On This Day – 9 May. 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. “Zwartkops Regatta Attracts More Than A Hundred Entries”. The sponsored NCI/Banzi regatta at Zwartkops last weekend was an outstanding success. This popular event attracted 109 entries comprising 27 Windsurfers, 21 Optimists, 19 Lasers, 12 Sprogs, nine Dufours, eight Gypsys, five Mirrors, five Dabchicks, two Laser Radials, a Fireball and a Dolphin.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1985 05 09 325 3

1987. “Cheers for Yachting Victor Martin in the Final Leg”. Springbok round-the-world yachtsman John Martin put on a spectacular grandstand display of sailing for the hundreds of spectators who cheered him across the finishing line at Newport, victor of the final Rio-Newport leg of the BOC single-handed round-the-world race.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1987 05 09 3

1988. “Top Yacht Race Series Starts Today”. Yacht’s worth millions of rand and at least 10 Springboks will be taking part in one of South Africa’s premier keelboat regattas – Kwikot Week – which starts in Algoa Bay today.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1988 05 09a 703

1990. “Yacht of Captured SA Family Burnt”. The yacht belonging to the East London family recently captured by Renamo rebels in Mozambique has been burnt.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1990 05 09 387 8

1994. “Around the world in 167 days”. A lone British yachtsman has knocked more than 100 days off the record for sailing solo around the world westward, despite a final hitch on Saturday.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1994 05 09 300

1997. “Zululand Yacht Family Survive 10 Wild Storms”. A Richards Bay yachtsman, his wife and their two young sons survived 10 wild storms in 14 days before being towed to safety by the NSRI from the brink of running aground.
To read the full report, Click on the following LINK:  1997 05 09 415

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