On This Day – 7 November. A Newspaper History of Sailing

by Richard Crockett

To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline.

A slight change in headline this morning to better represent the origin of this history.

We open today with a delightful tale of a Sandefjord crewman who received a “broomstick whopping” It’s a wonderful read.

Bruce Dalling announced that his crew of 9 would start training immediately after ‘Jakaranda’ arrived in Durban.

Another delightful story about a BOC skipper and his sad tale of flags!

Bertie Reed was preparing to scale his “Everest of the Seas” in 1989, while in 1991 the Navy had entered ‘Voortrekker II’ in a South American regatta.

“Rio Race Row” bellowed the headlines. Read all about is here!

We all know that Rio Races boost the coffers of CT, but here’s what was said about this in 1992.

Dale Granger gives an insight into the Whitbread Race – and the fact that there’s nought for comfort.

1967. “Broomstick Whopping for A Beer-can Romeo”. Wally Stright, the American crew member of the Durban yacht ‘Sandefjord’, was beaten up by his wife early today.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1967 11 07

1970. “Rio Trials Soon”. Pietermaritzburg helmsman Bruce Dalling and his crew of nine will begin trial runs in the yawl ‘Jakaranda’ almost immediately after the craft arrives in Durban on November 15.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1970 11 07 305

1986. “Skipper and Flagpole Now ‘Poles Apart’”. Richard Konkolski, the “stateless person” taking part in the BOC solo round-the-world race – he fled Poland in 1982 and was granted asylum by the US – is now flagless as well. In two separate incidents the flags of his yacht have been stolen in Table Bay.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1986 11 07 545

1989. “Reed Sets Off to Scale ‘Everest of the Seas’”. On November 26 from Les Sables d’Olonne on the coast of France, South Africa’s master mariner Bertie Reed sets off to scale the “Everest of the Seas” – the single-handed, non-stop round the world Globe Challenge.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1989 11 07 380 1

1991. “Navy to Back SA Yacht in Mil Millas Regattas”. South Africa’s classic ocean-racing yacht, ‘Voortrekker II’, is to have the backing of the SA Navy’s replenishment vessel, the ‘SAS Tafelberg’, in the international Mil Millas yacht regattas in South American waters next month.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1991 01 07 401 2

1992. “Rio Race Row. Yachtsmen Crying Foul”. Yachtsmen who have spent fortunes building monohull yachts for the first Cape to Rio yacht race in 16 years are crying foul over a new super-light catamaran.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 11 07 428 15

1992. “Cape-to-Rio Race Boosts CT Coffers”. The 1993 Rothmans Cape-to-Rio yacht race is set to boost Cape Town’s local trade, industry and tourism by R40m.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1992 11 07 428 17

1997. “Cream of World’s Sailors in Huge Battle for Whitbread”. This race around the world, after years of hard work, millions spent, and the toughest conditions imaginable, can be a cruel vocation.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1997 11 07 296

1997. “Always Room for Improvement But There’s Nought for Comfort”. Winning the Whitbread round-the-world yacht race has become such a precise, scientific art. Every effort is made to find that slight advantage over the opposition, to the extent that some skippers insist their crew cut their toothbrushes in half to conserve weight.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1997 11 07 297

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.

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. Rathmines 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 4000 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.

Comments and contributions are welcome. Email: editor@sailing.co.za

The possibilities are endless – so watch this space.