Warwick Owen of Due North Rum Club fame, managed to come across an old Super 8 film clip of 'Stroppy' and sent the editor of Sailing Magazine, Richard Crockett a CD. It came from Bruce Baldwin who had the forethought to save it from his grandfather's archive. Stroppy is a Sprog dinghy designed by Port Elizabeth's great benefactor and architect Herbert McWilliams The footage is obviously old, but interesting all the same. Also shown in the 'film' are two canon being fired by the Bridge … [Read more...] about Historic Footage of Swartkops River Sailing
herbert mcwilliams
HMS Hecla and Herbert McWilliams – 70 years ago today
I have been corresponding with two gentleman, Bill Foster and Warwick Owen about the life and time of one of Port Elizabeth's great benefactors, Herbert McWilliams. Specifically about the sinking of the ship HMS Hecla 70 years ago today (one authority states that the ship actually sank on 12 November, though) and McWilliams famous sailing dinghy design, the Sprog. I find myself wondering what McWilliams would say today if he were able to contemplate the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the … [Read more...] about HMS Hecla and Herbert McWilliams – 70 years ago today
