BILL BUCHAN

THREE TIME WORLD’S CHAMPION

 

In 1961 Bill Buchan, in his home-built boat Frolic, Start # 4260, dethroned Lowell North on Lowell’s home waters of San Diego. Here we see him and his crew Doug Knight after their traditional dunking.

 

(Photo: 1962 Log)

 

Bill has a very impressive record in the World’s Championships. From 1958 when he sailed his first World’s through the year 2000 he participated 24 times. Aside from his three 1^st place finishes, in 1961, 1970 and 1985,  he has finished 2^nd three times (1973, 1976, 1979) and 3^rd four times (1965, 1981, 1982, 1983).

 

Aside from his various achievements as a sailor Bill served the Class first as Continental 2^nd Vice President (1972-1973) and then as Continental 1^st Vice President (1974-1975). Then starting in 1976 Bill served various terms on the Technical Committee, culminating as its Chairman from 1996 to 1998.

 

Bill became concerned about the ever-increasing roach of the mainsail at the upper batten. The Technical Committee published a report in the November, 1996, Starlights in which an option to actual crew weight control was to control the amount of upper roach by measurement. In the February, 1997, Starlights Bill published an article giving experimental data which supported the ideas put forth in the earlier article. Bill worked with Vince Brun to determine through on-the-water tests with different crew weights and mainsail roach configurations what the effect of less roach had on crew weight.

 

As mentioned above, Bill built his own boats during the wood boat era. He built his first Star, #2830, “Torrid”, in 1949 at the age of 14 with the help of his father. When he heard about the design features of Skip Etchells’ O.G.’s he built another one. That still wasn’t quite right and he built his first “Frolic”, # 3382. He had some design ideas which proved to be superior and was asked to build boats for others. When the Class went to allowing fiberglass boats Bill built some boats as a side business. When his regular business got to requiring his full attention he licensed his design to specific builders, first to Lippincott and Gerard, then to Ron Anderson, and then finally to Mader.

 

(Photo: 1962 Log)

 

THE BIRTH OF # 4260

 

After a few years of sailing the first "Frolic", #3382, successfully in the 6th District and doing somewhat better at the 1958 and 1959 World's (9th and 10th) Bill decided to build a new "Frolic", #4260, during the winter of 1959/1960 in the garage of his new home on Mercer Island. With this "Frolic" Bill won the 1961 World's with Doug Knight crewing. The next year they went to the World’s at Cascais where they finished 4th. (Star #4260 stayed in Portugal and is presently being refinished by its owner Mario Guedes de Sampaio.)

 

After a couple of other design changes Bill came back to the shape of # 4260 as his basic hull shape.

 

Frolic, # 4260, leaving Bill’s shop for the first time in the Spring of 1960.

 

 

 

 

 

BILL BUCHAN & DOUG KNIGHT

winning the Bacardi Cup in 1979

 

Eighteen years after their first successful effort, winning the World’s in 1961, here is Doug Knight and Bill Buchan teamed up again to win a major regatta. The boat is # 6042. Later in 1979 they went to Marstrand for the World’s where they came in second to Buddy Melges and Andreas Josenhans.

 

   

BILL & CARL BUCHAN

tied on points at the Bacardi’s, 1976

 

Although Ding Schoomaker and Bill Buchan were tied on points for the Bacardi’s in 1976, Ding was able to put Bill Gerard between Bill and him in the last race to win the regatta.