The Overflowing Bucket; the ‘ti and You

There are a lot of great regattas in the Caribbean, and depending on the criteria, many could vie for the title of ‘the best’. But if the criteria is a ‘spectacle of huge sailing yachts’, none in the Caribbean, let alone the world, can compare with the St. Barth Bucket.

To be honest, last year’s Bucket stumbled a bit, as for the first time in years it fell a few boats short of a 40-boat sell-out, and shoreside festivities were good, but not as inclusive or fun as in prior years. We’re not sure what the shoreside festivities will be like this year’s March 27-30 three ‘fun race’ event, but the entry list is as good as it’s ever been. As evidence, check out the spectacular list of the nine biggest entries:

• Hetarios III, the green 220-ft Dykstra R/P carbon-fiber centerboard ketch that draws 33 feet with her board down. This will be the yacht’s second Bucket. When she was brand new, the aggressive German owner kept urging the helmsman to shave some rocks ever closer at the leeward part of the course. Crunch! Her daggerboard hit, depositing 22 tons of the bottom of the board on the sea floor. Hetarios had to be taken back to England for repairs.

• Athos, the 203-ft Hoek/Jachtbouw schooner, is back for a second year in a row. She had to drop out of the third and final race last year when one of her massive sails, bricked on deck, rolled onto the leg of one of her crew, badly injuring his leg.

• Seahawk, the 197-ft Ron Holland / Perini Navi flybridge ketch. There will be six other Perini Navis in the Bucket, most luxurious, lumbering ketches.

• Twizzle, a sleek 190-ft Royal Huisman / Dubios ketch. A couple of years ago the only injury in the Bucket occurred after the last race when Twizzle‘s owner reportedly was demonstrating how the boat’s gigantic hydraulic forward hatch worked. The story on the dock was that he guillotined a big toe.

• Zenji, 183-ft, another huge Holland / Perini Navi flybridge ketch.

• Adela, a 182-ft schooner that was built to a William Storey design 111 years ago (!), then extensively rebuilt at Pendennis Shipyard in 1995. 

• Adele, a 180-ft Hoek/Vitters ketch. If we’re not mistaken, Kenny Keefe of KKMI will be aboard. She was berthed at the America’s Cup dock in San Francisco last fall.

• Marie, an aggressively sailed dark-hulled 180-ft sistership to Adele, which will be back for her third Bucket after a one-year absence.

Meteor, a 169-ft Dykstra / Royal Huisman schooner.

Other boats of particular interest are Hyperion, the 156-ft Frers / Royal Huisman originally owned by a major Silicon Valley figure, who has gone on to build a 292-ft schooner, a J Class Boat, and has yet another boat in build. (The press is asked to respect the privacy of the owners by not naming names.) The 147-ft R/P / Baltic Visione, owned by the world’s richest software mogul not named Gates, Allen or Ellison. One of the early mega sloops, she’s a previous winner of the Bucket and still very fast. Lady B, the 147-ft Dubois / Vitters that is usually the ride of Dawn Riley, who headed up the 2000 America’s Cup challenge for the San Francisco YC. And Varsovie, the Frers / Swan 100 that has been run for the last bunch of years by Patrick Adams of Mill Valley. Last year their headstay inexplicably broke during the first race, and they had to drop out.

The Bucket is even bigger than New Year’s for St. Barth, and all accommodations on the little island are invariably sold out. So if you want to be a part of the Bucket, you’re two best options are: 1) Charter a boat from 15-mile distant St. Martin and come on over. Or, 2) Join the Wanderer and Dona de Mallorca aboard the Leopard 45 ‘ti Profligate for the week. We rent cabins — double bunk, shower ensuite — for $2,500. Half the week is spent spectating, half the week is spent cruising the island. We know St. Barth, and we know how to get super close to the boats under sail. If someone is looking for a full week of total mellow in the Caribbean, this would be a little too exciting.

The other opportunity to cruise with the Wanderer and de Mallorca aboard ‘ti Profligate in the Caribbean will be the Voiles de St. Barth, April 14 to 19. Despite attracting a bunch of 60 to 100-ftd boats, as well as ones as small as Melges 24s, this is much more of a people’s regatta, and much more exuberant — as in loud rock ‘n’ roll, whiffs of ganja on the docks, and partying as only French sailors in the Caribbean know how to do. Instead of watching the racing as during the Bucket, we’ll be sailing aboard Caribbean legend D Randy West’s recently restored 74-ft catamaran Ppalu, and partying afterwards until we just about drop. This is for the very energetic and young at heart — who nonetheless know how to drink responsibly.

As Apple used to say, just one more thing: If anybody is looking to do a downwind, multi-island bareboat charter, ‘ti Profligate is available starting on May 10 for a 12-day St. Barth, St. Martin, Anguilla, BVIs trip for a very special price.

To put things in context, sailing and doing regattas in St. Barth and the Caribbean is very different from in Mexico. The wind usually blows much harder, the boats are bigger and newer, and the crews are younger and party much harder. Alas, unless you know how to do it, it’s much more expensive, too.

For further information on the Bucket and the Voiles, visit their websites. For details on getting a cabin aboard ‘ti Proflgiate, email Dona de Mallorca.