical information on the Class, and where I found today’s story entitled “A Race To Remember”. It’s about the 1951 Nationals at Knysna, and is very well written with a good balance of racing and “colour” news. It’s a must read article. Of similar interest is the report on the 1957 Hermanus Easter Regatta. READ THEM BOTH HERE:  Pages from 1957 07 – Sprog Log – no. 08 …

by Richard Crockett It’s been wonderful to see the interaction between old and new “Sprogites” to the Sprog material, and especially the pics, posted over the last week or more. So to slake that thirst I have decided to share 15 of the more modern images I have in my archives – all black & white. Trusting that these will continue to be LIKED, SHARED and COMMENTED on. And please scour your files for old Sprog Logs.  

by Richard Crockett Today I dedicate this Blog to William Pierce-Jones who has been attempting to locate a photo of a Sprog on roof racks on a VW Beetle. I simply do not have one atop a Beetle, so this one will have to suffice as it took me a long time to locate it in a Sprog Log! If anyone has that memorable image of a Beetle topped with a Sprog, please share it. So with that pic sorted, …

by Richard Crockett There is probably no one better than Hellmut Stauch to comment on the Sprog in the May 1957 “Sprog Log” issue as he was a top sailor in almost every class he sailed, plus he won the 1957 Sprog Nationals. He specifically mentions Ralph Willcox, who at 8 years old at the time, sailed three races with this Maestro in the Nationals. I wonder whether Ralph, an avid supporter of this Blog, remembers the occasion? It’s an …

by Richard Crockett The Sprog Logs, published in the early days of the class really are crammed full of interesting information. So again, I request that anyone who may have copies of these to please lend them to me to scan and add to my collection and archives. They will be returned. Today’s contribution is from the WPSA regatta at Hermanus in 1956, and was published in the August 1956 issue of a Sprog Log. It give an insight into …

By Richard Crockett One cannot ever say that the Sprog “took the world by storm”, although it did crack the nod in its early days in several different countries, England being just one of them. The August 1956 “Sprog Log” contained a delightful feature on Sprogs in England, and as I have an image in my archives of Sprog 3 sailing out of Medway Yacht Club in 1955, it’s appropriate to share that feature article,. That’s from 68 years ago! …

By Richard Crockett One of the most satisfying aspects of our sport is not necessarily the on-water aspects, but the people we meet, the friendship built, relationships forged and the wonderful memories that never seem to leave us. Yesterday Fay Jones posted the following in response to my first Sprog Revival post: “I Learned how to sail at UCTYC in 1969. I was 18, with my boyfriend Dave Jones, now my husband of 60 years. He owned Sprog, ‘Spasm’ 352. …

by Richard Crockett Having spent time yesterday scanning every single black & white photo I have of Sprogs, I will share 18 of the older ones today to give “Sprogites” an idea as to what the equipment and sails looked like way back in yesteryear. The captions used today are those as supplied with the image, unless there was not one and I have had to improvise. There’s more to come, as I have Sprog Class documents still to scan, …

by Richard Crockett I was recently rather delighted to hear news of a big push to revive the Sprog Class which was once a powerhouse of two-person dinghy sailing in this country. What did disturb me was that there were some negative comments in this regard as some feel that it’s simply not a worthwhile exercise, and others discouraged money being spent on old boats. The fact of the matter is that with the parlous state of dinghy sailing in …

by Richard Crockett Having dispensed with the greeting and my wishes for 2024 I can now reveal how excited I am to have received, on Christmas Eve, Bruce Dalling’s archives to digitise and add to my already extensive sailing archives. There is several months of work involved, so if I go awol at times, I won’t be lost at sea, but will simply have my head down beavering away and enjoying learning more about this incredible man. One small snippet …

2023 has been, and is almost gone, far too quickly with Christmas festivities now in full swing. So to all friends, family, followers of my Blog, the “Likes” and those who simply “emoji” – have a real good ‘n while being safe and healthy. I received my Christmas gift today – an entire set of many scrap books and albums which contain Bruce Dalling’s archives from his 1968 OSTAR and more. Wow, what a gift! Have fun wherever you are.

by Richard Crockett Here’s a moment that John Martin will remember well and undoubtedly still cherishes, even though it was 33 years ago today. It was when he won the second leg of the 1990 BOC Challenge aboard ‘Allied Bank’. “South African John Martin cruised through Sydney Heads today to win the second leg of the BOC Challenge around-the-world yacht race in record time. He slashed two days off the previous record for the 7 000-mile leg as his boat, …

by Richard Crockett It’s always sad to see a yacht aground, but when ‘Gipsy Moth V’ ran aground on Gabo Island, Australia in 1982, it was the death-knell for the yacht made famous by Sir Francis Chichester. ‘Gipsy Moth V’ was not the yacht Chichester sailed singlehanded around the world, but a new yacht he built after that adventure. He sailed her in the 1972 Trans Atlantic Race, but had to abandon that attempt due to ill health. He passed …

by Richard Crockett Testing 25-knot south-easterly winds saw the casualties mount in the 1994 Rothmans Week Regatta after only two days of racing over the weekend with the only woman skipper sustaining a broken mast and the heavy British maxi, Power Macintosh, suffered a nasty collision which left a gaping hole in her hull. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE:  1994 12 18 – RCYC Rio Archives – OCR 29 – S&A – OCR