Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
The author of several books on sailing, Lawrence Green today shares his thoughts on boat building in South Africa from the November/December 1960 issue of SA Yachting magazine.
“Shipbuilding is not such a recent industry in South Africa as you might imagine. lt flourished in Jan Riebeeck’s time, and started much earlier. Shipwrecked crews of long ago were resourceful men. They knew full well that no one would come to their rescue, so they put together new ships from shattered hulls and sailed home at last.
“l possess a sort of vested interest in local shipbuilding. Thirty years ago l watched my own five-ton sloop becoming a reality day after day, from designer’s board to the moment when the champagne bottle cracked on her bows. This sounds magnificent, but a yacht of that size cost only three hundred pounds, with sails, thirty year ago. She is still a float, and worth more to-day than I paid for her.”
READ MORE HERE: 1960 11-12 – SA Yachting – fine old trade – OCR
