Taking place March 28 to 31, this year’s St. Barths Bucket is fast approaching. The fantastic yachts, the glorious sailing, the unparalleled venue, the raucous parties, the perfect weather, the cast of characters…you simply can’t beat the Bucket.

For the uninitiated the “Bucket” is an owner-driven sailboat race for mega-sailing yachts— generally over 100 feet in length (with a few exceptions). Besides the fact that Bucket rhymes with Nantucket, there are a few theories as to why theses regattas are called Buckets. A dictionary definition would tell you a bucket is “a vessel with a flat bottom for collecting or carrying or holding things—water, sand, whatever.” Regarding boats, some have been known to use the epithet ”that old bucket couldn’t sail to windward for anything!” Another theory is that the Bucket was named after a champagne bucket and this makes sense since, after all, champagne is quintessential Bucket currency. Slip the race committee some Dom or at least some Veuve, and you might just get a better handicap rating. In the early years, to file a protest was you had to provide the race committee with a case of chilled champagne. In the beginning of the Buckets, spontaneity and shenanigans ruled.

The Nantucket Bucket ceased to exist after 15 years when the event’s virtual founder, Peter Goldstein, felt they had a lot of good years without any accidents and it was enough already. But the participants would not let the event die, and Newport took up where Nantucket left off. Now, both the Newport and St. Barths Buckets live on, but the informality has been infused with a dose of professionalism. With so many very large yachts jockeying for the starting line, safety has become paramount. Veteran sailboat racing authority Peter Craig was brought in as event director and race chairman to manage and conduct the regattas. All efforts are made to keep fun at the core, but also to keep yachts and crew well within safety margins,” says Hank Halsted, one of the original Bucket directors.

This year’s St. Barths Bucket has approximately 38 yachts signed up to participate so far.

Look for a follow-up report on the results and rewards of the 2013 St. Barths Bucket.

For more information, visit bucketregattas.com

2013 Entries as of 25 February 2013