News

by Richard Crockett Today’s newspaper cutting is not about sailing, but as it of historical nautical interest I felt it worth sharing. 116 years ago the ‘Waratah’ passenger ship sunk without trace off the Transkei coast. This is how the Daily News reported on the lucky break a family had by cancelling their passage to England. “Mrs Marjorie Baillie’s annual visit to Durban has a special significance this year. It’s eighty years since 81-year-old Mrs Baillie, then a baby, missed …

By Richard Crockett Remember Rothman’s Week? It was the major end-of-year keelboat regatta in the country which always attracted the cream of offshore sailors and those who simply competed for the fun and because they had commenced their annual holiday from work. It’s sad that the event did not survive and was eventually shelved, as it was a top-flight competitive event attracting sailors from the entire country. Sadly few regattas in the country have really survived or hold the status …

by Richard Crockett Way back in 1994 when in Charlestown preparing for the BOC Around Alone Race, Dale Granger of the Cape Times reported as follows: “Single-handed city yachtsman Jean Jacques Provoyeur saw red in the US this week when confronted with the old South African flag emblazoned on BOC Challenge Around-the-World race T-shirts, brochures and magazines.” Speaking from Charleston, he said: “It’s ridiculous. We’ve had the new flag for months and we’re proud of it, but some people abroad …

By Richard Crockett Such was the response from yesterdays mention of the Double Cape Race, plus a comment that the race, in which ‘Black Pepper’ took all the honours, was the best, has prompted me to reproduce the features from the SA Yachting Magazine. Rob Meek reported on the race as follows: “At Cape Point Spilhaus was thirty five minutes ahead of ‘Black Pepper’ thereby giving her the handicap lead by some ten minutes. On the run down from Cape …

by Richard Crockett Now here’s a blast from the past which those who competed in the Double Cape Race in its early days will remember well. To keep track of the large fleets competing for the honours each year were a bunch of hardy individuals who were stationed at Cape Point, and who battled through the weekend with little sleep. This is how the Cape Times described opened their report: “Cape Point race officials will battle to keep their eyes …

by Richard Crockett When accidents happen at sea there is often much that can be learnt from them, and which is why they should not be kept hush-hush. On their way to Mauritius for the race to Durban, the yacht ‘Agenda’ sank after developing a leak. This is how the Daily News reported the incident: “A second scare almost wiped out five Durban crewmen yesterday – their abandoned sinking yacht narrowly missed their liferaft. “After an eight-hour search, the five …

By Richard Crockett There is always a tight bond between the crew of yachts, especially those who race regularly with the same crew and enjoy some success. But when crew abandon ship for another vessel, things can become, well let’s say interesting, as was reported in the Argus some 38 years ago today! “Royal Cape Yacht Club skipper Etienne van Cuyck has been “deserted” by two crew for the forthcoming Crystic Beachcomber Crossing between Mauritius and Durban later this month. …

By Richard Crockett Staying with the Lipton Cup theme for another day the above headline caught my eye and chose itself to be shared today. Written by Dale Granger, he opened his report as follows: “King Neptune would have loved the Lipton Cup regatta in Table Bay yesterday as, four clubs led the fleet at certain stages before Geoff Meek broke the tape to win for Hermanus by seconds from False Bay. “Meek later described it as “the most potent …

by Richard Crockett 29 years ago today the Sunday Tribune newspaper cutting I am sharing lamented the fate of an Olympic trio with the headline “Top yachting trio face the abyss”. The feature was introduced with these words: “The ‘high’ of the Atlanta Olympics is very much a thing of the past for three KwaZulu Natal men who love the water”, and then went on to say: “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. The country’s top yachtsmen …

                                                  By Richard Crockett My apologies for the long break, but I am back now with my daily offering. Congratulations to Hermanus Yacht Club on winning the Lipton Cup over the weekend. Theirs was a great victory won in style with consistency over 10 races. So, as this is an historical archive, I am able to …

By Richard Crockett The NCS Regatta often saw a boat and crew just suddenly shine and take control of the leader board. This year Ernie Shaw was that man with a boat full of good crew. Ernie Shaw’s AFI Warrior shot right to the top of the overall placings in the NCS Regatta yesterday with two convincing first places. With an unlucky third place on Sunday and two days cooling his heels until the bad weather abated, Shaw and his …

by Richard Crockett Cowes Week, which for nigh on two centuries has been considered the premier event in the sailing world, always takes place at the peak of the ocean-racing season in Europe. It is the Ascot of the yachting fraternity, when all the best-known sailors come together for a few days’ strenuous racing and even more strenuous socializing. The Cruising Association of South Africa, together with the South African Ocean Racing Trust (owners of ‘Voortrekker’) are now pursuing a …

by Richard Crockett The fifth day of the NCS Regatta was abandoned yesterday when the wind failed to materialise in Durban. Despite the shortage of the most important ingredient to a yacht race – wind – the IMS yachts started their long distance race to Richard’s Bay and back in the vein hope that they find wind further north. By sunset they had only done 10 nautical miles and their race was abandoned too. I was always a supporter of …

By Richard Crockett The country may well have been covered in snow yesterday with freezing temperatures, but solo round the-world-sailor J.J. Provoyeur summed up conditions on the first day of The NCS Regatta best when he likened them to sailing in the Southern Ocean. “There was no sun, the seas were big, it was bitterly cold and I expected to have to put my crew on iceberg watch,” he said on coming ashore. But despite the cold and rainy conditions, …

By Richard Crockett I have not shared a feature on Ant Steward for some time, so here’s a refresher where has been surviving very hot conditions and a “behemoth” of the seas. That behemoth being a super-tanker. Steward, who has lived through storms, fish poisoning and being washed overboard since he left Cape Town in February had survived another very close brush with death. “Thank God the bow wave pushed me away or my yacht would have been smashed.” Steward …