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It’s a Wrap!
By Norma Trease
A few days have passed since the end of the of the absolutely phenomenal St. Barths Bucket 2011, celebrating twenty-five years of great large-yacht racing among peers.
As every yacht leaves this beautiful island behind, with every full flight and ferry, the excitement - which was at fever pitch throughout a very long, busy week – has begun to wane. The adrenaline rush of racing for three days, with a fleet of 40 world-class yachts, seeing friends and colleagues from near and far, is draining too quickly away. Only a few yachts can leave with the glory of making it to the podium and carrying home their own personal Bucket trophy, yet for several hundred lucky participants in the 2011 St. Barths Bucket, representing yacht owners, builders, designers, suppliers, joined by professional and amateur sailors from all over the world, the memories of such an epic event will linger into happy sailing lore. The legend of Bucket racing, begun as a dream fostered by competitive yacht owners twenty-five years lives on, bringing the joy of yachting to Bucket fans old and new.
It’s all about the racing, and on St Barths this year, the sailing was outstanding. Smiled upon by the Wind Gods, all three days of racing provided decidedly exciting courses, with stunningly accurate starts and increasingly close finishes every day, proving once again that Jim Teeter and his team have truly applied their lessons learned from gathering Bucket ratings data for several years. In a fleet of 40 yachts, ranging from 30 to 88 meters, from Grande Dames to Gazelles and the newest Bucket class, Les Elegantes des Mers, with competitive racers such as P2 and Leopard on the water,even a couple of wickedly beautiful Js, next to a slew of Perini Navis, Royal Huismans, Alloys and every yacht imaginable in between, establishing ratings is terribly tricky business. Yet on the final day of racing, in a spectacular downwind finish, over 24 yachts finished in just over twenty minutes, with the rest of the pack closing in not too far behind. The first three yachts across the finish line, Helios as the Grande Dame, Gazelle Virago, and Elena, representing Les Elegantes came in together in under three minutes - a sight exciting enough to warm the hearts of any racing or yacht enthusiast.
In order to field a fleet of this magnitude, there is naturally a mix of yachts new to Bucket racing, mixed with plenty of veteran Bucketeers. Yet the racing still remains highly competitive- this is certainly not just a club for old cronies to pat themselves on the back. In a typical Bucket scenario, several of the daily and overall race winners were either new to Bucket racing – or at least, were new to winning Bucket races. In her first Bucket, crowd-pleaser classic Royal Huisman William Tai, manned by one of the smallest race crew, including the designer’s son, Ted Hood, Jr. swept to win a first in her class on Day One of racing. In fact, the winners of all three classes on Day One were new to the fleet, including Marie and Marama, starting off this years Bucket with a genuine surge of excitement. The three Overall St. Barths Bucket winners, Virago, Hanuman, and Symmetry, although all three previous Bucket participants, had never before won the elusive top prizes, so you can imagine there was a whole lot of celebrating going on when the winners were announced !
Always popular are the various other prizes given, such as the All-Star Crew (multiple crew award winner Rebecca, who this year entertained the crowd with a chicken dance); and ever fired-up Axia family earning the Skulduggery Cravat for some successfully aggressive maneuvers. The Walter Huisman Memorial Award went to the owners of Marie, who generously arranged for the daily air shows as four WWII era fighter planes buzzed the fleet and the island, capping off each day’s racing in truly spectacular style. Make sure to take a look at the full results, to see how your personal pick Bucket boat fared.
It’s no secret that a big part of winning the Bucket is actually winning the party too, and this year had several serious contenders for Best Party Awards. Nightly, huge crew dinners were held at every leading island eatery including perennial favorites Eddy’s, Do Brazil, Wall House, Maya’s, Le Yacht Club and Le Bistro, sufficiently softening up their teams for the next day’s racing. The massive tent on the Capitanerie Quai hosted several events for the entire fleet, including an opening night BBQ, and a buffet dinner on Saturday night, capped off by one of the best reggae bands playing today, Bankie Banx, who kept the crowd dancing energetically well into the night. The Owners Soirée, held once again at the elegant Carl Gustaf, was nicely lubricated by the last-minute gift of many cases of champagne, kindly donated by Moët Chandon. The Yacht Hop can be a little too much, but this year, despite the seriously impressive group of yachts participating, it came off without a hitch, or even too many wharf rats. A definite nod must go to towards the party animals on Antara for once again showing their rock-the-dock creds with a black-themed “Non Party Party.” Kudos must always be given to the hyper hospitable Perini Navi family, who every evening host dozens of clients, friends and crew for their lavish pasta suppers in their lovely villa perched way above the port - Bravissimo!
The Sunday night awards ceremony, effectively emceed this year by the very plummy-toned “Voice of the Bucket” Michael Nethersole, a Bucket veteran, who when not behind the microphone, can often be found behind the wheel of one yacht or another.. He gathered together the entire Bucket clan for one last chance to toast each others’ achievements and disappointments, while celebrating yet another milestone regatta event.
The St. Barths Bucket always attracts a certain number of celebrities, this year including Bucket perennial Jimmy Buffet, who closed off the 25th Anniversary Bucket in style, playing an impromptu and much appreciated set at BAZ late on Sunday night, bringing another huge group to it’s dancing feet. Rounding off a long hard weekend was the traditional Monday après-sailing rose lunch, so popular that it now oozes from Nikki’s Beach all the over to La Plague. Only the strong survive.
Without a doubt, congratulations must be given to those who work hard year-round to organize regattas of this magnitude, led by Hank Halsted, Tim Laughridge and Ian Craddock,. The new Bucket Race management team, spearheaded by Peter Craig, did an outstanding job in their first – but surely not their last – Bucket Regatta. Thanks too for the many volunteers, sponsors and participants who make this all possible.
For the last twenty-five years, Bucket Regattas have exerted an incredibly powerful and positive influence on the large sailing yacht world, offering owners a valuable “raison d’être” to enjoy their vessels as they were meant to be used, and bringing recognition, a creative spirit, and increased prosperity to this glamorous yachting microcosm. But, in the end, each and every one of us lucky enough to celebrate the 25th Anniversary Season in St Barths are all winners – until the Bucket tops itself again. So hope to see you in Martha’s Vineyard and Newport from 24-28th August, where once again, honor and glory will be sought, both on and off the racecourse.
Bucket blogger Norma Trease takes time away from her day job as Director of Sales and Marketing for Salamanca Marine to enjoy and appreciate the very special Bucket magic.
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