Three Cheers for the Winners of the 2015 St. Barths Bucket Regatta
For more than a century, the Chelsea name has been as much a part of the sea as the tides; as much a part of the sailing life as the call to explore and discover.
The St. Barths Bucket Regatta came to a close on Sunday at the Hotel de la Collectivité in St. Barths. For the third year in a row, winners received one of our most distinguished timepieces, the 4 1/2-inch Ship's Bell, custom engraved with the Bucket Regatta insignia. Painstakingly handcrafted, the Ship's Bell signals the passing of time with gentle, rich-sounding chimes: Eight bells at 4, 8 and 12 o’clock mark the end of a mariner’s four-hour watch. Since the first patented Ship’s Bell left our factory in 1900, it has been held as the standard by which all other Chelsea clocks are measured.
And this year there was something new to commemorate. As stated on the Bucket Blog, Bucket Director Peter Craig gave an ORCsy presentation for owners, captains, and safety officers explaining the rationale behind the new ORCsy handicapping rule, which was put in place for the first time at this year's race. "Fair sailing has become a more prominent issue for owners over the last two years," Craig said. "The safe racing aspect of superyacht racing has gotten itself in order." Jim Capron (pictured above) is responsible for initially creating the key safety rule that requires super yachts to stay at least 40 metres apart while racing, and for that he was honored with a beautiful Ship's Bell with the inscription, "With great appreciation for your contribution to safe racing."