St Barth's Bucket 2026: Giant regatta with a German winner

Like the Principality of Monaco, the 25 square kilometre island jewel is a gigayacht magnet known for its exclusive lifestyle and high density of billionaires. The St Barths Bucket, which takes place at the beginning of March, is one of the highlights in the calendar of many superyacht owners and attracts the crème de la crème of sailing giants across the Atlantic every year to compete in a relaxed atmosphere on regatta courses up to 30 nautical miles long.

Yachts of superlatives

It is truly an event of superlatives. It is not the number of yachts entered that counts, but rather their sheer size and sail area. This year, a record fleet of 39 yachts registered, 33 of which took to the starting line in nine classes, while six vessels sailed alongside with their guests and owners on board as support yachts. The lengths of the yachts ranged from 28 to 78 metres, and on spacious courses almost a dozen of the regatta giants set sail laminates with areas of over 4000 square metres. With a length of 78 metres, "M5" is the largest slip in the world, its mainsail consists of three sections and measures 1557 square metres. When the headsails and the code zero are added, there are 4538 square metres in the wind. The 60-metre "Perseus 3" impressed the bucket spectators with its gennaker manoeuvres, because the 2600 square metre cloth is the largest sail in the world. A 20-strong regatta crew looks after a total of 4131 square metres of sail. Almost all of the starters took professionals on board, which guarantees safety on board given the enormous sheet and rigging loads. The logistics behind the regattas are anything but trivial for the organisers, owners and yacht managers. The professional crews have to find somewhere to stay ashore, which brings its own difficulties on the Caribbean magnet of the UHNWI (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals).

Perfect bucket start in the Passat

The Caribbean idyll, which belongs to the Lesser Antilles, offered perfect trade wind conditions for three days, in contrast to last year's light winds. Only on the last day did the race have to be cancelled due to strong winds - much to the regret of the owners and spectators.

The races started on Thursday with two windward-leeward races according to IRC rules for the two Wallycentos "V" and "Galateia" in the "Les Cent Pied" class and an optional single race for the rest of the superyacht fleet, which sailed in the following classes: "Les Gazelles" (6 participants), "Les Petites Dames" (3), "L'esprit-1" (3), "Les Elegantes" (3), "Les Mademoiselles" (4), "L'esprit-2" (6), "Les Grandes Dames" (3) and for the first time "Les Goelettes", the classic schooners (3).

Fast-paced Wally race

While Thursday's prologue races for the Wallycentos count towards their final regatta ranking, this was not the case for the other classes. In keeping with the bucket list tradition, the winners of the Superyacht class are determined by the results of a single inshore race per day from Friday to Sunday. Thursday's race was simply a way for the XXL starters to get into race mode and for the organisers to gauge interest in a possible expansion to a four-race series for the superyacht classes in the future. "For some teams, Thursday was planned as a training day anyway, so it made sense for them to take part in the prologue race," said regatta organiser Peter Craig.

The 100-foot rivals shared the day's victories. "Galatea" won the opening race after starting in front and maintaining her lead over four legs. In the second race, the two fought a duel for the downwind position at the first windward mark before "V" overtook "Galatea" and ultimately took the win. "We tacked eight times on the windward legs," said Galatea strategist Anthony Kotoun, pointing out that a fifth windward leg was added to the second race so that the finish would be close to the harbour of Gustavia, where a large part of the regatta fleet and "Sea Cloud II" were anchored. A spectacular finish was therefore also guaranteed for the spectators.

"Aquarius 2" under observation

An extraordinary mix of ketches and slips fills "Les Gazelles", the performance class for the fastest superyachts in the fleet. The 65 metre Royal Huisman ketch "Aquarius 2" to see how it compares to its successful 56-metre predecessor "Aquarius", which has won several prizes at past bucket regattas. Also new was the 2025 watered Swan 128 "BeCool"which performed well in the RORC Transatlantic race at the beginning of the year.

Record for "Hetairos"

The 60 metre ketch "Hetairos" is a regular guest at the Bucket and her owner Otto Happel wanted to repeat his Bucket victory from 2022 after leaving as class winner last year. She proved that the Baltic laminated performance cruiser can intimidate the competition at the beginning of March in the Round Antigua Race as part of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua. In 27 knots of true wind, she broke the record for the almost 50 nautical mile round-the-island race by 12 minutes and crossed the finish line after 3 hours and 46 minutes. Her consistent performance secured her the overall victory in the Antigua Superyacht Challenge.

Elegant slips with narrow rating band

The "Les Elegantes" class, which consists exclusively of slips, is characterised by an exceptionally tight rating band - the three starters are separated by just eight seconds per mile - which guarantees exciting races. One of the favourites was "Linnea Aurora", which also sailed in the Superyacht Challenge Antigua and dominated its class.

In the "Les Mademoiselles" class, the yachts are similarly rated and comparable in length, but their genoas have to be furled when tacking due to permanently installed staysails, which makes the manoeuvres significantly slower. The "Whisper", last year's class winner, was one of the favourites from this group. "Over the years we've had some great racing moments in the bucket races," said Simon Davison, skipper of Whisper. "There have been some races where the trade winds have really come through and the courses have allowed for Caribbean dream sailing: long reaches and close racing in each class. After several second places, we want to be right at the top of the podium this year."

The "big ladies" weigh 560 tonnes

Three yachts from Perini Navi were represented in the "Les Grandes Dames", representing the larger, somewhat more sluggish yachts in the bucket fleet. With a length of between 46 and 59 metres and a displacement of between 350 and 560 tonnes, they are the heaviest formats in the regatta, but nevertheless exceptional examples of outstanding yacht building. "Rosehearty" and "Perseus 3" are Bucket veterans, while "The Aquarius" returns after a long break.

More relaxed regattas without a gennaker

In addition to these four "conventional" superyacht classes, this year's bucket fleet included two Corinthian Spirit classes ("L'esprit-1" and "L'esprit-2"), in which the yachts sail without a gennaker or spinnaker, the three-masted schooners ("Les Goelettes") and the 90-footers ("Les Petites Dames"), all of which are judged according to the superyacht racing rules ORCsy. The two 100-foot Wallycentos sailed according to IRC.

All three yachts in the 90-foot class "Les Petites Dames" are high-performance cruising slips from Nautor halls and with lines by Germàn Frers. "Hummingbird", won the class last year and was eyeing overall victory this year.

Two Corinthian Spirit classes

The Corinthian Spirit fleet was large enough this year to justify a division into two classes: "L'esprit-1" for smaller yachts and "L'esprit-2" for the largest starters. True to the ethos of the Bucket, the Corinthian teams sail in a friendly atmosphere where the competition is ambitious but not fierce. Instead of gennakers, some of the yachts use furling Code Zeros, which means that smaller racing crews are required. An eye-catcher in "L'esprit-1" is the sloop "Symmetry". Owner Abbott Brown sailed the yacht for the first time at the Bucket 20 years ago and has since taken part in 13 editions of the regatta in various classes. "The Bucket has always held a special place for me," said Brown, who switched to the more relaxed Corinthian class in 2023 and received the regatta's "Best Overall Starter" award last year. "I love the Corinthian group we sail in, many of the crews have become good friends over the years."

While the participants in the "L'esprit-1" are all slips designed by Frers with a length of around 30 metres, the "L'esprit-2" comprises a mixture of slips and ketches with a length of 43 to 78 metres.

More wind than predicted

Day two of the regatta brought trade winds of 16 to 17 knots under mostly blue skies, giving the 33 superyachts a spectacular day of racing. Recognising the wind shifts was crucial for the nine classes, which sailed variations of the classic Around the Island course, which features an anti-clockwise rounding of St Barth. "We had a plan and we did exactly what we set out to do," said Mike Toppa, tactician on board the 56-metre "Rosehearty", which won the Grande Dames class on the 16.8 nautical mile course. "Three boats ahead of us started on starboard, but we wanted to be on port at the starting gun to minimise tacking manoeuvres. From then on, we concentrated on keeping the boat fast - never pinching too hard to reach a turning mark - and focussed on trimming, steering and assessing the wind to the finish."

Toppa credited the foredeck crew with one of the outstanding manoeuvres of the day. "We jibed and hauled in the huge spinnaker at the same time, which you don't often see on a superyacht of our calibre," he said. The second-placed "Perseus 3" crossed the finish line four minutes and 17 seconds behind Rosehearty. When the two boats met again at the dock, the crew of "Perseus 3" gave a hearty "Hip, hip, hurrah" in recognition of "Rosehearty's" superbly sailed race. The battle was even closer in the six-boat "Les Gazelles des Mers" class, which sailed 21.4 nautical miles and offered a thrilling finale among three ketches. "It was an extraordinary photo finish between "Aquarius", "Hetairos" and us ... just the way a regatta should be," commented Tony Rey, tactician on board the victorious 59-metre Vitter "Maximus". "Maximus" crossed the finish line just 30 seconds ahead of "Aquarius" and 48 seconds ahead of the third-placed "Hetairos". Amazing, after more than 21 nautical miles sailed.

Staggered starts for balance

The individual start times are organised in such a way that all yachts in a class finish together (as opposed to the entire fleet), whereby the finish times of the classes are staggered for reasons of race safety. This year, for example, the slowest yacht in the fleet, "The Aquarius", started one hour and 32 minutes before the fastest ("Hetairos"). The distances between the individual classes depend on the courses, the wind strength and the composition of the classes. This practice has proven its worth not only in terms of safe racing, but also in terms of fair racing, as different classes do not get in each other's way on the regatta course and slow each other down.

The spirit of the bucket remains intact

Even though the competitive spirit of the Bucket has increased significantly over the last decade, the spirit of the event remains the same. Not only the stewards of the exclusive event (the Royal Huisman and Vitters shipyards), but also all participants fight for this. No other event offers owners such a relaxed atmosphere among their peers. The focus is on Caribbean sailing fun, socialising and lively dock parties.

It was also close in the "Les Petites Dames" class. After a hard-fought race, "Hummingbird" took victory by just 18 seconds ahead of "Freya". "It was a really exciting race," said navigator Ben Saxton. "Freya" started three and a half minutes ahead of "Hummingbird", but Hummingbird closed the gap on the first downwind leg. "She came closer again on the back of the island. For us, it was all about planning ahead and being prepared for quick sail changes." "Adix" won Les "Goelettes des Mers", the first pure schooner class of the event.

In "Les Cent Pied", "V" and "Galateia" swapped the lead on the longest stretch (25 miles) of the day before "V" finally prevailed. In "Les Élégantes", "Geist" sailed a remarkably clean race and won by 6 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of "Linnea Aurora". Defending champion "Whisper" took victory again in "Les Mademoiselles", signalling that she could once again be the yacht to beat. "Inukshuk" and "Melek" won L'Esprit-1 and L'Esprit-2, with "Melek" also achieving the best start of the day, crossing the line at zero.

The evening festivities included the awards ceremony in the Regatta Village, followed by a crew happy hour at the adjacent Bucket Bar and a lively party with live music.

Sporty sailing and close racing

Stronger winds - with speeds of 18 to 20 knots on the north side of the island - led to longer distances and a downwind leg immediately after the start, which required precise teamwork when setting the huge spinnakers. The clockwise 'Wrong Way Around' race took the fleet along the rocks off the island and presented both opportunities and pitfalls.

Change of leadership shakes up the fleet

In the "L'esprit de la Mers-1" (Corinthian Spirit), "Onyx" came out on top of the standings after the 21.5-mile race, finishing 1:10 minutes ahead of the previous day's leader "Inukshuk". "It was a shock for us to get beat yesterday, so we knew we had to do better today in these dream conditions," said Onyx tactician Mitch Booth. While it's Booth's 12th Bucket, it's the owner and helmswoman's first participation. "She's having a blast," Booth added. "The Corinthian class is a great way to introduce someone to the sport: easier sailing, less complex sailing manoeuvres and therefore more fun sailing. Maybe one day we'll switch to spinnakers."

In the "L'esprit-2" (Corinthian Spirit) class, "M5", the world's largest sloop with its 89-metre mast, overtook yesterday's leader "Melek" in the last 200 metres of the 21.5-mile race, levelling the score in the class at three points each. "We know St Barths from previous regattas, but you have to pay attention to how the wind behaves around the island," said "M5" tactician Andrea Visintini. As the team only started with a mainsail and staysail due to a problem with the genoa, manoeuvres were reduced to a minimum. "Every tack and gybe costs time, which is why we sail with great foresight and avoid unnecessary manoeuvres. Our owner steers the entire race, which is what the Corinthian spirit of sailing on these giant yachts is all about."

In the "Les Gazelles des Mers" class, the neck-and-neck race between three ketches took a dramatic turn. "Hetairos" moved up from third to first place, "Aquarius" retained second place and yesterday's winner "Maximus" slipped down to third place. The three ships are now tied on four points each.

Close races in all classes

In the "Les Petites Dames" class (90-foot yachts), "Freya" beat the leader "Hummingbird" by 32 seconds to go into the final race tied on three points. In the "Les Grandes Dames" class, "Perseus 3" showed strong speeds both upwind and on the rough courses, catching the previous day's winner "Rosehearty" on the final downwind leg of the 21.5-mile course. A late problem with the spinnaker sheet on board "Rosehearty" secured victory for "Perseus 3". In the "Les Cent Pieds" class, "V" remained in the lead after three races, ahead of "Galatea" by 4 to 7 points.

The schooner "Adix" continued her winning streak in the "Les Goelettes des Mers" class, scoring a total of two points compared to four points for "Atlantic". In the "Les Mademoiselles des Mers" class, "Whisper" celebrated a second commanding victory and took a two-point lead over "Aurelius". Bucket newcomer "Geist" also maintained an unblemished record in the "Les Élégantes des Mers" class, although navigator Graham Sunderland emphasised that the victories were anything but easy. "We are fighting for every metre," he said.

"Hetairos" takes the bucket trophy

The eagerly awaited decisive race off the coast of St Barths did not take place on the final day as the wind was so strong that the organisers were forced to cancel the third and final day of the Bucket Race. This meant that the results of the last day of the regatta applied to the 33 superyacht teams in nine classes.

"It was disappointing that the last race couldn't go ahead, but it was the easiest decision I've made in my 18 years in this role," said event director Peter Craig. "The wind speed was 22 knots with gusts of up to 35 knots. The sea state deteriorated progressively at the main turning marks and the conditions didn't improve until late afternoon." The experienced regatta director of various superyacht regattas adds: "It was a practical test as to whether we should make the St Barths Bucket a four-day event in future. The answer is clearly yes."

In the highly competitive "Les Gazelles des Mers" class with six participants, defending champion "Hetairos" was awarded the Bucket Trophy, a coveted prize that the team already won in 2022. "In a highly competitive class with three strong sailing performance ketches constantly pushing each other, we are over the moon with our Bucket win," commented Hetairos tactician Cameron Appleton. "This was superyacht sailing at its best."

Understanding for the cancellation of the last race

"Perseus 3" (Les Grande Dames), "Freya" (Les Petites Dames), "Onyx" (L'esprit de la Mers -1) and "M5" (L'Esprit de la Mers-2) were all in the same situation as "Hetairos": equal on points and ultimately in first place in their class. Regarding the cancellation, "Perseus 3" tactician and sailing legend Paul Cayard said: "These are huge yachts with enormous sheet loads, so it was wise to put safety before the competition. Even if we all would have liked to have sailed." Professional sailor Arno Böhnert could only agree. He sailed the bucket races as helmsman of the 100-foot swan "L'Hippocampe". "All the boats taking part here are cruising yachts that are only used for regatta sailing from time to time. In winds of around 30 knots, the risk of breakage and injury is simply too great. Not to mention the chaos in the interior." Terry Hutchinson, tactician of the "Whisper", also supports the decision of the race organisers: "We were happy not to have to sail today. These big ships can become unpredictable very quickly."

The cancellation of the last race did not affect the closing ceremony on the square in front of the Hôtel de la Collectivité in Gustavia in the slightest. As usual, the crews and owners celebrated each other as the winner of the Bucket Trophy, the class winners and the recipients of the special prizes were announced and took to the stage in the spotlight.