On This Day – 15 July. 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.

1968. “Cape Horn Veteran’s Tribute to Dalling”. You quote Bruce Dalling as saying “The sea is the simplest thing there is” (Cape Times, June 28). I am sure that this cannot he accepted by experienced professional mariners.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1968 07 15 864

1969. “‘Mini-Olympic’ Regatta”. The Mini-Olympic regatta, a novel and imaginative idea in yacht racing, is to be held on Durban Bay this weekend. The regatta is open to all Junior yachtsmen in the Cadet and Dabchick classes and, besides plenty of short races, the competitors will receive coaching and advice from some of the top yachtsmen In South Africa.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1969 07 15 – Pfotenhauer – 000037

1970. “Wayfarer. I Think We·will Be Very Proud of What We Are Doing • • •”. You know how it is with this ‘flu. One minute you’re fine, upstanding and rarin’ to go. The next you’re down, sick as sin and as enthusiastic about life as you are about an income tax demand! At least that’s how it appears to me. Not from personal experience because – touch wood – I haven’t had it yet. But from observation of near and dear friends.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1970 07 15 532_Redacted

1982. “Mini Mouse Surprises the Hot Favourites”. ‘Poor’ Mini Mouse turned in a ‘mighty’ performance yesterday to upstage both the pundits and the exotic, much-fancied entries in the third race of the Lipton Cup challenge.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1982 07 15 – Lipton Cup – 635

1993. “Former CBC Student Rides the North Atlantic”. Former Christian Brothers College student, Patrick Holloway, now a lawyer in Cape Town, is presently engaged in a titanic struggle somewhere in the North Atlantic on the revolutionary SA maxi yacht Broomstick in the New York-to-London race which began on July 3.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1993 07 15 495

1994. “Yacht ‘Sank Like A Stone’ After Hitting Something”. A survivor of the latest sea drama off Natal described yesterday how the yacht Jay “sank like a stone” after hitting a submerged object in the Mozambique Channel.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1994 07 15 676

1996. “In Light Winds Far From the Ocean, Messing About in Boats is Serious Stuff”. The Wits University Yacht Club are desperate to get to the World Cup in October, but their chances depend on their ability to attract a sponsor
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1996 07 15a 602-1

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 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.

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

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