On This Day – 25 March. 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. “Week-end Contest At Sea”. The 505 Natal yachting championships are to be held at sea next week-end. The organisers are hoping for fine weather, but they have made adequate provision for poor conditions.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1968 03 25 COMBINED572 18

1968. “Big Splash for America’s Cup Challenger”. Michael Fay gazed at his new America’s Cup yacht New Zealand and smiled a satisfied smile.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1988 03 25 6

1990. “Perils of the Deep Don’t Faze Brenda”. Teenager Brenda Webb grew up with the story of how her parents spent 16 terrifying hours in a small raft in the south Atlantic after their yacht hit a whale and sank.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1990 03 25 039

1990. “Voortrekker II Gets A Flying Start”. Submarine commander Hanno Teutetberg and his National Servicemen underlings tossed out a stern warning to the opposition yachts taking part in the second Bartholomew Dias race starting from Table Bay on March 3.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1990 03 25 041

1991. “Sunken Yacht Salvaged”. Durban yacht Whisky Galore was refloated on Saturday after mysteriously sinking at her moorings last week.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1991 03 25 259_Redacted

1998. “’Nuthin’ Wong’ Here At All”. A real sea gypsy gave me a cuppa aboard his real sea gypsy-style boat at the Royal Cape Yacht Club.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1998 03 25 693

2004. “Taking to the Sea”. The Zululand Yacht Club (ZYC) hosted a sailing clinic this weekend for youngsters in the ‘Optimist Class’.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  2004 03 25 753

2011. “Missing Teen Sailors Saved”. Four Cape Town sailors have been rescued from a sinking yacht in the remote southern seas after four tense days with out communications or sighting of the vessel.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  2011 03 25 800

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