Buchan wins 2021 International Masters Regatta

San Diego, CA (October 23, 2021) – Who more fitting to earn the championship title at this year’s International Masters Regatta than the 2021 National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee himself, Carl Buchan.

After taking the lead yesterday, Buchan’s team stayed on a roll today, posting a 3-1-5 to seal victory before the final race. Pondering whether to sail, when an opposing team had boat problems prior to that race, Buchan solved the issue for both teams, offering his boat as his team celebrated their victory.

“Our crew all worked together really well,” said Buchan. “We all did our job and trusted each other. It was good to feel the team coming together. We kept our focus on what we needed to do. The starts were really close and hard-fought. We had some great breezes, but sometimes it got a little tricky on the shift.”

Sailing with Buchan was wife Carol Buchan alongside Fritz Lanzinger, Trevor Baylis, Fritz Johnston, and Jay Renehan.

Buchan didn’t start the regatta with any advantages. Similar to the rest of the fleet on day one, his results were all over the board. After the first day of racing with a 5, 7, 1, 10, Buchan only returned to the course with more ambition. After day two with three bullets and a 4th, the momentum had shifted.

However, Buchan wasn’t without a fight from the rest of the competition, especially Rod Davis. Davis beat Buchan in the first race of the day, race nine, by one point and never let down. Davis and Buchan also seemed to have sailed their own match race in race 10.

Davis was a mere foot behind Buchan for the entire race and at the finish line. In race 11, Davis and his crew started the race with an OCS and last to round the weather mark, but still finished third. However, by then Buchan’s lead was insurmountable prior to the final race.

Honorable mention goes to three past International Masters Regatta champions who each won a race today: 2016 Champion Bill Menninger (race 9 winner); 2019 Champion Andy Roy (race 11 winner); and 2017 Champion Bill Campbell (race 12 winner).

After Buchan retired from the regatta, the fight was on for second place as Davis held only a five point lead on Campbell going in to race twelve. Campbell’s team did all they could, winning the pin and left side, and when the wind shifted their way, their lead was unchallenged. But Davis was on their tail the whole way, finishing second in the race to hold serve.

Carl Buchan started earning this symbolic win at a young age following in the footsteps of his father, Bill Buchan, who was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2013. Carl Buchan won a gold medal at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games in the Flying Dutchman Class while his father won the gold medal in the same Games in the Star fleet.

Carl’s history of winning includes the World Singlehanded Youth Championship, Laser US Nationals and North Americans, Flying Dutchman World Championship, America’s Cup (as crew), Tasar World Championship, Star North Americans and Western Hemispheres, Star World Championship, and the Soling North American Championship…just to name a few.

Buchan is a great example of what the International Masters Regatta is all about: sailors who have dedicated their lives to the sport, who have shown great success on the water, and who are still passionate about the competition.

“On behalf of myself, co-chair Tim Fuller and the San Diego Yacht Club, thank you to our sailors for coming out and making this a really exciting regatta weekend for everyone,” said said Co-chair JR Young. “It’s great to be back after a year off in 2020. We had a great regatta with plenty of competition out on the water. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did.”

Racing was on October 21-23.

Race details – Entry list – Results

Final Results (12 races)

Source: SDYC