With 33 yachts across nine classes, the 2026 St. Barths Bucket Regatta returns to Gustavia 12–15 March for four days of world-class racing and camaraderie among some of the most magnificent sailing yachts on the planet.
The regatta opens Thursday with two windward-leeward races for the two Maxi 100s in the Les Cent Pied class and an optional standalone race for the balance of the Superyacht fleet: Les Gazelles (six entries), Les Petites Dames (three), L’esprit-1 (three), Les Elegantes (three), Les Mademoiselles (four), L’esprit-2 (six), Les Grandes Dames (three), and Les Goelettes (three).
While the Maxi 100s will count Thursday’s racing toward their final regatta standings, the other classes will not. Following Bucket tradition, Superyacht class winners will be determined by results in a single coastal race per day from Friday through Sunday. Thursday’s race is designed simply to “test the waters” and gauge interest in potentially expanding to a four-race series for the Superyacht classes in the future.
“For some Superyacht teams, Thursday was planned as a practice day anyway, so it makes sense for them to participate,” said Event Chair Peter Craig, adding that trophies for first place will be awarded Thursday afternoon. “Others have not yet made their decisions, so we’ll have to wait and see on the final count.”
Final participants and class breaks for Thursday’s superyacht race will be announced following the Captains’ Briefing on Wednesday afternoon, March 11.
On to the Main Event
Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, the following three days promise spirited competition among a spectacular and diverse fleet of sloops, ketches and schooners ranging from 28 metres (Hummingbird and Freya in Les Petites Dames) to the 78-metres (M5 in L’esprit-2).
A standout lineup of ketches and sloops fills Les Gazelles, the performance class for the fleet’s fastest Superyachts. Many will be watching the new 2024 Royal Huisman ketch Aquarius 2 to see how it compares with its successful predecessor, Aquarius, which has delivered impressive results at past Bucket Regattas. Also new is the 2025-built sloop BeCool, which performed well earlier this year in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Standing ready to challenge them is Hetairos, a ketch that won its class in 2024 and claimed overall Bucket honors in 2022, most recently adding an overall victory at last week’s Superyacht Challenge Antigua.
The all-sloop Les Elegantes class features an exceptionally tight rating band — just eight seconds per mile — that virtually guarantees close racing. These yachts tack without furling, making them especially agile and exciting to watch. Among the headliners is Linnea Aurora, fresh off a class win in Antigua.
In Les Mademoiselles, the yachts are similarly rated and comparable in length, though their jibs must furl during tacks. The sloop Whisper, last year’s class winner, returns with strong prospects.
“Over the years we’ve had some great moments on the water,” said Whisper’s Captain Simon Davison. “There have been a few particularly memorable races when the trade winds really filled in and the courses turned into classic Caribbean sailing: long reaches, tight racing and some fantastic boat-for-boat battles. We’ve had quite a few second-place finishes over the years, so naturally we’d love to add another first to the list.”
Les Grandes Dames class showcases three Perini Navi builds representing the larger, less speedy yachts in the fleet. Measuring 46-59 metres and displacing between 350,000 and 560,000 kilograms, they are the heaviest boats in the regatta but remain extraordinary examples of marine engineering and design. Rosehearty and Perseus 3 are Bucket veterans, while The Aquarius returns after a hiatus.
In addition to these four “conventional” Superyacht classes, the fleet includes two non-spinnaker Corinthian Spirit classes, a three-masted schooner class, and a 90-foot class, all scored under the ORCsy Rules. The Maxi 100s, meanwhile, are scored under IRC.
All three yachts in the 90-foot Les Petites Dames class are performance cruising sloops designed by Frers and built by Nautor’s Swan. One of them, Hummingbird, won the class here last year, edging out Freya in a tight contest and setting the stage for this year’s rematch.
The 2026 Corinthian Spirit fleet is large enough to warrant division into two classes: L’esprit-1 for smaller vessels and L’esprit-2 for the larger yachts. True to the Bucket ethos, Corinthian teams race in a friendly spirit where competition matters but not at the expense of camaraderie. Instead of spinnakers, some of the yachts will carry Code sails, reducing the need for large crews.
One to watch in L’esprit-1 is the sloop Symmetry. Owner Abbott Brown first sailed the yacht in the Bucket 20 years ago and has competed in 13 editions of the regatta in various classes, including 2022 when Symmetry won its L’Esprit de Mer class.
“The Bucket has always held a special place for me,” said Brown, who switched to the Corinthian class in 2023 and last year earned the regatta’s “Best Overall Starter” award. “I love the Corinthian group I’m sailing with, many of whom have become friends.”
While L’esprit-1’s entries are all Frers-designed sloops around 30 metres in length, L’esprit-2 features a mix of sloops and ketches ranging from 43 to 77 metres.
New this year is the Les Goelettes class, created for three striking schooners whose elegance rivals any in the fleet. Adix arrives fresh from a class win at the Superyacht Challenge Antigua and will look to challenge Atlantic and Arabella.
As for conditions, last week’s blustery winds and scattered squalls are expected to ease by Thursday, setting the stage for memorable racing and the lively shoreside festivities that, together, define the unparalleled “Bucket experience.”
The Stewards and Friends of the Bucket are critical to the success of the regatta.
Stewards are Royal Huisman and Vitters Shipyard. Friends of the Bucket are Baltic Yachts, BOAT International Media, BWA Yachting, Carenanilles Shipyard, Doyle Sailmakers, Dykstra Naval Architects, Edmiston, Fraser Yachts, Luxury Living St Barths, Monaco Yacht Club, Nautor Swan, North Sails, Pantaenius, Pendennis Shipyard, Pernod Ricard, Safe Harbor Marinas, Southern Spars, Tradewind Aviation, WIMCO/SB Properties, Z Marine Consultancy Services, and ZIS Bespoke Marine Insurance.