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by Richard Crockett Yesterday I shared a feature article written by Frans Loots expressing his disappointment at not find a berth for the 1989 Cape to Uruguay Race and how he went about ensuring he was on the following race. That feature article struck a chord with many yesterday, so here is the sequel. The race was just one part of his adventure aboard the Petersen 33 he had secured for the race as he did the delivery passage back …

by Richard Crockett With the recent Rio Race fast fading in memories, I thought it appropriate to share this editorial written by Frans Loots when he expressed his bitter disappointment at not being able to secure a berth on the 1979 race to Uruguay. He vowed to do the next race as skipper of his own entry. He tells a great story which should be a lesson for all, especially the aspiring young sailors out there wanting adventure and an …

By Richard Crockett The Koper family played a major role in shaping sailing in this country as it was Jack Koper who conceived the Dabchick, a dinghy still spoken about with passion today – well over 60 years after the first one was launched. Former Dabbie sailors like nothing better than talking about their Dabbie days, and sharing pics of themselves and their Dabbies from days of yore. Jack Koper designed the Dabchick, Tempo and Sonnet dinghies. In July 2002 …

by Richard Crockett I have absolutely no idea as to what the record is for the Mykonos Race to Saldanha Bay as this will take some lengthy research to find the answer. However, in 2001 Warrior took line honours in a time of 5 hours and 24 minutes. Will that mark be chased down today, as the race to Mykonos starts at 09h00? Only time will tell, and looking at the long-range forecast there will be wind, and probably not …

by Richard Crockett The annual race from RCYC to Saldanha starts tomorrow and is one of those “must do” races on the calendar. But that’s not what today’s Blog is about as I have decided o share some info on the “Paraffin Trophy” which is awarded for this race. Sadly I cannot find any reference to the significance of this trophy, and how it was conceived. Maybe there’s an old salt out there who can share this info. The first …

by Richard Crockett Many of us would relish the chance of sailing on one of the old classic 12-metre yachts, yet South African Nick Leggatt went one better and competed aboard ‘Wings’ in the America’s Cup 150th Jubilee Regatta off Cowes. “With no cockpit, other than a small one for the helmsman and main trimmer, and no guardrails, life for a crewman on a classic 12 Metre is precarious! With the heavy displacement, narrow hull·and low freeboard these boats blast …

by Richard Crockett I have had several requests in the past for info on sailing trophies, both know, missing and lost, as well as having come across trophies I knew nothing about for specific events, let alone even knew existed. So often people have won trophies and simply never returned them in time for the next event, and from there it is downhill. It’s not only individuals who are to blame, but Class Associations too as they often don’t keep …

by Richard Crockett Just a short “wow, I can’t believe this” piece today. Back in 2001 after a ferocious wind storm in the Somerset West area, the wind picked up a hobie and its road trailer, and deposited them both in a rather tall tree. If you don’t believe me, just look at the pics! And of course this incident came with all sorts of ribald comments, plus the headache of having to get it down. SEE MORE HERE:  2001 …

by Richard Crockett By 2001 South Africa had hosted its second J22 World Championship and third major international regatta for the J 22 Class. With 9 South Africans in the top ten, and a lone Hollander being 10th, there was criticism due to the very low international entry. Roy Dunster wrote this: “Although the event has come in for some flack for a low international entry, some South African teams even opting to stay away because of that, it was …

by Richard Crockett With Kirsten Neuschafer inching her way ever closer to rounding Cape Horn in the lead of the Golden Globe Race 2022, it is an appropriate time to go back into the history of the Golden Globe Race and share the report, written by Barry Pickthall, which was sub-titled “30 years on, this story of an adventure at sea remains stranger than fiction”. But before that, it is also highly appropriate to mention South African Kirsten Neuschafer who …

By Richard Crockett 42 countries and almost 300 competitors were attracted to the Volvo Youth Worlds off Simonstown in 1998. Best of all was the Gold Medal won by Gareth Blanckenberg in the Lasers. Rick Nankin was the team leader for this event and in a pre-regatta interview he said this: “We are, however, very confident that Gareth Blanckenberg can bring home a medal for South Africa. Based on his performance overseas on the senior Laser circuit, we believe that …

by Richard Crockett Once the mould was broken in 1979 and ‘80 with the 505 and Fireball worlds being held off Durban, international competition on South African waters became something attainable. In the year 2000 the GP 14 Worlds were held off Durban with a 58 boat fleet from five different countries. The top South African overall was Mark Sadler and his crew Neil McKeller who finished 5th with the next South Africans, Pat Mitchell and Andrew Marsh in 17th …

by Richard Crockett In a country where service delivery is generally non-existent, where theft, corruption, extortion and a host of other horrors are simply part of everyday life, every little glimmer of hope and positivity is a fillip that there is some good in our lives. And today we have the State of the Nation Address (SONA) by our President who is unlikely to say anything that is really positive, possible or which has the smallest chance of becoming a …

by Richard Crockett Those who competed in major events organised by the Royal Cape Yacht Club in days of yore will remember The A-Team – a band of old salts who liked nothing better than to be at the yacht club as the backroom boys doing whatever needed to be done to make the event memorable and smooth-running. They did anything and everything from shipping to sourcing supplies, long-life bread, tools, artisans and much more. Fun-loving, efficient, organised and always …

by Richard Crockett The first ever world championship to be hosted in South Africa were the 505 Worlds off Durban in 1979 – and what a great event it was too. The South African contingent was large in comparison to the internationals, yet they never really showed their true mettle in their own local conditions, and were trounced. Rob Willcox was the top south African in the pre-worlds in 7th place, while Brian Downham topped the South African effort in …