Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
Positions Today – Line Honours
1 Ocean Spirit
2 Graybeard
3 Striana
4 Hamburg
5 Stormy
Handicap
1 Hamburg
2 Albatros II
3 Striana
4 Corsair
5 Ocean Spirit
At the very front of the fleet the two leaders are having a ding-dong battle to lead the fleet, which one journalist has described as follows: “which promises to be the highlight of the Race to Rio”.
On handicap there is little change, except to ‘Corsair’ which has rocketed up the overall standings overnight and into 4th place on handicap. The wind appears to have been light, frustrating the bigger boats, but giving hope to the lighter and smaller boats that they may do some catching up.
And back in the race today is ‘Jakaranda’ after her rudder had been repaired in record time.
“Rio Duel is Shaping As Highlight”. ‘Tafelberg’s’ yacht-watchers, rather starved of sightings yesterday, are looking forward today to a look at front-runners ‘Ocean Spirit’ and ‘Graybeard’, presently engaged in a mid-South Atlantic duel which promises to be the highlight of the Race to Rio.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000498 – OCR
“Two Duel for Rio Lead”. While Lol Killam’s ‘Graybeard’ and the British ketch ‘Ocean Spirit’ continued their neck-and-neck struggle for first place, the 16m (53 ft.) Cape ketch ‘Corsair’ rocketed from 25th to 9th position on elapsed time and from 27th to 4th on handicap in the Cape-to-Rio race yesterday.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000499 – OCR
“Tafelberg Moves Up to the Leaders”. After moving about among the tailenders in the Cape-to-Rio race, ‘Tafelberg’ headed west by north-west at 17 knots to one side of the main stream of competing yachts to intercept the leaders late last night some·where in the vicinity of Greenwich meridian.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000497 – OCR
“990 Miles Away: We Seem to Be Alone”. We are just one of a cluster of tiny crosses on our navigator’s chart, but for all the life we have seen in the·last two days we might just as well be alone in the South Atlantic.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000238 – OCR
“Crews Don’t Like Balmy Weather”. Reports of beautiful weather out there will not cheer up skippers hoping for 10-knot winds to push them on their way. Position changes have followed the normal light weather pattern of big boats slowing down and smaller craft keeping up some progress.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000529 – OCR
“Get to Know Them”. When two owner-skippers share the same boat, how do they divide their territory?
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000255 – OCR
“Jakaranda is Off to Rio”. While ships in Table Bay docks sounded their hooters in farewell, Springbok yachtsman Bruce Dalling and his crew set sail for Rio today in ‘Jakaranda’ – determined to overtake at least half the fleet which sailed six days before.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Frans Loots Collection – – 376 – OCR_Redacted
“Jakaranda Off To-day on Big Chase”. With none of the grandeur and excitement of last Saturday’s Cape-to-Rio send-off, skipper Bruce Dalling and his nine-man crew will watch their yacht ‘Jakaranda’ lowered into the water at 8 a.m. to-day, and with only a few well-wishers present, will set sail for Rio once more.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22a – Rio 1971 – Frans Loots Collection – – 375 – OCR_Redacted
Position Reports.
READ MORE HERE: 1971 01 22 – Rio 1971 – Dave Elcock Collection -000445 – OCR
