…Royal Huisman was represented back then and is proud to be a present day ‘Bucket Steward’ today.
The St. Barths Bucket is indelibly marked on the calendars of more and more sailing superyacht owners. The regatta is the queen of all superyacht regattas. Simply put, it has everything going for it. The obvious draw is that it takes place in and around St. Barthélemy, a small French island in the Leeward chain of the Caribbean. This pristine island with 5-star hotels, delectable restaurants, seascape villas, glorious beaches, translucent waters, chic shopping, and hilly topography is the ‘it’ island of the cognoscenti. Yacht owners enjoy relaxed ‘feet in the sand’ rosé lunches with fellow owners and guests as well as team spirit dinners with their crew.
Photo exhibition “Around the island” on St. Barth during the 2024 edition: a photographic journey by Cory Silken of Royal Huisman’s Ultimate Expression of Personal Freedom.
Bucket regattas: since 1986 | the largest sailing yachts on the planet | 2024 edition: 35 entries | 1.5 km of collective length | 200 fulltime crew, 140 industry professionals and over 1000 aficionados
Royal Huisman is one of the official ‘stewards’ of this world class event. In fact, Bucket Regattas and Royal Huisman have enjoyed a long term relationship that goes way back to the first Bucket — the Nantucket Bucket — which took place in 1987. The 82ft/ 25m Royal Huisman-built Volador, owned by American, Charles Butt, was one of the original yachts that participated in that infamous ‘for fun only’ race, organized — rather loosely — by a handful of owners and their captains. The origin story of the original Bucket varies a bit depending on who is telling it. Since all is based on old memories, the lore around those early days cannot easily be fact checked. Nor does it really matter. It’s always been the spirit that counts.
Roger James, the captain of Volador, was good friends with Peter Goldstein, owner of Flying Goose. Volador had a dock in Nantucket for the summer and Goldstein who commuted to the island on weekends from New York City kept his dinghy on the dock behind Volador as his boat was anchored out. According to Goldstein, he arrived from NYC one night and James invited him for drinks onboard Volador. As happens among sailors, the two began bragging about their single handed abilities and then about which boat was fast than the other.
The two determined to race out to the green buoy and back the next day to prove their mettle. As the evening wore on, weather set in, and the wind was blowing hard. Captain James suggested Goldstein not risk going out to his boat in his dinghy but instead spend the night onboard Volador. The next morning John Clyde-Smith the captain of Nelson Doubleday’s yacht Mandalay popped by and the idea of putting together a friendly race gained steam.
Doubleday’s wife’s birthday was coming up, so it was decided to have the race the following weekend, making it an event where the family and crew were one for a weekend. The race was an invitational race, not a professional one. The first year there were 7 or 8 boats, The cost for entering that race was $300.00 a boat. And as it was his wife’s birthday, Doubleday offered to invite all to a celebratory post-race clambake.
The first Bucket was a big success and grew every year. After 15 years, Goldstein who was in charge of all — including engraving winner’s names on the silver trophy purchased by Doubleday at a Nantucket antique emporium — decided they should call it quits while they were ahead. The stakes had become higher, concern for safety, handicap rules and ratings were becoming challenging, and, as Goldstein said, “The boats are getting bigger, and it is all getting too complicated.” Furthermore, there is no room on the trophy for any more names.”
Conventionally, many super sailing yachts summer in New England and the Med but head to the Caribbean in the winter. In 1995, the idea of the St. Barth’s Bucket was conceived by some who had partaken of the Nantucket Bucket. Thereafter, a Newport Bucket took flight. Eventually, the Newport Bucket ran its course and ceased to exist, but the St. Barths Bucket had staying power, and its legend lives on. Royal Huisman is thrilled to be one of its chief supporters.
“In the spirit of the Bucket we are all winners!”
Mark your calendar:
- 2025 edition: 13 – 16 March
- 2026 edition: 12 – 15 March
The race days of the 2024 edition in pictures: news > announcements [link].
