Voiles de Saint Barths ( Photo by Christophe Jouany/Voiles de Saint Barths)

When the third annual Les Voiles des St. Barth gets underway this April 2-7, there will be more that meets the eye than the simply stunning panoramic views of the colorful French West Indies island that hosts the event and the expansive blue Caribbean ocean that surrounds it. Competitive sailors and, for that matter, local residents and visitors alike will have the privilege of also indulging in the indelible impressions left by the aesthetically unmatched designs of some of the world’s finest yachts participating as well as the passion of their owners.

Among the 60+ entrants registered to date is what many call the world’s most famous yacht of all time: the 52’ (15.8 metre) yawl Dorade. Purchased in 2010 by Matt Brooks (San Francisco, Calif.), Dorade was designed by the late Olin Stephens and originally launched in 1930. She influenced nearly all developments in yacht design for the next three decades and was hugely successful in distance racing, taking overall victory in the 1931 Transatlantic race and the 1931 and 1933 Fastnet races, among others. Now, Brooks, who has spent the last year overseeing a refit and major restoration of Dorade, is utilizing Les Voiles de St. Barth as a platform for both yacht and crew preparation, with the goal of entering Dorade in her first major modern ocean race this summer: the Newport to Bermuda Race, in which she finished second in both 1930 and 1932.

“We are assembling and training a crew with the right skills, chemistry and experience to race Dorade and win,” said Brooks, who is a world champion in the Six Meter class as well as an accomplished mountain climber and world record-holding jet pilot. “We also are toughening up Dorade herself, readying her for the kind of long-range sailing she hasn’t seen in decades, keeping in mind that while she may be game, she is also an 80-year-old lady.”

Dorade will sail in the Classics division against such other standouts as Kate, an Intel 60 (18.2 metre); Cruinneag III, a 63’ (19.4 metre) ketch, and Marie Des Isles, a Gran Shpountz 65 (20 metre). Among Dorade’s crew will be John Burnham, an IOD World Champion and Shields ClassNational Champion; legendary Bermudian sailor Buddy Rego; Jesse Sweeney, Dorade’s navigator and a member of the Camper Emirates Team New Zealand’s meteorology team for the Volvo Ocean Race; and Jamie Hilton, a two-time 12 Meter World and North American Champion, who also was a member of Brooks’s team when it won the 2011 Six Meter World Cup.

Voiles de Saint Barths 2010( Photo by Christophe Jouany/Voiles de Saint Barths)

“St. Barth is a legendary destination and a beautiful place to sail, and we are expecting great wind, great camaraderie among the competitors, and a good test of the new and improved Dorade,” said Brooks.

Another remarkable yacht that will be seen in St. Barth is the Hoek 115’ (35.2 metre) Firefly, the recently launched prototype for the new one-design F Class. The superyacht was designed to hold her own against larger (130’/39.7 metre) J Class yachts and sports some similarities such as a towering rig and long bow and stern overhangs to those massive yachts, which were built in the 1930s and have experienced a rebirth.

According to her designers, Firefly is a perfect mix of classic lines and retro-design details, optimizing her for the Spirit of Tradition classes hosted by some regattas, but at Les Voiles de St. Barth she will depend on her high-performance racing characteristics to prevail against eight other yachts thus far signed up in Maxi class (yachts 75’/22.86 metres and longer).

“The concept is to have a beautiful, classic-looking boat with a modern underbody, using the latest technologies in deck gear and rigging solely for use as a racing boat and/or daysailer,” said Mark van Gelderen, who supervised Fireflys nine-month building process and has been the captain since she splashed in June of 2011. Having headed straight to the Med to compete in a handful of maxi events, Firefly was further optimized to improve performance before heading to the Caribbean.

“We have a relatively young crew combined of professional sailors, very good amateurs and friends of the owner,” added van Gelderen, who will be skippering and driving together with the owner. “Within the crew we have Olympic, Volvo Ocean Race, big boat and dinghy experienced sailors a great combination of very motivated guys!”

Van Gelderen also explained that St. Barth will offer a great place for guests and crew to be entertained when not participating in racing. “There are beaches, great restaurants, shopping and peace and tranquility, all within close proximity,” van Gelderen said. “It’s the perfect combination.”

While three other Maxi Class boats — the 112′/34 metre Baltic Nilaya, the 112′/34 metre Swan Highland Breeze, and the 115’/35 metre Farr Sojana — are nicely matched size-wise to Firefly, no one is quite sure how they or five smaller Maxis in the class are going to compare speed-wise. Certainly all eyes will be on the 90′ (27.4 metre) Reichel/Pugh Rambler, which won the inaugural Les Voiles de St. Barth and has been brought out of retirement by its owner George David (Hartford, Conn.) after its successor, Rambler 100 (which won last years Les Voiles de St. Barth with David steering) lost its keel and capsized in the 2011 Fastnet.

“These races invariably start a mile or two off Gustavia (the main harbor and capital of St. Barth), which means in any kind of a northeasterly trade it is a shifty first leg to a weather mark just outside the harbor,” said David, who most recently finished second overall and second in class with Rambler at the 2012 RORC Caribbean 600. “Then there are a couple of miles reaching either way across the south side of the island, so it’s a parade after that first weather mark, and you don’t want to get there second. Our ride last year, Rambler 100, got us there first every time with boat lengths to spare. It wont be so easy in the 90 footer.”

David noted that 15 of Ramblers crew sailing in the Les Voiles de St. Barth were present at the now-famous Fastnet incident, and a majority of them have sailed in the last two runnings of this regatta.

In addition to the Classic and Maxi classes at Les Voiles de St. Barth, there will also be a Racing Class with divisions for Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker, 52-Footers, and Multihulls. Other notable entries include the Tripp 75 Blackbird, the Carkeek 40 Decision, the X 65 Karuba 5, and the Irens 63 trimaran Paradox.

With a Tuesday (April 3) through Saturday (April 7) schedule that includes four days of intense racing and a lay day on Thursday (April 5), the regatta kicks off on Monday, April 2, with opening ceremonies and cocktails at the festive Race Village on the Quai General de Gaulle overlooking Gustavia Harbor, where the event is headquartered. Lay day events planned for Nikki Beach include lunch and a surprise sporting challenge for all crews. Evening activities include off-site parties as well as post-racing bands and entertainment in the Race Village.

Official Poster
Organizers unveiled the official limited edition Les Voiles de St. Barth 2012 poster by well-known St. Barth artist Antoine Heckly. Only 300 posters will be printed, with the original artwork to be auctioned off during the crew party –hosted by the real estate agency, Sibarth — at Shell Beach on Wednesday, April 4. Proceeds from this auction will be donated to FEMUR (Foundation for Emergency Medical Equipment) to fund the purchase of a CT scanner to be installed in the new Radiation Center in the island’s Hopital de Bruyn.

Yachts in St Barths (Photo courtesy of Laurent BENOIT / Les Voiles de Saint Barth )

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Hello Little One (Photo by Rawphoto.co.uk)

Confirmation of three more yachts in the last few days brings the total entries for The Superyacht Cup 2010 to 19; the maximum number that can be berthed at The Superyacht Cup Village in the centre of the City. Additional yachts may take part in the event, but they will need to find a berth in the Port’s marinas or at STP boat yard – immediately adjacent to the SYC site.

A new development for this year is the appointment of a professional Race Officer, Premiere Racings founder, Peter Craig from Marblehead, USA. Peter has a huge wealth of experience with top-level international regattas, including the Bucket Regattas and the Perini Navi Cup, the Maxi Rolex World Cup, the Swan World Championships and the Volvo Ocean Race. Peter understands the need for adapting the racing approach for superyachts, and his knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in moving forward the new Superyacht Racing protocol; the aim of which is to provide the best possible format for safe and exciting racing for large yachts with very different design and manoeuvrability characteristics. “I had a great time competing in the Superyacht Cup Palma on the schooner Meteor back in 2007,” said Craig. “I’m really pleased to be back in the capacity of PRO and look forward to being a part of this renowned superyacht event.”

Gliss (Photo by Rawphoto.co.uk)

Among the fleet this June will be the winner of The Superyacht Cup in 2009, Gliss. The bright turquoise 32m sloop, designed by Philippe Briand and built by Royal Huisman, made her racing debut at The Superyacht Cup in 2006, soon after being launched in Holland and has been racing successfully ever since. Konkordia (formerly Kokomo), the Dubois designed sloop built by Alloy Yachts in New Zealand in 2006, has arrived back in Palma from the Caribbean and will take part in their first regatta with the new owner this June. A new comer to this year’s event is Saudade, an elegant and powerful yacht, designed by Tripp and built by Wally Yachts. Saudade recently took part in the St Barth’s Bucket and is currently heading to the Mediterranean for the summer season.

In the past few days, Palma has seen a huge influx of yachts returning from Antigua and other parts of the Caribbean. As the docks fill up, and the contractors enter their busiest month of the year, everyone knows it is approaching Superyacht Cup time. All of the yachts are undergoing refit work, general repairs and maintenance and preparing for the season ahead.

Cosworth At Guard (Photo by Claire Matches)

 LIST OF ENTRIES

Hyperion (Photo by Rawphoto.co.uk)

 For more information about the Palma Superyacht Cup 2010 click HERE

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Ranger Upwind Sailing (Photo By George Bekris)

After all was said and done, it was the J-Class Ranger  that took the 2010 Bucket.  John Williams and his crew raced consistently and well, earning a well-deserved victory.   Second place belonged to the the Perini Navi Andromeda la Dea, with the Perini Navi P2 in third place overall.

The third and final race of the 2010 St. Barths Bucket (the “Wrong Way Around” course) was sailed in conditions very similar to the previous days: fluky winds in the 10 to 15 knot range.  The usual noon start was preceded by a couple of Bucket Scholarship holders, thus spoiling Gloria’s virtual deadlock on the Escargot Cup, which was awarded to the consistently sailed Toto.  P2 and Unfurled earned second and third place in the Gazelle fleet, while Axia and Hetairos were runners up in the Grande Dames contingent. 

It would be a mere redundancy to add that the sailing and the shore side activities were of the customary caliber, with Visione a hands-down winner of the yacht open house on Friday night — after all the rest of the fleet had closed she kept the party going until midnight!  We expected marvelous sailing (this is, after all, the Caribbean) and indeed we got it.  The combination of St. Barths, 39 megayachts, and the blue skies and waters worked their usual magic!

As Tony Hambrook, Managing Director of Alloy Yacht stated, “This was the best regatta ever, anywhere!”

Results: Race 3 

	Race 3 Points	Finish Time	Time Delta
ANDROMEDA LA DEA	1	3:21:25 PM	0:00:00
RIELA	2	3:24:27 PM	0:03:02
HELIOS	3	3:25:10 PM	0:03:45
METEOR	4	3:26:06 PM	0:04:41
ANTARA	5	3:28:03 PM	0:06:38
AVALON	6	3:29:38 PM	0:08:13
GEORGIA	7	3:30:50 PM	0:09:25
GLORIA	8	3:33:16 PM	0:11:51
DSK	9	3:37:26 PM	0:16:01
RANGER	10	3:37:42 PM	0:16:17
REBECCA	11	3:38:49 PM	0:17:24
LIARA	12	3:39:29 PM	0:18:04
UNFURLED	13	3:39:43 PM	0:18:18
SALUTE	14	3:40:22 PM	0:18:57
HIGHLAND BREEZE	15	3:40:45 PM	0:19:20
P2	16	3:41:15 PM	0:19:50
VARSOVIE	17	3:41:16 PM	0:19:51
SALPERTON IV	18	3:42:01 PM	0:20:36
WHITE WINGS	19	3:42:11 PM	0:20:46
AXIA	20	3:43:18 PM	0:21:53
SOJANA	21	3:44:56 PM	0:23:31
WHISPER	22	3:46:17 PM	0:24:52
GANESHA	23	3:47:35 PM	0:26:10
VISIONE	24	3:47:58 PM	0:26:33
GHOST	25	3:48:31 PM	0:27:06
ADELA	26	3:48:43 PM	0:27:18
HANUMAN	27	3:48:44 PM	0:27:19
SAUDADE	28	3:48:56 PM	0:27:31
MYSTERY**	29	3:49:04 PM	0:27:39
ARTEMIS	30	3:49:39 PM	0:28:14
WINDCREST	31	3:50:33 PM	0:29:08
HETAIROS	32	3:52:05 PM	0:30:40
SHAMOUN	33	3:52:26 PM	0:31:01
HYPERION	34	3:53:45 PM	0:32:20
DESTINATION	35	3:53:50 PM	0:32:25
HAMILTON II	36	3:53:59 PM	0:32:34
SYMMETRY	37	4:01:29 PM	0:40:04
TOTO	38	4:33:55 PM	1:12:30
BARACUDA	39	DNF	‘

* Safety Penalty: 5 Minute
** Over Early Penalty: 5 Minute

Results: Cumulative

	Race 1 Points	Race 2 Points	Race 3 Points	Total Points	Rank
RANGER	13	1	10	24	1
ANDROMEDA LA DEA	4	26	1	31	2
P2	10	5	16	31	3
AXIA	3	11	20	34	4
UNFURLED	19	4	13	36	5
GANESHA	7	10	23	40	6
GEORGIA	9	25	7	41	7
AVALON	5	31	6	42	8
REBECCA	30	2	11	43	9
SAUDADE	8	8	28	44	10
DSK	20	15	9	44	11
SALUTE	2	29	14	45	12
GHOST	17	3	25	45	13
HANUMAN	12	6	27	45	14
WHITE WINGS	6	20	19	45	15
HETAIROS	1	13	32	46	16
HELIOS	24	23	3	50	17
ANTARA	11	34	5	50	18
RIELA	16	35	2	53	19
WINDCREST	14	9	31	54	20
LIARA	28	14	12	54	21
VISIONE	26	7	24	57	22
SOJANA	29	12	21	62	23
ADELA	18	19	26	63	24
HAMILTON II	15	16	36	67	25
WHISPER	23	22	22	67	26
VARSOVIE	34	17	17	68	27
METEOR	36	33	4	73	28
SALPERTON IV	27	28	18	73	29
HIGHLAND BREEZE	32	27	15	74	30
HYPERION	22	18	34	74	31
MYSTERY	25	21	29	75	32
BARACUDA	21	24	40	85	33
GLORIA	39	39	8	86	34
ARTEMIS	33	32	30	95	35
SHAMOUN	35	30	33	98	36
DESTINATION	31	36	35	102	37
SYMMETRY	37	38	37	112	38
TOTO	38	37	38	113	39

A full recap of the St. Barths Bucket and Race Information about the Upcoming Newport Bucket Regatta is available at  www.bucketregattas.com

Ranger Head On (Photo by George Bekris)

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J-Class Ranger (Photo by George Bekris)

Who would have guessed that all those navigating fluid libations we so freely poured to Poseidon a few years back (in the days of windless Buckets) would bear compounded interest.  Once again — we sailed in near perfect conditions, under proper Caribbean blue skies.  The word “near” is used advisedly, as the day saw wind speeds ranging from 8 to 15 knots, with direction swings from SE to NE.  This, needless to say, scrambled some otherwise predictable finishes and may well have been a cause of some frustration. 

The 39 yachts were sent off in close formation, with tight starts sometimes a mere 30 seconds apart.  The traditional second day “Wiggley Course” was revised into the “Not So Wiggley” course in the interest of safety, although the dramatic wind shifts reintroduced some of the Wiggles back into the equation. 

In the end it looked like a photo finish between Ranger and Rebecca until the latter hit a wall in the form of a massive header, allowing Ranger claim a well deserved first place.  Some liberal interpretations of the safety protocol for finishing yachts provided some interesting finishing tactics, although good general seamanship avoided any potential problems. 

The traditional owners’ party was again held at the Carl Gustaf Hotel which offered a beautiful view of the fleet below, followed by general merriment on the quay.  Sunday’s race, the “Wrong Way Around” course, promises to enjoy more good weather and lovely sailing for all.

Results: Cumulative

* Safety Penalty: 5 Minute
** Over Early Penalty: 5 Minute

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Hetairos (Photo by George Bekris)

The first race of the 2010 St. Barths Bucket was blessed with a crystalline Caribbean day that served up a 13 knot easterly breeze and smooth seas for the record fleet of 39 superyachts, to race the 25 miles counterclockwise around the island.  This set the stage for a magnificent day on the water and remarkably close racing, with 30 of 39 yachts finishing within 16 minutes!

The big winner of the day was HETAIROS, the 132′ Abeking and Rasmussen ketch that sailed the course flawlessly.  SALUTE, the 184′ Perini Navi which is the tallest sloop rig yacht afloat, finished three minutes later to claim second with AXIA, the 124′ Palmer Johnson finishing third, four minutes later.

In the racing division, “Les Gazelles des Mers”, SAUDADE  the 148′ Wally finished first, with P2, the 125′ Performance Perini Navi sloop claiming second just over a minute behind.  The J Class yachts, Hanuman and Ranger, finished third and fourth just a minute later, with only 21 seconds between them after 25 miles of racing! 

Last night’s festivities in St. Barths was centered around the fleet Open House, the highlight of the weekend during which the nearly 1,000 participating crewmembers will visit and celebrate the day aboard the yachts. 

Race #2 of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta will take place today on “The Not So Wiggly Course” around and between the islands northeast of St. Barths. 

Race Entries

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St Barth's Bucket (Photo By Cory Silken)

The wind gods served up a magnificent 15 knot ENE sailing breeze for the first days race of the 14th Annual St Barths Bucket Regatta Yesterday.  A record 34 yachts sailed the 25 mile course, counter-clockwise around the island.  This was a spectacular day of sailing, enhanced by a “yellow alert” warning for heavy seas and swells that left the fleet sailing against the backdrop of huge breaking seas against the rock promotories that create the turning marks for the course.  The photographers were really happy (and a little soaked) at the end of the day!

The big winner of the day was METEOR, the 51M Dykstra design Schooner by the Royal Huisman Shipyard.  Finishing 23 seconds later in second place was SHAMOUN the 33M Classic sloop by Holland Jachtbouw, with GANESHA, the new Dubois design 39M performance sloop, finishing 40 seconds later in Third Place.

Among LES GAZELLES DES MERS (racing division), GANESHA finished first, KALIKOBASS II the 32M Trehard sloop was second and  P2, the new Perini Navi  high performance 38m sloop by design, was third.  Among LES GRANDES DAMES DES MERS (Cruising Division), METEORr was first, SHAMOUN second and PERSEUS, the 50M Perini Navi was third.

The large surge and swell created some excitement alongside as well, and unfortunately made it impossible for most of the fleet to come alongside for the evening in the turbulent harbor seas.  This put a serious damper on the scheduled “Fleet Open House” which is typically the high point of each Bucket Regatta.  Fortunately, four of the largest (and most hospitable yachts) were able to tie up safely, and invite the other sailing crews aboard for a great night of celebration of the first day of racing!

Race #2 of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta was sailed today on the 20 mile “Wiggley Course” around and between the Islands north and east of St. Barths

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