Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
The newsmen aboard the guardship continue to hammer out the news of the massive duel sisterships ‘Albatros II’ and Mercury’ are having in the southern portion of the race course. As they lead overall it’s natural that they are getting so much attention as yacht racing is, after all, about winning. But those with loved ones, family and friends aboard other yachts would like some info too!
And don’t be surprised to read that the sinking of ‘Pionier’ still hogs the news and headlines. The fact that she went down with all lights burning must have added to the eeriness of the occasion.
There were many firsts achieved on this race, with the Boy Scouts crew aboard ‘Active’ being the first team of Sea Scouts to crew in an ocean yacht race.
Results – Handicap
1 Albatros
2 Mercury
3 Golden City
4 Striana
5 Breezand
Line Honours
1 Albatros
2 Mercury
3 Fortuna
4 Striana
5 Ocean Spirit
“All Eyes on Southernmost Race Leaders”. There was considerable excitement on board Tafelberg yesterday as it became clear that the two southernmost yachts, ‘Albatros II’ and ‘Mercury’, had leapt into the overall lead in the Cape·to-Rio race.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000508 – OCR
“SA Yachts in Dramatic Ocean Duel”. The South Atlantic duel between sister yachts ‘Mercury’ and ‘Albatros II’ put extra and unexpected drama into the last stages of the Cape-to-Rio race.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000536 – OCR
“Albatros Builds Up its Lead”. Hopes of a South African triumph in the Cape-to-Rio yacht race rose today as the tiny Knysna sloop ‘Albatros II’ increased its lead and was 70 sea miles ahead of its nearest rival, the Durban sloop ‘Mercury’.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000364 – OCR
“Albatros Holds on to Her Lead”. ‘Albatros’, well south of the fleet, still leads actually and on handicap. Second in both places is her sister ship ‘Mercury’, also well south and only 70 miles further from Rio than her rival. The Argentine Navy masthead yawl, ‘Fortuna’, is in 3rd place, with the French ‘Striana’ having fallen back to 4th place (also 4th on handicap).
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000363 – OCR
“Calms Frustrate the Rio Yachts”. Come on down for breakfast tomorrow,·ran ‘Ocean Spirit’s’ invitation to arch Rio race rival ‘Graybeard’ during last night’s roll-call for positions.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000557 – OCR
“‘Miracle’ Rescue After Whale Attacked Yacht”. A “Million-to-One” chance of early rescue after·an equally rare collision with a whale was how Mr. Gordon Webb, of Pinelands, skipper of the ill-fated Cape-to-Rio yacht ‘Pionier’, described the crew’s unnerving experience in mid-Atlantic last week in a radio-telephone interview last night.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000412 – OCR
“Pionier’s Crew to Fly to Rio”. The skipper and several crew members of the Rio race sloop ‘Pionier’, which sank in mid-Atlantic after hitting a whale, are planning to fly to Rio de Janeiro for the finish of the international race.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000411 – OCR
“Rio yacht man ill”. The Rio race guardship. ‘S.A.S. Tafelberg’ received a radio call from the Cape Town yacht ‘Outburst’, 150 miles to the north today asking for medical advice for the treatment or blood poisoning.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000404 – OCR
“Envelopes Mark Boy Scouts’ Rio Trip”. Fifty commemorative envelopes have been issued to mark the first team of Sea Scouts to crew in an ocean yacht race – the crew of the Cape-to-Rio cutter, ‘Active’, skippered by Eric Porzig.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 02 01 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000279 – OCR
