On This Day – 27 April. 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.

1984. “Yachts Battle for Lead in Tough Ocean Race”. The giant Durban-based sloop Sensation and much smaller Lavranos one-tonner Assegai were battling it out for the lead in the Wilbur Ellis Da Gama sea race as they headed towards the Transkei coast last night
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1984 04 27 DSC_1759

1990. “Father and Son Team-up Again”. For the 14th time Kloof father and son team of Brian and Neil Tocknell will take on one of the most important races on the calendar, the Wilbur Ellis Da Gama Ocean Challenge.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1990 04 27 386 26 copy

1990. “50 Top Yachts for PE Regatta”. More than 50 top racing yachts will be competing in the Opel Algoa Bay Challenge, which begins in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1990 04 27 386 31

1992. “NZ Yachting Win Annulled Following Skipper’s Protest”. New Zealand’s victory over Italy’s 11 Moro di Venezia in the America’s Cup challenger finals was annulled early yesterday following Italian skipper Paul Cayard’s protest.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 04 27 036

1995. “Weather A Major Factor for Fleet”. With the weather so unstable at present, it appears inevitable that the 29 strong fleet of yachts competing in the tough 240 nautical mile Wilbur Ellis da Gama ocean race from Durban to East London, starting today (11am) will face headwinds for a large portion of the race.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1995 04 27 950

1998. “Gumboots Wins Da Gama Yacht Race”. Good tactics in sometimes stormy, sometimes calm conditions, saw a modest-sized and relatively old fashioned Petersen 33 yacht, Gumboots, beat sleeker rivals to win the Vasco da Gama yacht race between Durban and East London at the weekend.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1998 04 27 204

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