Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline.
Today the written word plays a minor role in our history with the power of pictures taking pride of place. So be sure to follow the link to see all the pics.
1984. “Studente Wil Vaart Wen”. ‘n POP groep het spesiaal ‘n liedjie gekomponeer oor die tien studente van die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand wat op 12 Januarie op die seiljag Momentum Life aan die Suid-Atlantiese wedvaart van Kaapstad na Punta del Este in Uruguay gaan deelneem. Die jag, ‘n baie omstrede ontwerp, sal as een van die gunstelinge wegspring.
TRANSLATION: “Students Want to Win”. A pop group specially composed a song about the ten students of the University of the Witwatersrand who will be taking part in the South Atlantic race from Cape Town to Punta del Este in Uruguay on January 12 on the yacht Momentum Life. The yacht, a very controversial design, will start off as one of the favourites.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1984 12 19 405
1987. “Top Sailors Show Championship Form”. Some of South Africa’s best yachtsmen gathered at the Henley Midmar Yacht Club over the long weekend for Natal’s premier provincial championship event.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1986 12 19 17
1988. “PE Yacht Wins Farr 38 Trophy”. The Port Elizabeth yacht Penny Pinchers won the Farr 38 trophy in a closely contested series of round-the-buoy races, including an overnight long-distance race in the Rothmans Week Regatta.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1988 12 19
1994. “JJ Moves Up in BOC Race”. The South African entrant in the BOC Challenge around-the-world race in Class l, JJ Provoyeur, has stunned the yachting world again by sailing his crippled eight-year-old yacht into third place on the second leg to Sydney, Australia.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1994 12 19 030
1996. “De Kok Unbeaten. Problems Plague Meek”. Michiel de Kok on Risky Business kept his unbeaten record in this year’s Telkom International Sailing week intact as Geoff Meek on Ballyhoo Too slipped to fourth place in the first of two races in Table Bay yesterday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1996 12 19 881
1998. “Getting Ready to Sail the Seven Seas”. Durban-based sailors will be making waves when they take to the seas on one of more than 100 boats already entered into the first international race of the new millennium, the MTN Cape to Rio yacht race. Skipper Kevin Rainier said the Petit Prince is the only Durban and Point Yacht Club boat entered in the race so far.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1998 12 19 939
2006. “Sailing Stalwart Sails Into the Sunset”. South African yachtsman Bertie Reed, who completed three single-handed circumnavigations of the globe, died in hospital yesterday. He was 63. Reed (pictured), who had liver cancer, was admitted to a hospital outside Cape Town a few hours before he died, his wife Pat said.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 2006 12 19 864
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.
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 have, 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. Rathmines 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 4000 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
