A Brief History of the Bucket Regattas
The first Bucket regatta was organized in Nantucket, Mass, in August, 1986 by Roger Janes, Captain of VOLODOR, John Clyde Smith, Captain of MANDALAY and Peter Goldstein, owner-Captain of the yacht FLYING GOOSE. After an evening that evolved into a copious Mount Gay Rum debate as to what each yacht and crew could accomplish, the stage was set for bragging rights. Seven yachts sailed the first Nantucket Bucket, a fifteen mile course in Nantucket Sound that was handicapped by staggered starting times. Recollections are vague as to exactly which yacht won, but records clearly indicate that no yacht finished worse than seventh.
A popular event since the first sailing, the Nantucket Bucket Regatta expanded over the years, along with the size of yachts in the fleet. The event was financially subsidized by Nelson Doubleday, owner of MANDALAY, also by Tom Taylor, owner of GLEAM, and the famous 21 Federal Restaurant (headquarters), resulting in no initial entry fees for the participants and a completely non-commercial venue.
Between 1986 and 2001, the Nantucket Bucket flourished, becoming a premier Mega Yacht regatta that invites owners and crews of the world’s largest sailing yachts to sail to peak performance in a safe venue, in the spirit of wholesome competition. The concept of the staggered start, where each yacht is assigned its own starting time, creates a great safety net in allowing the starting area to be clear for maneuvering. The flavor of the first Bucket set the tone on which “Bucket” regattas have since been sailed. The primary focus is on safe sailing, proper seamanship and winning the party, rather than winning the race. Ratings are adjusted between races to favor the slower yachts, in an effort to bring them into the winner’s circle.
The first St. Barths Bucket was launched in 1995, organized and supported by Captain Timothy Laughridge and Isam Kabbani, owner of SARIYAH, Captain Mike Fireband, team GLEAM, and Captain Ian Craddock, team MANDALAY. In earlier years the regatta started with a feeder race from St. Eustacius with all participants starting together, which helped to determine the relative speeds of the new additions to the fleet from Europe, such as ALEJANDRA and NEVER SAY NEVER. The race finished off Baleines Rock, adjacent to Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths, after which all the boats went stern to at the Quay. In the spirit of Bucket tradition, all owners, captains and crews enjoyed cocktails and canapés while the starting positions for the following day’s race were negotiated. Each night a different vessel vied for the right to host a cocktail party for all participants. Rumor has it that this may have influenced the race committee’s decision for the vessel’s starting time the next day . . .
Following the announcement that 2001 was to be the last Nantucket Bucket, the founders passed the torch to the present Bucket Race Committee; Hank Halsted, Ian Craddock and Timothy Laughridge. The summer venue was shifted in 2002, to Newport, RI, where the event has been well hosted by the Newport Shipyard.
The Newport Bucket is a two day event sailed in Rhode Island Sound, with a minimum size requirement of 80’, unless grandfathered by participation in past events or by special invitation of the Race Committee. The races start and finish off Castle Hill at the entrance to Narragansett Bay, which makes a great venue for shore side spectators. The Newport Bucket has created strong momentum, with 16 yachts participating in 2004 and a full fleet of 20 yachts expected for 2005,
The St. Barths Bucket has evolved into a stellar event as well, with fully 28 yachts in attendance for the 2005 event and 26 yachts from 76’ to 180’ competing. The captain’s meeting was held aboard the 255’ Mirabella V and the owner’s party on Saturday night was held aboard the 295’, Athena. The 2005 event was blessed with great sailing breeze on all three race days and the sight of the full fleet rafted stern-to at the quay in Gustavia was a true sight to behold. Indeed, the St. Barths Bucket has become a celebration for the entire Island, from the Capitainerie to the St. Barths Yacht Club to the Mayor’s office; we have benefited from their full participation.
As the Bucket Regattas have evolved, the organizers have kept a tight focus on maintaining the original, non-commercial flavor of the event. Although the cost of producing a regatta of this magnitude is not insubstantial, those costs have been controlled and subsidized by direct owner contributions and their hosting parties themselves, for their competition. The yachting industry has been generous in putting forward sponsorship for the event, particularly the marine trades that are directly involved in servicing these mega-yachts. As such, the Bucket maintains the feel of an event put on by owners, and by the businesses that are supported by those owners and their yachts. The Bucket Regattas have had additional support from a number of firms from outside the marine industry as well, but all in keeping with the low key, non-commercial flavor of the event.
The reason for the success of the Bucket Regattas is that they are primarily about having fun aboard the most spectacular sailing yachts ever launched, in the nicest cruising areas in the world. The Bucket provides a safe venue in which these yachts can sail to peak performance, with equal focus on winning the race – and winning the party.
