From the Archives

by Richard Crockett The above headline popped out at me when scanning the early SAILING Magazine issues a few days ago, stopped me in my work, and demanded to be read! I won’t debate the merits of the protest here, although with the subject of “imported jockeys” raised and the views of readers requested, it …

by Richard Crockett The previous two Lipton Challenge Cups in Saldanha Bay saw some good close sailing, but also many protests and “niggles”. This year was little different, other than a general consensus of opinion was that it was the best event for some years. This is how SAILING Mags scribe, Alex Petersen described it: …

by Richard Crockett Saldanha Bay was again the venue for the 1994 Challenge, and what a great regatta the reports say it was, with Chris King and Zeekoe Vlei YC taking their second title on Saldanha Bay waters. But what did specifically interest me was an “infringement penalty” permitted in terms of the rules of …

by Richard Crockett With the Lipton Cup taking place in Saldanha Bay in August, I wondered just how often the event had been sailed in these waters? The answer, thanks to my trusty Lipton Cup spreadsheet, shows that just three events have been there. 1993 was the first, followed by 1994 and 1995. Being on …

by Richard Crockett The dates and venue for the Lipton Challenge Cup later this year have been published, with the challenge taking place at Club Mykonos in Langebaan from 16 – 21 August. So there is no time like the present to dig back into the archives and bring some history of the early events. …

by Richard Crockett The Agulhas Race was always one of those races ocean racing yachties always aspired to compete in as they wanted to pit their skills against some of the best exponents of ocean race, plus the elements. Like the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race, the Agulhas race too is tough, uncompromising and not …

by Richard Crockett The Laser Nationals report last week had “lots of legs” and stirred up an immense amount of interest from old “Japie” Laser sailors who now live in a myriad of different places around the world. So here’s another one, the annual Natal Laser Slalom event which was always good fun for both …

  by Richard Crockett Many months ago it was suggested some old Laser reports should infiltrate my published archives, so yesterday when scanning the 1980 editions of Yachtsman RSA magazine, the 1980 Laser Nationals report surfaced. This report if full of interesting results and names of people long forgotten, especially as 102 boats contested this …

by Richard Crockett To round off this series of “Sprog Logs” is the souvenir edition of the 4th Sprog Glinane Week held at Swartvlei in 1969. A heading which caught my attention was this: Where Have All the Winners Gone? By “Mum” Wyatt It is an interesting, though sad, fact that very few of the past …

by Richard Crockett I have feared for some time now that the Sprog, as an active class, may well be stone dead as little “Sprogging” appears to take place these days, and attempts by some to revive it have had little success. Sad, as this was once a very proud class of dinghy – locally …

by Richard Crockett The result of additional tidying up and general organising of my archives revealed a number of copies of “The Sprog Logs” I was given many years ago for safekeeping. Sadly I cannot remember the name of the person who gave them to me, although I vaguely recall him being from Pietermaritzburg. The …

by Richard Crockett Here’s something completely different yet still related to our wonderful sport. Way back in 1987 when this article was written, cycling, mountain biking and just riding a bike to get fit were far from mainstream as they are today, as was going to a gym to keep fit. So when I was …

by Richard Crockett With the 2021 Vasco da Gama Race to East London done and dusted, and most of the passages home complete, the rigours of sailing along the East Coast of South Africa are well known, and sadly brought home with a thump and a bump and a grind….! ‘Majimoto’, the Farr 38 broke …

by Richard Crockett When one mentions the Hobie Cat name in this country the name Blaine Dodds seems to follow! It’s simply because he has dedicated his life to the Hobie and as a results is “one of the greats” having won more National and Provincial Hobie titles than he can count, as well as …

by Richard Crockett The 50th Vasco da Gama Race starts on Sunday with an eight-boat fleet as two boats have withdrawn. It’s not a big fleet, but ocean races along the Wild Coast no longer attract big numbers. With three Fast 42s competing, this is likely to be where the line honours contender comes from, …