Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
Most people who sail in this country have heard of the Mistral keelboat. Strong in numbers on inland waterways, the Mistral was often the first taste of keelboat sailing many received.
In 1971, some 53 years ago, legendary boatbuilder, Fred Raas, father of Lex, launched ‘Ponjaart’ – a wooden prototype Mistral on the Vaal Dam.
She was the plug for the mould from which more than 127 Mistrals were made – first by the Raas family business, Triton Yachts, at a cost of less than R4 000, and later by Dick Manten.
Mistrals have been an enduring feature of sailing, particularly on inland waters in South Africa, and have even completed some incredible blue-water voyages.
READ MORE HERE: Pages from 2017 05 – SAILING Magazine – OCR
