In Seattle sailing circles, the name Buchan conjures an image of infinite sailing expertise that seems, in some ways, other-worldly. Across generations, the Buchan lineage seems to sail smart and fast nearly all the time. Actually, the Buchans are very human, and Bill Buchan’s autobiography Star Fever (written with Maureen Lander) explains a lot.
Star Fever chronicles how Bill Buchan’s father, also a William, applied his Scottish work ethic to the world of sailing. And how that do-it-yourself and do-it-right attitude filtered through the family. Early on, the father Bill home-built Heather, from lofting her on butcher paper to steaming the oak ribs himself. Heather was fast and a good cruiser.
Bill took it all to to the next level, immersing himself in sailboat racing. The father and son team won the Mallory Cup in Lightnings, among many victories. But the pinnacle of sailboat racing was (and some of us think still is) in Starboats. Bill and his father started creating (designing and building) and refining Stars, taking advantage of the loose tolerances allowed at the time and coming up with light, fast boats. Along the way Bill met his wife Karen, who despite spending some of their first date bailing out a Star, enjoyed Bill and sailing!
Fast forward through several Stars, innumerable regattas and three children. Along the way, Buchan won the Soling Worlds and his Star designs based on his various Frolics were being adopted around the world. Locally, he built the Peterson 44 racer cruiser Sachem from a bare hull to compete in the Pacific Northwest. Disappointment at the Olympic boycott in 1980 turned to Star triumph at the 1984 Olympic Games. That was followed by another Star Worlds victory in 1985 with Steve Erickson as crew.
While Star Fever is well worth the read simply to get insight into Bill and the whole Buchan sailing tradition, I think it’s worth a read from a sailing cultural standpoint as well. Bill and his father designed and built boats, refining and improving them with each iteration. They weren’t the only ones. All this time there was a family to raise and a business to develop. These days, racers often can’t get away for a casual Wednesday evening race.
Proceeds for this book go to the University of Washington Sailing team. It can be purchased here at Fisheries Supply.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.