News / Articles

2024 Election Results

Published On 10/18/2024

Thank you to everyone who voted in the BCA election. The election officially closed Thursday, October 17. The results are as follows:

Published On 6/9/2024

We are thrilled to announce that American Sailing has recognized fellow pirate Emory Heisler from this year’s list of Outstanding Instructors — Join us in celebrating Captain Emory Heisler for his passion for sailing and his outstanding community leadership!

Published On 5/11/2024

[Tampa, FL - May 11, 2024] –Registration is officially open for the highly anticipated 2024 Buccaneer North American Championship (BNAC). Hosted by the esteemed Tampa Sailing Squadron (TSS) in Apollo Beach, FL, from September 4th to 8th, this year's championship promises an exhilarating week of competitive racing and unforgettable experiences on the water.

Published On 11/7/2023

BNAC 2024 will be held at the Tampa Sailing Squadron in Apollo Beach, FL. The dates are September 4-8. Here is the tentative schedule:

o Wednesday 12pm to 5pm - Registration opens, boats weighed and sails measured
o Thursday 8am - 2pm - Registration, boats weighed and sails measured
o 2pm - Practice races
o Friday - Competitors meeting and racing starts (times TBD)
o Saturday - Races
o Sunday - Races. No starts after 12pm

Home - Tampa Sailing Squadron (sail-tss.org)

2023 Election Results

Published On 10/30/2023

2023 Buccaneer 18 Class Association Election Results

Thank you to everyone who voted in the BCA election. The election officially
closed Sunday, October 29th. The results are as follows:

Published On 4/19/2023

Jimmy Yurko has released a prototype for a new Buccaneer 18 rudder cheek and gudgeon design. After 20 hours of development, material acquisition is proving to be his biggest challenge.

Jimmy made the announcement on Facebook and there were several follow-up comments. Bruce Lee suggested checking with local aluminum boat builders for scrap metal or molding the prototype in composite material.

The question of casting or milling was raised in follow-up; Jimmy said, “No...casting was never a consideration. The original castings were too prone to failure for me to revisit that design.” Jimmy continued to say that he'll be sending it out to be milled or laser-cut from 3/16-inch aluminum. There was also discussion about the possibility of molding the prototype in carbon fiber, which they thought would be cool.

Save the dates for BNAC 2023

Published On 2/14/2023

BNAC 2023 Sept 28-Oct1 at Niantic Bay Yacht Club , Niantic CT!

Wed Sept 27 -Early arrival at club and early measurement available.
Thursday Sept 28 - Registration all day measurement AM, practice racing PM - Welcome party in evening
Friday Sept 29 - Racing Day 1 , Dinner & class meeting at the club
Sat Sept 30 - Racing Day 2 Dinner as group TBD or on own
Sunday Oct 1 - Racing Day 3 AM, Awards PM

Published On 1/6/2023

You can now register for TSS's 2023 Midwinter Championship Invitational Regatta which is held on March 10,11 and 12, 2023 at the Tampa Sailing Squadron (TSS). To register, visit the TSS website at www.sail-tss.org, and go to March in the event calendar then click on "TSS 2023 Midwinter Championship Invitational".

Election results

Published On 10/27/2022

Thank you to everyone who voted in the BCA election. The election officially closed Wednesday, October 26. The results are as follows:

Secretary/Treasurer Tony Chapman, re-elected
Publicity Chair Lewis Volk, re-elected
Membership Chair Heather Howard, re-elected

All of the proposed amendments passed as well

Congratulations & Thank you - and thanks to everyone who voted.

The rest of the National Committee consists of our Commodore, Dave Johnson from the Alaska Fleet, Vice Commodore Jeff Neurauter, Past and Current BNAC Race chairs, Larry Schmida and Scott Landry.

Published On 10/15/2022

Ed finished 15th overall, and third of the 7 that sailed single handed. See the finial report at https://www.ussailing.org/news/keck-claims-victory-at-2022-championship-of-champions/

Published On 10/11/2022

Eight Buccaneer teams traveled from all over the East Coast to support Western Carolina Sailing Club’s 2022 Hospice Regatta. The event raised $110,000 for The Hospice of the Upstate!

Published On 10/5/2022

with Hurricane Ian winding down, SMSA saw puffs in the low 20's on both Saturday and Sunday but with flat "enough" water and no convective activity. These resulted in champagne conditions for the Yurkos who took the SMSA Fall Invitational, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, and the MDG Cup as winners of the Buccaneer fleet.

Dues increase

Published On 10/3/2022

At this year's AGM a motion was presented, seconded, and approved to raise the annual dues from $35 to $45. The last time dues were increased was in 2003.

Published On 9/25/2022

Jimmy and Kristi Yurko become the first two time winners of the Rod Macalpine-Downie & Dick Gibbs Cup (aka The Quaich)

Ed Montano Wins BNAC 2022

Published On 9/20/2022

BNAC 2022
Ed Montano Wins, John Weiss is second and David Spira takes third

Published On 9/2/2022

Jimmy tried out a new Vang configuration.
"My crew LOVED it.
A few more tweaks, I'm probably never switching back."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/18Buccaneer/permalink/10159942020152487

We did it!

Published On 8/21/2022

We did !t! The Buccaneer YouTube Channel reaches 100 subscribers and earns the custom URL youtube.com/c/Buccaneer18....Thanks to everyone!!

Published On 8/17/2022

See his YouTube interview

Published On 4/12/2022

Did you know your Class Association is a US Sailing member and MVP partner? This means your personal US Sailing membership can give back to your class! Being an MVP partner enables your class to receive credits when you join or renew your annual US Sailing membership through the MVP Program. You’ll have access to discounted membership rates, and your class will earn credits to help strengthen sailing in your class across the country.

Registration opens for MDG Cup

Published On 6/14/2025

Registration is NOW OPEN! for the Buccaneer 18 MacAlpine-Downie/Gibbs Cup at the Virginia Governor’s Cup Regatta!

Buccaneer sailors, get ready for an unforgettable weekend of racing, camaraderie, and fun! The MacAlpine-Downie/Gibbs Cup Regatta is set to take place as part of the Ware River Yacht Club’s Virginia Governor’s Cup Regatta in Gloucester, VA.

This is one of the Buccaneer 18 Class's premier events, bringing together fierce one-design competition and a celebration of the Buccaneer spirit.

NOR:
https://www.wryc.org/s/2025-Governors-Cup-NOR.pdf

REGISTRATION:
https://www.wryc.org/gov-cup-venmo-registration

Published On 11/4/2024

Tony Chapman Wins Buccaneer 18 Class Trophy at Arizona Yacht Club's Dinghy Days Regatta.
Earning him the esteemed Rod Macalpine-Downie & Dick Gibbs Trophy.

Published On 5/30/2024

The Tampa Sailing Squadron (TSS) is thrilled to announce the dates for the highly anticipated Mid-Winter Invitational! Set aside March 7th to 9th, 2025, for an unforgettable weekend of sailing at Apollo Beach.

Published On 2/24/2024

The annual Easter Buccy Regatta arrives early this year! That's right, it will be held on Saturday, MARCH 30, 2024.
Skipper's meeting will be at 11am and no races will start after 3:30pm. There will be a BBQ picnic and awards presentation in the Washington Sailing Marina picnic area after racing. So if you can't join us on the water, join us for the after party. Brats, hot dogs, sides and chips will be provided. Please plan on bringing your own beverages. If you are just coming for the picnic and want to volunteer to be grill master, let me know.

Joining us once again this year on Race Committee is Macon, but we are looking for another person to assist.

RSVP! send an email to let me know by March 23 so that I can arrange to have enough eggs for the egg hunt race. If you are going to come to the picnic, let me know so I buy enough food!

Hope to see all of you there!
Jeff

Published On 9/10/2023

023 Hospice Regatta October 13-15

The 2023 Hospice Regatta is right around the corner and coming up fast. We have been doing a lot of prep and planning for the 2023 event and the team has been working hard to make all the plans to host another great event and to meet our goal of $120,000 for Hospice of the Upstate.

Please Register early. This will help us with the planning to make sure we have enough food, drink and other great stuff available for you and your crew. Beat the deadline as the fees go up after Friday October 6th. You can imagine the planning involved to ensure that we have enough food and drink for 350 hungry sailors, friends and family, so in order to help prevent us from running out, we have early registration discounts on registration and food.

All of the proceeds for this event are dedicated to patients at the Hospice House who can not afford end of life care. So it's a big deal and its a way you can make a difference.

Published On 2/26/2023

The Buccaneer 18 and the Class Association (BCA) are more than just a sailboat and an organization - they are a pathway to increased health span. Recent studies show that there are three pillars to improve health span, namely mental, physical, and social health. Fortunately, sailing encompasses all three, and the Buccaneer 18 and the BCA are ready to help with their friendly, light-hearted sailboat racing and social activities.

Published On 7/9/2025

Jeff and John were nominated to continue as Commodore and Vice Commodore, with additional nominations open until July 29, 2025. Other business was discussed, including positive finance and membership reports, and continued growth on social media. Two amendments to the BCA Racing Rules were discussed, voted on, and passed:

IV.A.4: Anchor now recommended, not required.

V.D.4: Allows use of Dyneema or similar materials for the forestay/jib halyard, with appropriate strength.

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