Over three days, 26 yachts in seven different classes sailed ambitiously on three different courses, but only one owner was able to lift the main prize - the silver champagne cup "The Bucket" - as the overall winner. The first day of the event proved that the world's most famous superyacht regatta is first and foremost about having fun, when the planned up-and-down race of the 100-foot class "Les Cent Pieds", which was starting for the first time, was cancelled due to a lack of wind. The two Wallys "V" and "Galateia" were due to complete two windward/leeward races, which would have been scored according to IRC regulations.
Not a day without competition
No day without a competition, thought the crew of "V" and organised an alternative in the form of a race in which five crew members from each of the two yachts circumnavigated half the island on their electric foil boards. At the finish line on Nikki Beach, the losing team had to pay for the rosé. The crew of "V" secured the drinks on the Caribbean dream beach, where Hollywood celebrities are regularly to be found. This kind of extraordinary "competition" perfectly embodies the spirit of the St Barths Bucket, which has its roots in Nantucket, where it started as a fun regatta among friends in 1986. No other event offers owners such a relaxed atmosphere among their peers. The focus is on socialising, fun dock parties and exclusive sponsor events.
Little wind on the first bucket day
In order to cope with the forecast light winds on the first day of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta, the race committee chose the shortest course for a race around the island, in which 26 superyachts in seven classes took part. Although the official entry list showed 30 starters, four of the yachts were "social entries" that only accompanied the regatta as spectator boats. The slowest yachts in the "Les Grand Dames" class, in which three 56-metre Perini Navi heavyweights competed against each other, took up to 5:35 hours to complete the first race. The fastest yacht was the Wally "V" (ex-"Tango")whose owner sped the fast glider round the 20 nautical mile course in 2:42 hours. "It was easy until halfway round the downwind course," said Ed Baird, navigator on board "Visione", the first day's winner in the "Les Gazelles" class, the fastest yachts to sail the longest course here. "We had a noticeable wind shift under a cloud at the end of the island and were able to sail 30 degrees higher than our competitors. Then things got complicated when we had to dodge some boats on the shorter courses and also got stuck in annoying downwinds."
"Hummingbird", the winner of "Les Petites Dames", in which four 90-foot formats competed, made substantial gains on the first beat along the coast and finished 11:18 minutes ahead of the runner-up "Freya". In the Corinthian class called "L'Esprits", five yachts sailed whose owners decided to compete without a gennaker or spinnaker. It was a close race, from which "Vijonara" emerged as the deserved winner. The smaller "Les Mademoiselles" fought a nail-biting battle over 17 miles, with "Aurelius" overtaking "Whisper" on the last beat to win by just over two minutes. In the fiercely contested "Les Elegantes" class, in which five yachts also competed, "Hyperion" won by a narrow margin of just 1 minute and 17 seconds against the 54-metre-long "Whisper". "Ravenger" (ex-"Pink Gin VI") while "V" came out on top in the "Les Cent Pied" ahead of "Galateia".
Kangaroo starts for fair races
The individual start times are organised so that all yachts in a class finish together (as opposed to the entire fleet), whereby the finishes are staggered for reasons of race safety. The distances between the classes depend on the courses, the wind strength and the balance of the group composition. This practice has proved its worth not only in terms of safe racing, but also in terms of fair racing, as different classes hardly ever get in each other's way on the regatta course and slow each other down.
A sailing spectacle in an exclusive tropical setting
On the second bucket day, the trade winds that usually blow so consistently did not play along either, meaning that the usual courses had to be massively altered. At a meeting on Saturday morning, the organisers went through various weather models, none of which really matched the actual conditions. So the shortest version of the "Not So Wiggley" course was chosen, which took the participants around Île Pelé, Île le Boulanger and finally Île Fourchue. As the wind died, the race was shortened. The 30-metre Wally "V" was once again among the winners and first ship home on this day, completing the course in just 1:17 hours. She thus once again took victory in her hard-fought classes "Les Cent Pieds" and "Les Gazelles".
Finest champagne sailing at the end
Admittedly, a kangaroo start, where the yachts sailing in the regatta have to cross the finish line at a specific time and alone, is not the most spectacular racing option. On the other hand, the boats almost all cross the finish line at the same time - and on the third and final day, under full sail, in some cases with sail areas of over 3,000 square metres. An experience that also deeply impressed the YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV readers on board the "Sea Cloud II" or on the tender boat at the finish line. "I've watched many superyacht regattas from the water, but the St. Barths Bucket is definitely something very special. The atmosphere in the Race Village in the harbour of Gustavia is thrilling, the yachts are sailed in a sporty manner and in a dream Caribbean setting," says YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV editor-in-chief Martin Hager, summarising his impressions. Rating: highly recommended.
Anyone who would also like to experience this will have the opportunity to do so again next year. As a YACHT or BOOTE EXCLUSIV reader, you will also enjoy exclusive benefits (details will be available soon). This is the Sea Cloud voyage in March 2026: It will take place from 6 to 16 March 2016 (voyage number: SCII-2608) and can already be booked now. If you would like to enjoy the benefits, you can also contact the editorial team directly. In addition to the breathtaking regatta action, the readers also experienced a varied Caribbean cruise that spanned almost 1,000 nautical miles and covered areas such as Dominica, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, the BVIs and, of course, St Barth.
The winners of the St. Barths Bucket 2025
On the last day of the Bucket, the 26 regatta participants sailed courses with lengths of between twelve and 16 nautical miles due to a flat wind forecast and set their huge colourful gennakers and spinnakers on the last downwind beat to the finish. Although the race committee had expected the north wind of three to seven knots to die down over the course of the day, it freshened up nicely for the starts in the seven classes and blew at a constant nine to eleven knots, a record for the 2025 edition. Second place in the "Les Elegantes" was taken by "Hyperion" by Royal Huismanwhich had also won its two previous races with ease and secured victory in the overall standings with four points. The owner and his team celebrated the bucket triumph in style.
Three points behind is "Adela", which improved from fourth place on the first day to third place on the second day and finally to second place in the overall standings by winning the third race. "We didn't think we would be able to sail all three races with this wind forecast," said "Hyperions" skipper Nico Jacklein. "But everyone plans this event for the long term - we book everything a year in advance - so we take part, come what may. Now we're just happy and proud of the organisers for making three races happen. We didn't expect to win the Bucket Trophy either." In "Les Mademoiselles" there was a three-way tie for first place before today, but "Whisper" won convincingly and went to the top of the leaderboard. "We went out early to assess the wind better and decided to start the first beat on the port bow and go to the right," explains tactician Terry Hutchinson. "Panthalassa" won the last regatta at "Les Grande Dames" just as easily as the races on Friday and Saturday.
"As we have very large, heavy boats in this class and the wind was very light, we concentrated on making as few manoeuvres as possible. That worked," says skipper Tristan LeBrun, adding that the boat also sailed here last year with the same owner and team. "We wanted to win, so we prepared very well. Last year we learnt what to do and what not to do." In "Les Gazelles" each of the three boats had a win, but in the end "Velsheda" won the class classification after finishing second in the final race. "Visione made life really difficult for us today," said tactician Tom Dodson. "Two spinnakers broke on Visione, otherwise it would probably have been a different outcome." "Vijonara" finished the regatta series in the "L'Esprit" class in dominant fashion with three wins in three races, while "Hummingbird" maintained her lead in "Les Petites Dames" with a second place. "V" also won the new "Les Cent Pied" class for the third time. "Galateia and we had fantastic - albeit short - races," said "V" tactician Ken Read, explaining that they hope to have more 100-footers at the start next year.
We will see. Until then!
