Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
To read the full reports, click on the LINK following each headline.
1970. “Bruce Dalling Fights Against the Clock”. Life has become a hectic race against the clock for Springbok yachtsman Bruce Dalling.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1970 09 13 – stitched final – 528
1988. “Catamarans Threaten the Reign of Keel Boats”. Last week’s regatta pitting·New Zealand’s Monohull against the San Diego Yacht Club’s catamaran may eventually lead to the extinction of the venerable 12-metre yacht class in cup competition, stars and stripes design coordinator Mr John Marshall says.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1988 09 13 13
1989. “Voortrekker Ready Again”. After days of riding unhappily at anchor in Grand Baie, Tuna Marine Voortrekker II is once more ready to take on the fleet when they set sail in the Crystic Beachcomber Crossing from Mauritius to Durban on Saturday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1989 09 13 – 000079
1990. “Double Danger Off Cape Coast”. Navigational skills will be tested to the limit as more than 60 yachts set out tomorrow night on one of the Cape’s most exciting off-shore races, the First Bowring Double Cape.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1990 09 13 392 6
1990. “Yachtsman Faces Serious Problem”. Top South African yachtsman John Martin faces the start of the BOC Challenge with a serious problem on his hands.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1990 09 13 – 000352_Redacted
1991. “Getting Away From it All . . . But it Will it All Be Here When I Get Back”. Every sports minded person must be heartily sick of the confusion, the chaos, the frustration of the turbulent course on which South African sport is now embarked.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1991 09 13 881
2004. “Vaal Yachtees Make History”. For the first time in its history the Deneysville Aquatic Club (DAC) at the Vaal Dam is the proud owner of the Interclub Trophy after three of its yachting teams excelled in this year’s challenging Vasco da Gama Yacht Race.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 2004 09 13 479
2005. “Warrior leads the fleet on way to Durban”. With the fleet of 12 yachts taking part in the Mauritius to Durban race within 130 nautical miles from the southern tip of Madagascar at lunchtime yesterday, it was the Algoa Bay Yacht Club entry, Warrior, that led the procession in very light conditions with 48 hours’ sailing behind them.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 2005 09 13 507
Comments, thoughts and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za
About “On This Day”
It was towards the end of September last year, yes 2019, that I started “On This Day. A Newspaper History of Sailing.” So nearly a year has passed without a day being missed and without there being any newspaper news or pics available in my newspaper archives to share.
It all started while I was busy archiving many boxes of press cuttings I have accumulated and which I guestimate run into tens of thousands! A daunting task which I believe to be necessary as I have been concerned for many years about the lack of interest Clubs, Classes and other sailing related organisations give to preserving their history, and that of our sport.
This is my personal crusade, and instead of simply archiving and keeping the contents away from prying eyes, I share my spoils in the hope that you will enjoy reminiscing as much as I do.
As of the end of September the format will change as it’s simply not sustainable to continue for another full year on a similar basis. I have some 25 000 scanned newspaper cuttings, and have used the best so far – but as in life some variation and change is required. What those changes are I have not crystallised yet, and would enjoy feedback from followers of this Blog as to what they would like to see.
I have tons of material available – from every single issue of SA Yachting, Yachtsman RSA (newspaper – remember it?) and Sailing Inland & offshore Magazine. Between those publications – from October 1957 until June 2017 – a period spanning 60 years of coverage of the sport of sailing in this country – I have in my possession.
I am scanning every single issue of those 60 years – that’s 720 issues – and digitising them to get the fullest value possible from them. So far I have uncovered some incredible gems in their pages, and will share these as we go.
Plus I have a photographic archive of photographs in b/w negative format, colour negative, colour slide (transparency) and photographic prints I intend to scan, digitise and share with the sailing community at large.
But all this takes time – and is a slow process – so all I ask is for patience.
My plea thought – to all followers and everyone interested in the history of sailing in RSA, is to please assist me by sharing their personal archives, pics, press cuttings and whatever with me, so that I can scan them and share them. My promise is that I will treat them with the utmost care, and get them back to you safely.
To date, the response to “On This Day. A Newspaper History of Sailing” has been phenomenal, and it’s heartening to see how many people appreciate, LIKE and SHARE the material I have shared in the past year. And this is from ‘Saffers’ and others who have lived and sailed here, or have travelled internationally to sail here.
I am overwhelmed by the response – and thank all those who have personally made contact.
Should you wish to copy, forward or share material from here, PLEASE acknowledge the source as: Sourced From the SAILING Mag Archives & Historical Records.
As each scanned cutting and article is searchable, I am able to create presentation packs personally tailored to a persons exact requirements – ie. Rothmans Week, the NCS Regatta, the Rio Race, Mauritius Race, Vasco da Gama Race and more – or simply by the name of an individual (like Ant Steward and his open boat exploits) – for those who want a record of his/her sailing career for the family archives.
I have already done this by scanning in excess of 18 000 pages of material I have on ‘Voortrekker’ – from idle chatter, to concept, to the formation of what ultimately became the South African Ocean Racing Trust (SAORT), to the fruition of the 1968 OSTAR Race in which Bruce Dalling and ‘Voortrekker’ excelled – and even beyond that.
The possibilities are endless – so watch this space as it all simply gets better every single day!
So sit back, grab a cup of your favourite brew, and enjoy what’s on offer today.
