Glory: John Buchan's brand new TP52 boat

John Buchan's new TP52 "Glory", a 2007 Judel/Vrolijk built by Hakes Marine, is already in Spain… Team Glory is looking forward to the upcoming Breitling MedCup!

We are fairly new to the class, but not without experience or talent. Glory owner John F. Buchan is a successful real estate developer in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and has roots in yacht racing, having designed and built his own boats for decades.

John's dedication to competing at the highest level of yacht racing with a team of the Pacific Northwest's best has brought about a crew of world class sailors. His team is comprised of marine professionals, architectural and construction consultants, software executives and an international pilot, among others. Team Glory brings together Olympic sailing medals; World, North American, and US National Championships; and a wealth of experience that spans from the fastest of Olympic sailing skiffs to some of the world's premier Maxi racing yachts and the America's Cup.

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 his crew were instantly ruined for sailing on any other boat.

The brand new TP52 boat Glory, docked in Palma's yacht club, getting ready for her maiden race in PalmaVela. Palma, 12 April 2007. Photo copyright Ruben Ballester - Nico Martinez

Preparation for the 2007 MedCup began in November of 2005 when John purchased a first generation TP52 (ex-Yassou) and modified her to be competitive with the 2006 fleet at the Global Championships. Shortly after the event John committed to building a new TP52 and the adventure began. The new Glory is a refined version of the 2006 Breitling MedCup winner, Mean Machine/Mutua Madrileña. We have a 3 spreader Southern Spar and a full suit of North sails. We have made several design changes along with some tweaks to the rig and our own control systems. We expect the changes will suit our style of sailing and will also help us gain a competitive edge.

Our next step is a tune-up on the race course at Humblot Palma Vela with 8 other TP52s. Stay tuned for more from one of the few non-European teams in the MedCup. We will be launching a new website soon at www.buchanracing.com and will keep you all posted on our progress.

Cheers,
Andrew Koch
Program Manager
Team Glory