Bertie Reed was the first South African, and one of only a few yachtsmen in the
world, to complete three singlehanded circumnavigations of the globe. His
toughness in adverse conditions at sea earned him the nickname
‘Biltong’.
But he will be especially remembered for his heroic rescue of
fellow-South African John Martin, whose yacht Allied Bank sank after hitting a
submerged iceberg in the Southern Ocean, during the 1990/91 BOC Challenge.
Reed was awarded South Africa’s highest civilian award at the time for
bravery, the Wolraad Woltemade Decoration. He earned this for the
outstanding seamanship he displayed during Martin’s rescue in extreme
conditions. He also received a presidential citation, and was listed in the
Civic Honours Book of the City of Cape Town.
Reed joined the South
African Navy in 1961, and it was there that he began sailing. It was a career
that led to him achieving world fame in the inaugural BOC Challenge singlehanded
race around the world in 1982/83. Reed finished second across the line and first
on handicap in the 14-year-old Voortrekker… a sloop that was, at the
time, considered old and obsolete.
He sailed some 170,000 nautical miles
competitively – over 100 000 singlehanded – which earned Reed a special
place among the elite of blue-water sailors around the world. In April this
year, he was back on the waves with shipmate Martin, showing that his seamanship
was still in fine fettle as he sailed the SA Navy’s racing yacht MTU
Fascination of Power around the course in Table Bay in the invitational
Seniors’ race.
Dodging through the fleet of nearly 50 yachts, Reed said,
“It is really great to be out in this bay again,†and his terse advice on
sail trimming showed he had lost none of his competitive edge. Reed and Martin
sailed together in a number of races, including the two-handed Round Britain
Race in 1982 on Voortrekker II, winning it in record time.
Reed
was always a modest man and strong on family values. He became an example and an
inspiration to thousands of young people in South Africa and abroad. He readily
shared his knowledge of seamanship and always had his wristwatch set on GMT,
wherever he was in the world. (A fact that caused confusion in landlubbers who
were in awe of the man who could convert GMT to local time!)
Reed and his wife Pat flew to Rhode Island, USA for his induction into the International
Singlehanded Sailors Hall of Fame, at Newport’s Museum of Sailing. It was a
fitting and final tribute to a man the sailing world loved and respected.