#NSVICTORYLIST: 2022 ST. BARTHS BUCKET REGATTA

The Must Do Superyacht Regatta of the Winter is Back

The 35th edition of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta drew 30 magnificent boats to the starting line, 27 superyachts and 3 J Class boats graced the waters of the white-sand Caribbean island. 2022 celebrates the return of racing after a two-year hiatus due to Covid restrictions. In the end, North-powered teams piled onto the podium and claimed 60% of the total podium positions, including overall winner Hetairos.

The Bucket also marked the debut of Perseus^3’s new North Sails 2,604 square meter A2. This spinnaker is the largest sail ever built with sail area equivalent to approximately 10 tennis courts!

Getting back to Bucket racing was a welcome treat for everyone participating: owners, crews, North Sails, and sailing fans worldwide. The St. Barths Bucket Regatta is an all-hands effort for North Sails whose event support was evident both on and off the water. There were close to 20 North experts sailing as crew, and our Palma-based superyacht service team ran an on-island pop-up loft to ensure all participating yachts were race-ready throughout the four-day regatta.

Noteworthy Regatta Shoutouts:

Herairos won both her class, and the Hermès Bucket Trophy for her overall regatta win. This is the second consecutive victory for the 59.9 meter Dykstra ketch, who took possession of a new North sail inventory just weeks ago.

North CFO Andrew Schneider and Superyacht Expert Mike Toppa were on board for Rosehearty’s Class D first-place victory. Schneider has raced with and managed the yacht’s sail program for the last six events, resulting in four class wins.

North Technology Group Chairman Tom Whidden called tactics on Class C winner Kawil. Though high winds blew out the final day of racing, Whidden was happy with the team’s result. “It’s not the ending we wanted, but it’s the results we wanted, so how are you going to do better than that?”

The J Class got the most sailing in, with four races completed. 2022 was the first time the boats have participated in official class racing since 2019. North Technology Group President Ken Read was the skipper on Hanuman with a crew comprised of many familiar faces from his Volvo Ocean Race veteran teammates.

Sail Designer Glenn Cook and longtime program contributor Peter Grimm joined as race crew on board Perseus^3. We’re guessing both North experts held their breath for a few minutes as they hoisted the new A2.

Helix Downwind and Helix Upwind sails were prominently on display throughout the fleet, further proof that Helix Structured Luff technology has infiltrated superyacht sailing. While other sailmakers also promote structure luff sails, the revolutionary Helix design philosophy uniquely reaps the benefits of 3Di and is available exclusively from North Sails.

Read more about the four-day event on the St. Barths Bucket Regatta website.