Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
Yesterday I mentioned that I could not find additional info about Frans Loots solo passage back from Uruguay. Well regular follower of this Blog, Dave Elcock, came up trumps with the location of that info, as well as his own passage home as skipper of ‘Suidoos’. An added bonus was a report by Bertie Reed on his passage home aboard ‘Voortrekker II’.
Port Elizabeth’s only 1982 Cape-to-Uruguay entrant, ‘Checkers Hyper’, limped back into port on April 19. Skipper Frans Loots did a solo crossing back to South Africa after the finish of the race.
He called in at Gordons Bay on the return trip when bad weather and heavy seas off Cape Agulhas forced him to seek shelter.
Soon after leaving for Port Elizabeth again he was hit by a strong south-westerly nearing Algoa Bay.
The wind, gusting up to 55 knots off Cape Recife, blew him past Algoa Bay and on towards St. Croix Island.
Frans decided to call for the assistance of the National Sea Rescue institute when attempts to beat back to harbour with damaged rigging proved fruitless.
What was remarkable about Loots’ passage was that it was aboard a Petersen 33.
Dave Elcock aboard ‘Suidoos’ described his passage back to Cape Town as “one long slog home” despite being a crew of three.
“After three days of gale force winds, the craft was being heavily pounded by mountainous seas and the 50 knot wind and sun sighting was difficult. We bashed along under reefed main and storm jib and occasionally the tri sail in place of the main”. Said Elcock.
Bertie Reed described a freak wave, then Tristan.
“On Sunday, 21, the wind began to increase steadily and by evening was blowing at 30 knots, still from the SE. This continued all night and by Monday morning the wind had reached 50 to 60 knots (repeater only reads 60 knots). By this time the sails had been reduced to a full reefed mainsail and storm jib. I found that the yacht was still going too fast for the sea and decided to drop the jib. Voortrekker was carrying herself at about ten knots over the crest of the waves causing severe pounding.”
READ ALL 3 ACCOUNTS HERE: 1985 South Atlantic Brochure
