News

by Richard Crockett Last week I shared a feature on Rothmans Week which brought back an “off the charts” response, so as this is when Rothmans Week was traditionally sailed, here is more. This chatty piece gives some insight into the event and its history, and covers some of the “heavy hitters” who were duelling it out on Table Bay in 1985. This is how the opening two paragraphs read: “One of the major events on the South African sailing …

by Richard Crockett Arthur Holgate was a very well known and highly respected in his day, and is probably today only really known to the real old sea dogs from yesteryear. Sadly he was killed in a motor accident in his prime, yet his legacy is still remembered and revered. The opening paragraph of today’s newspaper cutting is mouth-watering and sure to get you reading the full report. It said “In sailing circles yesterday the talk was of the legend …

By Richard Crockett As the festive season is now well and truly upon us and madness abounds, I would like to advise followers of this Blog that I am taking the opportunity to slow down a little during this period, catch my thoughts and mull over my offerings for the new year. So until next year I may not post items every day, nor early in the morning either, but simply as the whim takes me! My thanks to the …

By Richard Crockett Way back in the day when yacht racing was close to being at its very best in this country, this time of the year was reserved for Rothmans Week – a cracker of a regatta where racing was close, intense, intriguing, and dare I say it controversial and ugly too! Our top yachties all competed. What I liked about the week-long regattas in those days was that they were a combination of round-the-cans racing with a medium …

by Richard Crockett PredictWind, the leader in maritime weather technology, has announced the launch of PredictCurrent, the world’s most comprehensive, high-resolution tidal currents model. This groundbreaking solution empowers users to navigate local waters around the globe with unparalleled accuracy, providing a new level of insight into tidal and ocean currents. PredictCurrent represents a leap forward in tidal current modelling, offering users the ability to visualize tidal currents with unprecedented detail. Through a world-first initiative, PredictWind’s team of dedicated oceanographers has …

By Richard Crockett In the early Rio Race days of the 1970s, this time of the year was manic as there were always some skippers who were way behind in their preparation schedules, some even battling to finish their yachts in time for the start. Deadlines are sometimes tough to meet, yet one thing no yachtsman should ever do is rush the preparation for an ocean crossing. Every single part of the yacht from stem to stern needs to be …

By Richard Crockett We all know the old adage about an army marching on its stomach – yachties are no different as once they leave dry land and step aboard a yacht they develop voracious appetites. Who knows why? We are talking here about the ‘80s before the advent of freeze dried food and the lightweight nutritious “meals in a bag” yachties scoff at sea today. Back in the day food at sea came from tins and fresh supplies as …

By Richard Crockett As this headline said, the tough Frenchwoman, who was indeed Isabelle Autissier, regularly seemed to be dogged by back luck when at sea. In 1991 she became the first woman to circumnavigate singlehanded in a sailing competition. Four years later in 1994 she was dismasted and rescued 900nm south of Adelaide. In 1996 on the Vendee Globe Race she was disqualified for stopping in Cape Town for repairs, yet she continued unofficially and completed the course. 1999 …

By Richard Crockett “The South African America’s cup yacht, Shosholoza, was set to fly a vast Aids ribbon painted on its 33-metre spinnaker today as the team shows their support for World Aids Day” is what the opening paragraph of today’s newspaper report from 2004 read. The feature image is a great pic of ‘Shosholoza’ with her huge “aids” spinnaker and the majestic Lions Head in the background. One thing yachting sponsorship does give a sponsor is very unique bill …

By Richard Crockett One name most local yachties will never forget in sailing is Bertie “Biltong” Reed as he did so much on the water and was, well, simply a legend. Whether single-handed on an ageing ‘Voortrekker I’ and later aboard ‘Voortrekker II’, to round-the-buoys and ocean races with a full crew, Bertie did it all. What few people know is that he really hated being referred to as “Biltong Bertie’. His chances of competing in the 1993 Rio Race …

by Richard Crockett As seafaring people we all know the NSRI and what they do, yet how many today know that they started in a very low key manner and have expanded exponentially to be the formidable organisation they are today, doing excellent rescue work all along our Eastern, Southern and Western sea borders. I am not going to wax lyrical about them as they have a track record that speaks for itself, other than to share the opening paragraph …

by Richard Crockett Ever since doing my very first Vasco da Gama ocean race from Durban to East London in 1977 I have been fascinated by the Agulhas Current. And having competed in the 1984 Vasco da Gama Race, I have experienced it at its most angry too! The random nature of the current, it’s brute force and the speed at which it flows are individually fascinating subjects. For yachties traversing the Agulhas Current there are several “rules of thumb” …

by Richard Crockett Remember “Camp Staaldraad”? It’s probably best forgotten as it was not the Springbok rugby teams finest hour, yet sailing, and specifically team building aboard yachts brought some perspective to the subject. Chris Bonnet pioneered corporate team building aboard yachts, and ran that aspect of his business along sailtraining. A newspaper feature article said this: Training experts in Durban, who do team-building in a wide variety of ways – through ocean sailing, bush adventures, games and lectures – …

By Richard Crockett I have always enjoyed following the Whitbread Round the World race, and later the Volvo Ocean Race, for no other reason than each event was enthralling, tough and relentlessly sailed by top-flight crew who always pushed barriers. This 1995 report from the New York Times makes good reading, and not just because of the eye-catching headline. The opening paragraph set the tone and read as follows: “On Sept. 28, 15 well-appointed ocean-racing yachts ranging in size from …

By Richard Crockett It was 31 years ago today that Ant Steward and his trusty steed ‘NCS Challenger’ were lowered over the side of an MSC vessel off Cerf Island, in the Seychelles archipelago. Having been wrecked on the island, his vessel was salvaged and returned to Durban where it was repaired and put back into a seaworthy condition. Once back at the spot where he was wrecked he continued his solo circumnavigation in an open on his final leg …