One piece of advice that sailors can typically agree on is the more time spent on the water, the better you’ll do. While that may be true for the majority of sailors, Carl Buchan has been proving so far at the Star Western Hemisphere Championship that once you’re that good, you don’t need more time.
Overall, Buchan holds the top spot on the scoresheet after three more races today. Following in second by a mere one point is Eric Doyle and his crew Payson Infelise and Brian Ledbetter and his crew Magnus Liljedahl in third.
Buchan told us about how sailing Stars runs through four generations of his family. Maybe the talent is just in their blood because it’s been a while since Buchan has raced in a big regatta. “We tried to sail locally as much as we could this spring to prepare. The last big regatta we did was the North Americas in Seattle four years ago. I’d love to just keep doing well. A lot of good people had their ups and downs. Our goal is just to have more good races and see how things play out.”
Conditions drastically improved today for day three of the regatta. It was a Chamber of Commerce day with a breeze of 6-10 knots from the west with clear, sunny skies. Sailors were psyched.
Race three was dominated by three great sailors. Ledbetter started off the day with a bullet, followed by Allan Terhune in second and Eric Doyle in third. Doyle continued to push to the top of the scoresheet, dominating his competitors by taking first followed by third place in race five.
Doyle, a known World Champion Star sailor, commented on today’s success. “I bought an older boat with a brand new mast... It took us a little while to figure things out and keep it going. We got better as time went on, changed a few things and the breeze picked up. In the last race, we totally messed up the start. I hit the pin and was going backwards, so we were lucky to pull back into third place,” he started.
“A lot of people think that in San Diego you always go right, but it was left all day. Sometimes I didn’t even hit left hard enough. Upwind and downwind you had to stay in the pressure more offshore,” Doyle continued.
When you ask Star sailors what they love about the boat, you will often get answers that highlight tradition, community and camaraderie. Buchan, after years of Championship titles and a Gold medal, is one of the many just happy to be out here sailing with his friends and family.
“I’m sailing with my son Jamie. We’ve been to lots of Star Boat regattas in San Diego and it’s one of our favorite places to come. Sailing has been a family affair. My grandfather sailed Stars and now my son, wife and daughter, we all sail. Four generations. It’s something we can really enjoy together,” Buchan commented.
After the races, sailors enjoyed cold beer and light snacks at the hoist before making their way to a social on the Front Deck. Saturday will mark the final day of the regatta and the final chance for our many talented sailors to earn their spot on the scoresheet. After the regatta, sailors and their families will gather for an evening social and prize giving.
SSL Press Officer since 2015