News

by Richard Crockett Sadly ‘Terry Lene’ did not perform in the One Ton Cup as had been hoped, and despite a top-notch crew. The crew aboard ‘Terry Lene’, South Africa’s entry at the One Ton Worlds this year, feel they put up a good performance in spite of being placed 17th in a fleet of 27 top-line international competitors. “It is unrealistic to compare ‘Terry Lene’s’ (ex ‘Archangel’) performance this year to the account she gave of herself at Rhode …

by Richard Crockett Back in its heyday ‘Archangel’, a Lavranos designed One Tonner, was a “hot” yacht sailed hard and fast by her owner and skipper Dania Baikoff. She was renamed ‘Terry Lene’ for the event thanks to sponsorship. The yacht was extensively modified for that event to give her the best chance. Her crew were obviously Dania Baikoff, David Abromowitz (Sailing Master), Mike Puttergill (Navigator), Keith Bellamy, Johan van Rooyen, Joe and Nikolai Baikoff (Bow) and Joe Walden as …

by Richard Crockett On Friday the Rob Meek memorial ocean race up the West Coast to Lamberts Bay with a finish in Saldanha Bay starts, so it’s appropriate to feature the inaugural Sea Harvest race now. It’s a 220nm race, and back in 1980 when the race was revived with backing from Sea Harvest, special permission had to be obtained to let the RCODs compete as ‘Zeeslang’ held the record which she set in 1956. It’s interesting to note that …

by Richard Crockett I cannot help but compare Donald Alexander’s progress in the race to date as watching a yo-you go up and down. One minute you look and he’s going well, clawing his way to the front of the Class 40 pack, and the next he is languishing near the rear. There may well be good reason for this, and as I don’t have first-hand knowledge won’t speculate other than to say that Donald is more than competent and …

by Richard Crockett Many will know the name ‘Blondie’ Hasler, and many will have heard of his yacht ‘Jester’. For those who don’‘t, here is a very brief refresher: He is considered to be the father of single-handed sailing as he invented the first practical self-steering gear for yachts – a system still in use today. The concept of the OSTAR – Observer Single-Handed Transatlantic Race from Plymouth to New York was his, and he competed in the very first …

by Richard Crockett The yachting world is littered with adventurous personalities, but perhaps one of the most colourful of all was Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith. The story of Thomas Sopwith is an inspiration to all, for this remarkable Englishman who loved the sea and skies with such passion was not only an outstanding seaman, but his flair and forceful personality also made him one of the most successful entrepreneurs of his time. Most people will remember him as one …

by Richard Crockett My old mate from school and university sailing days, Donald Alexander, will be starting his second Route du Rhum race from St Malo to Guadeloupe, a distance of 3542nm, tomorrow. The race was due to start on Sunday, but was postponed due to seriously unfavourable conditions. Fraught with problems after a massive storm in the early stages of the previous race, he persevered and finished, but not as well as he may have liked. This time round …

by Richard Crockett His Majesty came to Cowes earlier to enjoy a few extra days’ racing, a sport very near to his heart, and this stormy opening of the Royal Albert Regatta in July, 1932, was to be his first race of the season. Although the King had still to exercise great care with his health, taking no unnecessary risks, the fact that he decided to race on such a day produced the most hard-fought and thrilling yacht race in …

By Richard Crockett I liked this feature in SA Yachting mag in October 1985 not due to the magnificent pics of the old J-boats Westward and others, but to a large degree due to the introductory paragraph which read as follows: “Apple Macintosh took line honours in the South Atlantic Race and was the cynosure of all eyes. Representing that new class referred to as the “maxis”, this fine yacht, with the aid of all sorts of mechanical and electronic …

by Richard Crockett I cannot remember featuring the Soling, so here’s a report on the 1978 event, sailed on the Vaal Dam, and won by Durbanite Dick Haliburton sailing ‘Solan’ who won four of the six races. It was interesting to see Selwyn Tucker competing on ‘Kate’ and finishing third overall, behind Jurgen Coblenz on ‘Apollo’ who was second. Sadly the crew are not mentioned. Racing was from all accounts close with 5 minutes often separating the leading and last …

by Richard Crockett I often feel that changing the name of a regatta to accommodate sponsors changes the face of the event. The Minister’s Cup is a case in point as it became Castle Week. Now the Minister’s Cup had a good ring to it, not that the word CASTLE didn’t – especially when in ones mind there are images of frosty lagers – lots of them waiting for thirsty yachties to quaff them with gay abandon! But sponsorship is, …

by Richard Crockett The very first Mainstay Week was a great success and achieved the goals set by those who conceived it – as stated in the opening paragraph of the report: “Durban shores emerged from the yacht racing backwater by becoming the scene of an international class regatta early in July. Mainstay week (10 to 16 July) was sponsored by Stellenbosch Farmers’ Wineries, who have promised sponsorship for another two years. They are keen to encourage Natal waters as …

by Richard Crockett One of the advantages of having a newspaper rather than an A4 magazine was that pics could be printed much bigger than in a magazine. There’s a great spread of pics and a full set of race-by-race results in these reports today. Rothmans Week was always such a grand affair as the sponsors brought some class and dignity to proceedings, and competitors wore jackets and ties to prize giving! Rothmans Week was won by Bobby Bongers sailing …

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