Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
The photos I posted yesterday created quite a stir, many comments and some reminiscing about races from many years back.
The general consensus is that these photos were from Rothman’s Week in 1974 – the very first Rothman’s Week. There was a comment that it may have been the start of the 1971 Rio Race, but ‘Golden Fleece’ never competed in any Rio Races.
Despite searching my archives very thoroughly I was unable to find a complete set of results for that event. If anyone has them, please share them with me.
I was able to find the following info in a search for sail numbers:
SA 70 may have been ‘Gemini’,a Carter 33.
SA 111 may have been ‘Crescendo’, an RORC 39/Hartley.
SA 169 may have been ‘Prost’, a Warrior 35 mk.II/Primrose design.
Plus some of the yachts are identified in the feature article on the event.
As a result of the interest in those photos, I have decided to share the report I have of the 1984 Rothman’s Week, which was won by Gordon Neil’s ‘Golden Fleece’.
The opening paragraphs of the report in SA Yachting read as follows:
“Rothman’s Week in Table Bay exceeded all hopes when 49 entries for it reached the Cruising Association offices in Cape Town.
“Seventeen entries in Class 2 included Buccaneers, Flamencas, Mistrals and Cariocas, while Class I was 32 boats strong and had Royal Cape One Designs, Doggers, the famous ‘Zeeslang’ done over beautifully by Jock Gray. ‘Voortrekker’, Southern Maid and ‘Southern Floe’ for the S.A. Navy Sailing Association, ‘Jakaranda’, ‘Breezand’, owned and sailed now by F. French, ‘Sprinter’, three Folkboats, ‘Outburst’ and a whole string more of veterans of one or more Cape to Rio Races and CASA events.”
READ THE FULL ROTHMAN’S WEEK REPORT HERE: 1975 01 – SA Yachting – Rothmans Week
