Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
I am scanning and archiving press cuttings I have accumulated and which I guestimate run into tens of thousands! A daunting task which I believe to be necessary as for many years I have been concerned about the lack of interest Clubs, Classes and other sailing related organisations give to preserving their history.
From the overwhelming response I have received to these posts in the past few days 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 to save the rich history of our sport, and to share it in the hope that you will enjoy reminiscing, and learning more.
To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline.
1985. “Macintosh Leads Race to Uruguay”. Padda Kuttel’s Apple Macintosh has retaken the lead in the 1985 Cape to Uruguay Race with a 230-mile dash in the last 24 hours.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1985 01 19 592
1987. “5 000 Miles Added to Race to Avoid SA”. Another two legs, totalling 5 000 sea-miles, have been added to the course of the next Whitbread Round-the-World Race – so as to bypass Cape Town.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1987 01 19 32
1987. “Conner Completes Annihilation of NZ”. Dennis Conner moved ever closer to his dream of regaining the America’s Cup by guiding Stars and Stripes to a crushing victory over New Zealand yesterday to win the challenger finals.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1987 01 19 16 42_Redacted
1989. “Form Flyer in Top Form”. Form Flyer, crewed by Patrick Holloway and Gary Farrow, took the lead yesterday in the Stannic Southstar yacht race to St Helena island and back, leaving GA Insurance (Bertie Reed and Bob Harrison) one nautical mile astern.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1989 01 19 4
1990. “Yachts in the Doldrums”. The St Francis Bay race again generated its crop of colourful yarns for the clubhouse. Twice cancelled in recent years due to gale force winds, last weekend’s race was a doldrum of fickle zephyrs and sly eddies reducing skippers to despair.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1990 01 19 383 17
1991 part 1. “Sons of the Sea Weigh Up Their Inner Anchorages”. Bertie to trim his sails for a new life closer to home.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1991 01 19a 250
1991 part 2. “Sons of the Sea Weigh Up Their Inner Anchorages”. Martin has led the way – but his heart is with his children.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1991 01 19b 250
1992. “Maputo Fines Crew R19000 and Confiscates Their Yacht”. Mozambique has confiscated a South African yacht and fined its crew more than R19 000 for alleged illegal salvage diving in its territorial waters.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1992 01 19 415 30
1993. “Ostrich on High Seas”. An ostrich, which narrowly missed been eaten for breakfast, could become the first to be born on the high seas.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1993 01 19 461_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.
From the overwhelming response I have received to these posts in the past few days 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 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. 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 8500 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
