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1 week ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettThe Shosholoza America’s Cup team was in the news every single day in their build-up to challenging for that “auld mug”. And why not as it took a big team of sailors and shore-side helpers to keep the show on the road. Of the sailing team none were as important as the grinders who brought brawn and skills to the cockpit of ‘Shosholoza’.
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1 week ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettIt’s hard to forget the glory days of our singlehanders who duelled against the best in the world as they circumnavigated the globe. How could one forget? Especially as I regularly share newspaper features with followers of this Blog!John Martin won the first leg of the BOC Challenge round the world race from Newport, Rhode Island, to Cape Town after sailing neck-and-neck with the Frenchman, Philippe Jeantot, most of the way.
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1 week ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettWe have a handful of yacht clubs in this country which have attained “centenary” status. Royal Natal Yacht Club, Zwartkops YC, Point YC, the Royal Cape YC and Redhouse YC are the ones I can think of off-hand and without researching. In 2004, from small beginnings, the Redhouse Yacht Club, in the charming riverside village on the banks of Swartkops River, now provides sailing, aquatic sports and loads of family fun for folk in the metro area.
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1 week ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettToday’s newspaper cutting is one I simply had to share as the Sunday Tribune gave the 1968 Saldanha Bay nationals a full page of coverage! Today local newspapers are hardly interested in out sport as the attitude adopted is very often simply this: “If you can’t hit it or kick it, it’s not sport!”.
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2 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettIt’s very rare that the Lipton Cup is contested outside of the July and August period as stated in the Deed of Gift, but in 1973, towards the end of the 30-Square metre reign as a Lipton class, the races were held in April. There’s nothing reported on in my archives for today other that a wonderful spread of four pics and lengthy captions.
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2 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard Crockett58 Years ago today an auspicious occasion in the history of sailing in this country was marked when the Cape Times announced that a “Springbok” yacht would be sailing in the 1968 single-handed transatlantic race from Plymouth to New York, and that construction was to start “at once”. This was of course the birth of ‘Voortrekker’ although the vessel was not named that until much later.
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2 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
by Richard CrockettThe South African ‘Shosholoza’ America’s Cup campaign knew no boundaries as it enveloped people the world over. The spirit within the team, the energy the team displayed, their very quick and steep learning curve were all contributing factors. But, the compassionate and humanitarian aspects of their campaign is what probably brought them the most recognition, honour and awards too. Much of this was to do with their charismatic leader – Captain Salvatore Sarno.
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2 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettSinglehanded sailing is tough – very tough – and probably why so few practice this aspect of our sport. And it gets even tougher the older one gets – just ask Ian Duncan who competed in the singlehanded Stannic Southstar race from Hout Bay around St Helena and back to finish in Cape Town. After 44 days at sea on board his Miura ‘Adamant’ Ian, who at 55 was the elder of the four yachtsmen in the race, said he had been “flapping all over the ocean” on his return voyage.
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2 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettI do hope that today’s newspaper cutting from 1992, that’s 33 years ago, does something to rekindle Match Racing in this country. Match Racing is one of the very few types of sailboat racing that brings the words “spectator fleet” into the equation. In a country bereft of the very cutting edge yachts like those sailed in the America’s Cup and GP Racing, all of which is done close to shore with big spectator fleets, match racing is the next best thing.
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3 weeks ago | 
sailing.co.za | Richard L. Crockett
By Richard CrockettThe 505 worlds off Durban in 1994 was a great event with some stunning displays of fast sailing and good pics to be had by photographers brave enough to go to sea. That was 31 years ago now, with the newspaper report giving a good account of how well the sailing was going.
