Victory for SW108 GELLICEAUX, Overall winner of 2024 St. Barths Bucket Regatta

After three exhilarating days of competitive racing, we are thrilled to announce that the SW108 Gelliceaux has been awarded the overall Bucket Prize on top of winning Class D. This prestigious accolade is bestowed upon the yacht that prevails in the class with the closest and most competitive racing and after three days of tight racing, the results were decided in the final moments on Day 3. 

Since its inception in 1986, this award has celebrated some of the most iconic and distinguished superyachts, and we are immensely satisfied to count Gelliceaux among this illustrious roster, particularly considering that this regatta marked both the yacht's and the Owners' racing debut. Gelliceaux’s delighted owners commented, “We never even dreamt of winning the Bucket as we are awed by the legendary programs who had won previously. Gelliceaux performed well above expectations and we are extremely proud of the entire team.”

Gelliceaux is the first superyacht for her owners and during the building process, they have become friends with other Owners that were also competing in the event. When registering for the Bucket, their aim was to combine some close competitive racing amongst friends and to truly determine if the yacht is as fast as she was designed and built to be. Vice President of Farr Yacht Design, Jim Schmiker, who was an integral part of the crew, remarked, “The team had the boat perfectly prepared for racing. All around the course the performance was great and up to what I expected for the first SW108. All credit to the owners who were more than able to helm the easily handled boat in the typical, demanding St Barths conditions. Since we sailed in the Corinthian Spirt class only, the Code 0 could be used downwind and we were still lightning quick. I really look forward to seeing how she goes with a gennaker up. Gelliceaux proved to be a formidable weapon and impressed all who saw her on the race course and in the harbor.”

The Gelliceaux crew could also count on the experience of the Owners’ project manager, Sebastian Allebrodt from A2B Marine, who commented, “I am very happy for having finally managed to win the St. Barths Bucket, especially since it was with a new boat "out of the box". I have tried for many years, and we are all very excited that we seem to have had the perfect combination of competitive owners, an experienced technical team, a great crew and a little luck to make this happen. It will be hard to repeat and I would like to thank everyone involved for the big effort!"

The owning couple shared the helm and steered for no less than 95% of the entire regatta. Their elation was palpable upon hoisting the highly coveted ‘Bucket’ and in the lady owner's words, “We are all so happy together with everyone who made Gelliceaux possible.”

This monumental achievement is the culmination of dedicated teamwork, with each member of the crew fulfilling their role admirably to transform Gelliceaux into a perfectly balanced and formidable yacht. This feat would not have been possible without the vision and commitment of the owners, as captured by Andrea Micheli, Southern Wind's Chief Commercial Officer, “ This victory showed the owner’s trust in our team and his dreams coming alive after two years of building and designing. All the parts came together. Everyone worked tirelessly, and the outcome exceeded expectations, yet it was equally deserved in terms of effort, determination, and perseverance."

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the designers at Farr Yacht Design and Nauta Design for translating that vision into an elegant and swift vessel, to the owner's project manager Sebastian Allebrodt from A2B Marine for his meticulous oversight, to Doyle Sails for providing the required power to the yacht, and to every individual at Southern Wind whose daily dedication contributed to the creation of this magnificent vessel. Gelliceaux is now on the scene and will be looking to add to her trophy collection back in Europe this summer.