On This Day – 29 February. 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.

1986. “Wind in Their Sails”. The yacht race, Beachcomber Crossing 1985, which was held between September 28 and October 19 from Mauritius to Durban was so successful that the sponsors have decided that it be held again in 1987. An agreement to this effect is expected in the next few months.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1986 02 00 941

1990. “Morsing with Names”. ·A voice deep within Transnet tells us that their change of names, ‘logos, colours, etc cost SA Transport Services R4,2 million, much of it on research and design by Pentagraph.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:   1990 02 0000 123

1994. “Beachcomber Race is Put Back to 1994”. The next Beachcomber Crossing from Mauritius to Durban has been put back a year to 1994.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 02 29 835

1997. “Slaughter on the Water”. How a cash-strapped team of Kiwi sailors went about their quest for the Holy Grail of yachting prizes.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:   1997 02 0000 450

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

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