Buchan gets Glory Ready for Action
11-Apr-2007
Just arrived by ship in Palma is John Buchan’s Seattle flagged new Glory, which came from the same mould as Peter de Ridder’s circuit champion Mean Machine.
The boat is presently being put together by her shore team lead by project manager Andrew Koch and will be worked up ready to make her race debut at PalmaVela later this month. That will be Glory’s first proper practice race, but about half the regular crew flew down to Auckland last month for initial sea trials just after the Judel Vrolijk design was launched.
Glory is using a three spreader Southern Spars rig and an all North sail inventory from a mix of lofts, some mirroring the successful Mean Machine sources.
Buchan’s campaign is very much a Corinthian affair, drawing together many of the best young sailors from Seattle and the US’ North West. “Over time we will probably bring more pros on board, building the team but this is our starting point,” Confirms Koch. Carl Buchan, nephew of owner John, is tactician along with Fritz Lanzinger. He won Olympic gold in 1984 as crew to Jonathan McKee and is a past Star world champion as well as holding many titles in the Finn and Laser class. Others in the crew with Olympic class experience include Kris Henderson is an experienced International 14 sailor who campaigned a 49er in 1999, while Lanzinger took second as crew to Howie Hamlin in this year’s 505 World Championships.
Owner Buchan started out as a boat builder and has owned more than 30 different boats, not all called ‘Glory’, and is now a successful builder and real estate developer. Previously Buchan and his team had the 2001 build Nelson Marek Yassou. It was after a major refit in 2006 – cutting away most of the bottom of the hull – and competing in the Global Championships that they decided that a newer, faster boat was required.
“The attraction for us is to come and race against the best crews in the world on what is one of the toughest circuits there is,” Attests Koch. “John got his first feel for this amazing yacht when he chartered a TP52 for Key West Race Week 2006. It was the fastest he had ever been in a sailboat without the fear of death. With a new found love of speed John and the crew were instantly ruined for sailing on any other boat.”
http://2007.medcup.org/news/?idioma=2&id=40