Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
I am scanning and archiving press cuttings I have accumulated and which I guestimate run into tens of thousands! A daunting task which I believe to be necessary as for many years I have been concerned about the lack of interest Clubs, Classes and other sailing related organisations give to preserving their history.
This is my personal crusade to save the rich history of our sport, and to share it in the hope that you will enjoy reminiscing, and learning more.
To read the full reports, click on the LINK following the headline.
1985. “Yachtsman to Go it Alone Again”. Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders is about to go into solitary confinement for three years – voluntarily. He will escape the rat race by sailing around the world three times non-stop and without re-provisioning.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1985 01 08 603
1985. “Yacht Race Fleet Cut to 37 Entries”. Lack of sponsorship, gremlins and foul weather have whittled the original 51-strong South Atlantic race fleet down to 37 yachts.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1985 01 08 12 319 10
1987. Stranded Crewman Plans to Intercept Skipper”. While a lookout was being kept off the Cape’s-west coast yesterday for the abandoned yacht Fiji, a stranded member of its crew was planning in Cape Town to fly to Las Palmas to demand his belongings from the Dutch owner.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1987 01 08 495
1992. “RSA Olympic Trials”. With the Olympic sailing trials looming at the end of this month, South African catamaran sailors are faced with the prospect that wealth, as opposed to skill, could ultimately decide on who wins the Barcelona berth in the class.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1992 01 08 693
1993. “Corks Pop for Solo Sailor”. Durban’s round-the-world sailor Anthony Steward – who arrived in his home port to an enthusiastic welcome yesterday afternoon – is already thinking of setting another world record.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1993 01 08 498
1993. “Steward Now Plans Solo Sail Around Cape Horn”. Round-the-world solo yachtsman Anthony Steward, who arrived in Durban to an enthusiastic welcome yesterday, said he now planned to sail around Cape Horn (the southernmost tip of South America) in a smaller yacht – although his wife is not excited by the idea.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK: 1993 01 08 496
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 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
