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By Richard Crockett This regatta was obviously a very important one as it is covered in almost eight pages in the November 1966 issue of SA Yachting magazine. There were some 200 boats competing at Aeolians Club on the Vaal Dam – the very first time this club had ever hosted a key regatta. Another first was the fact that two courses were set – with each having its own committee boat from which the starting signals were made. Up …

By Richard Crockett Since the beginning of this year I have systematically been sharing features on a daily basis from early SA Yachting magazines. Coincidently, today, the first ever hint that our country may enter the Singlehanded Transatlantic Race was floated. Coincidently, as on Friday, ‘Voortrekker’, the yacht which ultimately competed in that event, was moved to her resting place in Simonstown where she will be restored and kept on permanent display for the public to explore. It’s taken a …

By Richard Crockett I am departing from my normal course today and assisting a follower of this Blog to enquire if anyone knows the whereabouts of the gaff-rigged ketch ‘Atalanta’ – or better still, whether she is still alive and sailing? ‘Atalanta’ was designed by Norman Ross and built in Cape Town by Dahl & Richards. She was commissioned by Frank Kuttel and his wife Mary who was a regular member of the crew. Kuttel sold her to a Mr. …

By Richard Crockett Today there are 12 pages of Club Notes and a myriad photos of regattas, happenings, personalities and more. These Are the Headlines: These Are the Headlines: • Sprog Regatta At Sandvlei • Azalea Regatta At Midmar – Page of People Pics • False Bay Racing • Sails on the Highveld by Peter Brown • The 505 Champs • Azalea Regatta Report • Durban Doings by Bianca Lavies • Prizegiving and Plans • Bluff Yacht Club READ IT …

by Richard Crockett Bruce McCurrach, a home-grown world-class yachtie, wrote today’s report of the 1966 European Champs in which he competed. While not normally a 505 sailor, he teamed up with a hot crew, and reported as follows: “I was sailing a borrowed Danish boat, built by Honnor Marine, and had Ole Gunnar Petersen as my crew. Ole ha crewed for Hans Fogh in the past two Olympic and for Paul Elvstrom on many occasions, so I had no excuse …

  by Richard Crockett Administering any sport is a thankless task with little or no rewards, but thankfully in days of yore there were people who put a lot of positive time and effort into administering the sport of sailing. Whether that’s the case today is open for debate, and is not really the point of this feature today, but always a question worth answering nonetheless. Following is a teaser of what the Zwartkops meeting was all about as reported …

By Richard Crockett Club Notes, and in fact all the editorials I have been sharing recently have attracted an immense amount of interest and comment. This was the section of SA Yachting magazine where the news snippets were shared and devoured every month way back in the day! Today’s page of people pics had one photo really jump out at me as I instantly recognised the figure of Skip Roberts, despite being crouched down in Tom McCrorie’s FD. I sailed …

By Richard Crockett The September 1966 issue of SA Yachting magazine reported this: “By the end of this year the South African Merchant Navy Academy, General Botha, expects to have its fine new training craft – a 66-footer that will perform equally well under sail and power – afloat. The little ship is at present in the final stage of construction under the supervision of the Academy’s Captain – Superintendent Phil Nankin, at the Cape Town yard of Louw and …

By Richard Crockett I never met Bianca Lavies who photographed prolifically for the Natal Mercury newspaper and wrote for SA Yachting magazine, her contributions filling many pages over the years. She was obviously a damn fine photographer as I believe that she was eventually recruited by National Geographic magazine as a photographer, and emigrated to the USA. I always wonder what happened to her photo archives as they would be historically rich and welcome today? There are seven pages of …

by Richard Crockett Old salts from days of yore will remember the Sharpie dinghy fondly and reminisce about those glory days of sailing given half a chance. For the uninitiated the Sharpie is a hard-chined, flat bottom dinghy with an extremely shallow draft and straight flaring sides developed in the 1930s. The original boats were built from mahogany planks on oak frames, so were heavy and cumbersome. In 1966 SAYRA approved new rules to allow the class to be built …

by Richard Crockett The thorny issue of “the heads” aboard ship is one many prefer to avoid speaking about in the vein hope that all the problems associated with them simply goes away. But not Frank Robb who tackles the issue head on with some humour and practical advice. “Yachts spell Romance. Escape. The freedom of the sea. The lure of the fragrant Spice Islands. Perfume of frangipane blossom wafted across tropical waters from fabled atolls. Scented lei-leis of exotic …

by Richard Crockett Here are 8 pages of Club Notes and 11 photos to start the week with, all from the July 1966 issue of SA Yachting magazine. The Headlines Today Are: Sails on the Highveld by Peter Brown Midmar Festival Regatta – Page of “People Pics” Durban Doings by Bianca Lavies Blue Peter to Set Sail Durban’s First RCOD Launched Off-Shore Race – Won By Anuanua Judge Overboard University Wants A Fireball Glendee Yacht Club Midmar Festival Regatta READ …

By Richard Crockett So many old salts from days of yore speak very fondly of the Spearhead, so it’s a pleasure to be able to share this re-assessment of the boat today. “Almost without exception, when a design is commissioned, it is done so with a host of restrictions which invariably lead to a compromise. Sail-boat design is full of compromises, speed for stability, more sail for more power, which in turn results in a change in the underwater sections. …

By Richard Crockett Publishers back in the day had a nasty habit of turning feature articles over to pages near the back instead of finishing them in consecutive pages. As a result today’s headline is a little misleading as there are three features. Aussie Cup Challengers – written by Don Ord. While I was in Sydney, through the kind effort of Max Whitnall and Jim Hardy, the new 505 world champions I was introduced to Warwick Hood, who is the …

by Richard Crockett Not only are there 8 pages of Club Notes today, but also 2 pages of “People Pics” and 12 individual pics – so lots to read about and look at. The Headlines Today Are: Zululand Interclub Regatta Zululand Yacht Club – Page of “People Pics” Henley Midmar… In From Bombay… ‘Suhaili’ Dock in Durban Pocket Cruiser – Lello’s 26-footer Shaw for Gold Cup Pics of Winners Rhodesian Junior – Plus Results Imperial Yacht Club Pic – Seen …