On This Day – 14 February. A Newspaper History of Sailing

by Richard Crockett

From the overwhelming response I receive from these posts, from all over the world I may add, the interest is cranking up rapidly and I am being connected with some wonderful people thirsty for more. Thank you all who have 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.

To read the full reports, click on the LINK following each headline.

1989. “The Last Great Sailing Record Falls”. When Thursday’s Child, a 18,28-metre sloop, sailed under San Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge yesterday after an 80-day, non-stop voyage from New York round treacherous Cape Horn, the yacht broke what many sailors consider the world’s last great sailing record.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1989 02 14 075_Redacted

1991. “Clean Sweep for Henley Midmar”. Henley Midmar Yacht Club skippers scored a clean sweep in the Highveld Regatta for 505’s held at Sterkfontein dam over the weekend.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1991 02 14 402 11

1992. “Mozambique Government Silent on SA Yachtsmen’s Escape”. No reaction has been received from the Mozambique Government to the escape of three South Africans aboard their yacht, Corolita, from Maputo harbour.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 02 14 417 17

1993. “STRANDED! … on the Colour Bar?”  Sammy Naidu missed the boat to Rio and he’s wondering: Why?
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1993 02 14 761

1994. “Ocenasek Held in Agulhas-Seilvaart”. Die gesoute seiljagmanne is gewoond om die Agulhas-wedvaart in gure toestande te seil, maar die slag was dit nie te erg nie, het die Springbok-seiljagvaarder John Martin gister gese.
TRANSLATION: “Ocenasek Hero in Agulhas Race”. The seasoned yachtsmen are used to sailing the Agulhas race in harsh conditions, but the blow wasn’t too bad, Springbok yachtsman John Martin said on Thursday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1994 02 14 887

1994. “Natal Skipper Goes Through”. Natal skipper Ian Ainslie won the group finals of the Nations Cup match sailed in rainy weather within the harbour here yesterday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1994 02 14 150_Redacted

Comments and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za

What is “On this Day” About?
I am 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 before ditching them 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.

Should you wish to copy, forward or share material from here, PLEASE acknowledge the source as: Sourced From the SAILING Mag Archives & Historical Records.

From the overwhelming response I receive from these posts, from all over the world I may add, the interest is cranking up rapidly and I am being connected with some wonderful people thirsty for more. Thank you all who have made contact.

This is my personal crusade, and instead of simply archiving and keeping the contents away from prying eyes, I will share my spoils in the hope that you will enjoy reminiscing as much as I do, and continue to do as I wade through the labourious process of scanning each and every cutting in my archives.

As each scanned cutting will be searchable, I will be 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) who want a record of his/her sailing career for the family archives.

I have already done this by scanning in excess of 10 000 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.

Comments and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za