As The Winch Turns 2018: Day 3

Green was the color du jour on Saturday, which happened to be St. Patricks Day, and Bucket sailors thanked their lucky charms for an awesome day on the water (win or lose) followed by daily awards on the stage at the Capitainerie and a rockin’ Bucket Bash across the way at the Hotel de Collectivité. Of course, for the abundance of Irish sailors here, it didn’t hurt either that Ireland beat England 24 to 15 in the Six Nations Championship.

Kids with happy feet danced to the music at the Bucket Bar in the afternoon, while adults did the same late into the evening at the giant Bucket stage where “Soley,” the songwriter/guitarist who is one of the essential and emblematic figures on the island, killed it with his six-piece band. A large audience including sailors, regatta organizers, sponsors, families, friends and locals, danced to Soley’s music, his songs sometimes sung in French, sometimes in Spanish, then in English as the star shared the spotlight with “Noah” who – just as theatrical and entertaining to watch as Soley – helped crank up the energy to infinity and beyond. It should be noted that Soley teamed up with “Jimmy” (Buffet, that is; he’s a long-time resident) in December to give a free concert on the quai in support of those who worked so hard on the recovery of the island.

As you’ve probably noticed by now, there’s no shortage of color or characters in St. Barth. Local artist David Wegman hand-crafted more of his model boats for the children of St. Barths to enjoy and there was a full-on regatta at the docks on Saturday. The boats, which are perfectly ballasted to stay upright and tack on their own without remote controls, are attached to a retrieving line so they don’t sail off into the sunset. The sails for the one named “Slow Down, Turtles Were Here Before You” has sails made from a blown-out spinnaker Wegman collected from Endeavour here years ago at the Bucket. Meanwhile, in the outer harbor, one can always catch the kids competing in the Saint Barth Yacht Club’s fleet of “real” sailing dinghies.

By the way, remember the guys from North Sails who were working without their equipment in the Bucket Sail Loft? Well, the container ship with their machines finally made it here and the “fixers” are busier than ever.