Historical

By Richard Crockett I always admire people who choose to explore new cruising destinations rather than to simply follow in the wake of many before them. One such cruising couple are former Capetonians Nicholas & Diedre Mace who decided to take their 50-foot cat up the Breede River. Their rationale was as follows: The Breede River is described as the longest navigable river in the Western Cape (28nm from mouth to the Pont) and is only 160nm by sea from …

By Richard Crockett I have always enjoyed features Nick Leggatt has written as they are always to the point, tell it like it really is, and come with years of hands-on experience. So the feature of his that I share today was written in 2015, which means that technology has advanced exponentially, and more worrying means that the headline is probably now more important today than it was almost 10 years ago! He introduced the feature as follows: To look …

By Richard Crockett Here’s another excellent feature for all those who go to sea in small boats to read and inwardly digest. This is how the introduction read: “For anyone considering an ocean voyage, a liferaft and an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) are essential gear. Of course, we always hope we’ll never have to use them and most of us have a basic idea of how to deploy them, but what happens when the unexpected happens in really …

By Richard Crockett I do enjoy it when I stumble across gems while searching my archives. Today I can share another of those gems, and sadly have to admit that I have just one photo of ‘Elegance’ in my archives. But that may change as I slowly add new material virtually every day. The author of this interesting feature posed this question and then answered it himself: “How does a boat get to be 80 years old? The main requirement …

by Richard Crockett I can’t seem to help myself publishing material on the Dabchick as it’s such a wonderful little boat. So today, instead of concentrating on the boat itself, this feature is all about Jack Koper who designed and promoted the Dabchick, plus several other classes too. The original tribute, in the March 1977 issue of SA Yachting magazine, is reproduced today in an abridged form. Its introduction read as follows: “As this year, 2016, is the 60th anniversary …

By Richard Crockett Today I can again share one of those features which every person who goes to sea in a small boat should read. It was written by Dudley Dix who was asked to write this article by Dr Cleve Robertson, CEO of National Sea Rescue Institute in South Africa. This was in response to his concern over the number of lives lost in ocean capsize accidents of leisure boats around the South African coasts and elsewhere. Being a …

by Richard Crockett It’s very easy to be complacent, or even arrogant and say “it will never happen to me”, which it why it is so important for everyone venturing to sea in a small vessel, to read and learn from today’s offering. Don’t be one of those above, as one never knows when one will have to abandon ship and seek refuge in a liferaft. I am sharing two features today, both on liferaft survival. The first is entitled …

by Richard Crockett Well that 60th anniversary was in 2016, so the Dabbie is rapidly heading towards its 70th anniversary, and a class worthy of having this 7-page feature shared today. And not wanting to wax lyrical about this magnificent boat, on which I learnt to sail, I will simply share what I wrote at the time, which went like this: “When I first became aware of the Dabchick Class 60th anniversary, my interest was of course piqued as I …

by Richard Crockett Yesterday I shared the story of just how ‘Voortrekker II’ sunk two days after the start of the Rio Race. SAILING Magazine asked her designer, Angelo Lavranos, John Martin and Rob Sharp their thoughts and recollections of ‘Trekka II’. “‘Voortrekker II’ has a rich history in South African sailing and was built by the SA Navy in Simonstown with the dual purpose of training SA Navy sailors and to be available to compete in the Second BOC …

By Richard Crockett It’s always sad to write about the sinking of a yacht, especially one as well known and admired as ‘Voortrekker II’. She was a yacht that kept the South African flag flying high when competitively campaigned by local sailing legends Bertie Reed, John Martin and Hanno Teuteberg. ‘Trekker II’ had achieved so much in her relatively short life, and sadly succumbed to Davey Jones’ locker just two days after the start of the 2017 Cape to Rio …

By Richard Crockett Here’s an interesting story which all keelboat owners should read and inwardly digest! It’s told by Nick Leggatt who skippered ‘The Ullman Challenge’ in the 2017 Rio Race. He always spins a good story, but this one is crammed full of good advice, and so much more, that all yachties can learn from. When his trusty steed lost her rudder, Leggatt devised ways to continue racing despite the setback, and never let adversity get in his way. …

by Richard Crockett Most people who sail in this country have heard of the Mistral keelboat. Strong in numbers on inland waterways, the Mistral was often the first taste of keelboat sailing many received. In 1971, some 53 years ago, legendary boatbuilder, Fred Raas, father of Lex, launched ‘Ponjaart’ – a wooden prototype Mistral on the Vaal Dam. She was the plug for the mould from which more than 127 Mistrals were made – first by the Raas family business, …

By Richard Crockett The 2017 America’s Cup report I have chosen to share today is pretty darn pertinent with the finals of the 37th cup due to start later this week. Plus, it shows just how far the “yachts” (can we really call them that?) and technology have progressed in just 7 years. Since the 34th America’s Cup in 2013 there has been renewed effort from several teams to wrest “The Cup” away from the Americans who have always had …

By Richard Crockett ‘Caprice’ was a landmark boat at RCYC before being purchased by Anthony Dancig, refitted and sailed to the Caribbean. ‘Caprice’ was built around 1930 by Louw & Halvorsen in the Cape Town docks and she may have been the oldest surviving South African-built pilot cutter. During the 1950s and 60s she was owned by a Mr Middleton of Cape Town who used her mainly for weekend sailing. When Dancig bought her in 1988 the boat was in …

by Richard Crockett It’s been 25 years since this regatta when South African sailor Gareth Blanckenberg won the Laser Class on home waters, taking the Youth World title for himself. He showed great speed throughout the regatta, but really got into his stride when he won race 4. In the 11-race series he counted three firsts and discarded two sevenths to finish 17 points clear of second place. Since those heady days when Blanckenberg dominated, has a young South African …