Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
In the early Rio Race days of the 1970s, this time of the year was manic as there were always some skippers who were way behind in their preparation schedules, some even battling to finish their yachts in time for the start.
Deadlines are sometimes tough to meet, yet one thing no yachtsman should ever do is rush the preparation for an ocean crossing. Every single part of the yacht from stem to stern needs to be checked, double checked, and ALL suspect items dealt with before the passage starts. It’s simply because at sea it’s far more difficult to effect repairs, especially when parts are required that are not on board. There’s no corner shop until land is reached.
‘Cariad’ was no different, especially as this delightful lady was rather old, so her preparations were more extensive and intense.
“‘Cariad I’, the Tribune’s Cape-to-Rio race entry, started her sea trials yesterday. With 510 square metres of sails to stretch and try, the·74-year old, ex-royal favourite stood out to sea in beautiful weather with light and fluking breezes” is what the Sunday Tribune newspaper reported when announcing their entry had started its sea trials off Durban.
READ ABOUT HER HERE: 1970 12 06 – Rio 1971 – Don Pfotenhauer Collection – 806 – OCR_Redacted – S&A
