There are few industry events like the St Barths Bucket. Balancing camaraderie with competition, it is a place where owners come to pit their carefully designed thoroughbreds against each other in a regatta that attracts some of the top super sailing yachts in the world.

It is hard not to assume that it all comes down to ego at an event like this: a desire to prove that your superyacht is the fastest and your team is the best. And of course, ego is a fundamental driver - no one likes to lose. But having spent the evening yesterday at the legendary Perini villa, overlooking a twinkling Gustavia, chatting to owners, captains, tacticians, safety officers, Bucket veterans and loyal Bucket observers, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that for everyone, the most reiterated reason for participating or enjoying the event came down to relationships. Old friends and new friends, on the same boat or as temporary rivals, guests, race crews and even the media all coming together in the spirit of sportsmanship to enjoy three days of friendly competition in an unrivalled location.



Racing officially starts tomorrow and The Superyacht Owner, as one of the sponsors of the event, will be reporting daily on the event.