On This Day – 6 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.

1985. “’Second-rank’ Boats Battle”. The “second-rank” maxis 3CR12 and Paper Pack Voortrekker II, still at sea in the South Atlantic Race, are battling in poor winds to make headway to the finish, where they are not expected till tonight or to morrow.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1985 02 06 450

1985. “Life on the Ocean Wave”. There’s something about the Cape to Uruguay race that fires even the most timid of imaginations. If those billowing sails disappearing from Table Bay made you dream of life on the ocean wave, plan to be. part of the action next time round. Cape Town mother of five, Kerstle Pelt, who’s recently returned with her family from a three-year world cruise which started with the last Atlantic race, says the best way to get ahead of the mad scramble for berths is to join the Cruising Association of South Africa.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1985 02 06 322 13_Redacted

1987. “Yacht Club Kicked Off to Sparkling New Year”. The Bloemfontein Yacht club kicked off to a sparkling new year with a fun-loaded regatta at the Rusfontein Dam. The Bronco Sail and Surf Fun-weekend involved whole families with the youngest competitor about 13 years old and the vintage participants well above 65!
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1987 02 06 506

1991. “’Fireball Bill’ Rides His Luck – and the Wind”. Luck played its unpredictable part on the glassy waters of the East Rand Yacht Club on Sunday morning – and “Fireball Bill” Le Roux made the most of it.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1991 02 06 402 3

1995. “US Warship Disrupts America’s Cup Races”. Dense fog and the sudden appearance of an aircraft carrier on the course caused three of Saturday’s four scheduled America’s Cup races to be postponed.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1995 02 06 356

1997. “Raid Racer Relives Da Gama Romance”. An event of great moment in the history of Durban has been briefly brought to life again by a man whose direct ancestry links him to the great Portuguese seafarer, Vasco da Gama.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1997 02 06 418

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 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