News

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. There is tons of news today, so let’s get to it! International cruising folk who arrive in this country during this period continue to be enamoured with our beautiful country, and Africa as a whole. This cruising couple took off from Durban on motorbike on a trip through Africa, having sailed from New Zealand. Luderitz yachties gathered to give every possible assistance to ‘Portatan’ in …

There’s no changing Francis. The skipper of the ‘IDEC SPORT’ maxi-trimaran is at the age of 63 just as keen as ever to set new records and perform well, as we have been able to see over the past 24 hours, during which with the support of his weather advisor back on dry land, Christian Dumard, he has been examining the charts and routes and comparing them to what it is like out on the water. His goal is to …

1967 10 31 1986 10 31 540_Redacted 1993 10 31 211by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. As today is a low-key news day, it’s a good opportunity to ask for feedback on these posts which have been going for a full month now. Your thoughts, comments and more would be appreciated on this forum, via mail, messenger or privately. Looking forward to hearing from you. We have a final piece on …

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. Today, 52 years ago, was a significant day in my life as I was taken to watch the ‘Sandefjord’ movie as part of my 12th birthday celebrations. The rest is history as it was not long after this that I took up sailing. I kept in touch with Barry Cullen over many years, and still, on occasions, watch the movie. Bertie Reed sailed into Cape …

Italy’s Marco Gradoni was crowned the 2019 male Rolex World Sailor of the Year on Tuesday 29 in Bermuda, becoming the youngest ever recipient, at the World Sailing Awards. Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark received the female accolade to follow in the footsteps of the all-time great sailors. Gradoni, at 15 years old, was crowned Rolex World Sailor of the Year for his success in the Optimist class, having won three consecutive World Championship titles, the first sailor to ever achieve …

Britain’s Samantha Davies and her French co-skipper Paul Meilhat, sent a message which rang out across the Bay of Biscay yesterday as they tacked south-west at Cape Finisterre in third place. They are fast and they are here to win the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre. In the same wind as the latest generation IMOCA 60ft monohulls, ‘Initiatives-Cœur’, their VPLP – Verdier design launched in 2010, but heavily upgraded and with huge foils, has kept pace. “You can see …

by Richard Crockett 59 boats started the Transat Jacques Vabre on Sunday afternoon, a 4350nm race Le Havre, France, to Salvador, Brazil, a demanding two-handed race in every sense for Class 40, Multi 50 and IMOCA’s. All eyes are on the IMOCA class as a string of radical new foiling boats are competing, including ‘Hugo Boss’ with Alex Thomson and Neal Mc Donald competing together for the first time. The IMOCA’s have been described as “extraordinary machines” as they are …

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. There’s not much news today from the 5000 or more individual newspaper cuttings I have so far archived. But there’s lot’s more to come, so it’s simply a case of being patient. There was talk of an exclusive club for solo sailors, and another bitter blow for Alan Bond or Australia’s America’s Cup fame. Even more disturbing is the fact that a newspaper headline said …

by Richard Crockett The early stages of Race 3, The Spinlock South Atlantic Showdown have been dominated by the decision of which route to take to Cape Town – the most direct, via the rhumb line with the risk of being affected by the St Helena High or the southerly route, longer distance but potentially more consistent conditions. Many pundits expected the two South African skippers, Nick Leggatt and David Immelman to dominate and lead the fleet towards their home …

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. Round-the-World cruising yachtsmen are again in the news, while we continue to follow the saga of the missing ‘Carina”. A Cape Times editorial picks up on the concern of BOC Challenge yachtsmen of the oceanic “desert” encountered during their passage to Cape Town. And that man David Abromowitz is in the news again flanked by two beautiful ladies – he’s promoting the Cape to Rio …

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. We continue with a few stories from yesterday. The first being more info on the missing yacht ‘Carina’. The other being a headline that no Durban yachtie would have liked to see, that being: “Council told: Leave Durban Bay Alone”. The America’s Cup is back in the news, well in 1985 anyway, with announcements of challengers for the 1987 series. In his heyday John Martin …

1967 10 25 c 1967 10 25 c. 1967 10 25 1990 10 25 393 1993 10 25 204by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. Today is pretty low-key, but important in that a City of Durban proposal to reclaim land from Durban Bay for the Royal Natal Yacht Club was significant – yet 52 years later absolutely NOTHING along these lines has materialised! And Durban sailing has suffered as a consequence. …

by Richard Crockett The headline states quite clearly that it’s a showdown, but between whom? My guess is that the real showdown will be between Nick Leggatt leading ‘Zhuhai’ and David ‘Wavy’ Immelman leading ‘GoToBermuda’. But there are some serious punters out there who are at the top of the leader board, and who will do anything to stay there – so it’s going to be a full-on fight to the finish line in Cape Town at the end of …

by Richard Crockett To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline. At this time of the year, every year, round-the-world cruisers start turning up at our ports, all with wonderful stories to tell and share with the landlubbers. Today in 1967 was no different! Plus there is a report on an overdue ketch sailing between Lourenco Marques and Durban. A report in the Cape Times talks about the “460-mile Agulhas race this year”, in what appears …

Discover the best sailing pictures of the year! The international jury of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award 2019 has selected the top 80 yacht racing photographs taken this year throughout the world. The public is now invited to vote: Click here to view the images and vote for your favourite photos. No less than 133 professional photographers, representing 29 nations (including Afghanistan, China, Brazil and Finland) submitted their best photograph. The competition promises to be tight once again, with …