Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
The name ‘Voortrekker’ always piques the attention of yachties as Bruce Dalling followed by Bertie Reed and John Martin excelled when racing the trusty steed – especially singlehanded.
Today’s headline showed a change of pace for the ageing old lady, EVEN THEN IN 1996, as she was crewed by a team of black teenagers. This is how the Cape Times reported:
“Six black teenagers sailed in South Africa’s most famous racing yacht, ‘Voortrekker’, in their first ever regatta yesterday.
“The six, all cadets at Simon’s Town Maritime School, braved 25-knot north-westerly winds in the Fish Hoek Galley Spring Regatta on board the 29-year-old yacht.
“Accompanied by three Navy instructors – for safety purposes only – they earned praise from veteran yachtsman Bertie Reed, who twice sailed the famous yacht around the world alone.”
READ MORE HERE: 1996 09 25 – cape times – 234 – S&A – OCR
FOOTNOTE. The grand old lady of the sea lies in Simonstown, almost forgotten and in dire need of a large dollop of TLC. There are moves to restore her and put her on permanent display, although money is tight, if not non-existent. Let’s hope that these efforts come to fruition soon and that funds become available to save her.
