A Bucket legend: Hap Fauth’s take on racing, ratings and the spirit of St Barths

A founder of the American Magic syndicate and a championship racer, Hap Fauth reflects on his history with the St Barths Bucket, including a six-year hiatus and a Class win aboard his 35.5-metre Holland Jachtbouw yacht Whisper...

For me, St Barths Bucket racing started in 2006 or 2007,” says Hap Fauth. “In those days, it was an intimate event. It sounded like a fun thing to do when we launched Whisper in 2003, and we had a great time. In those days, there were maybe 15 boats at the max, and it was a ‘come and race’ event. The guys who organised it joked that they could be bribed with champagne.”

American businessman Hap Fauth is famous in yacht racing. He is a lifelong sailor with experience ranging from cruising to racing at the most elite level. Besides Whisper, the 35-metre Ted Hood/Ted Fontaine design he had designed and built as his “forever yacht”, he has owned and raced four race boats named Bella Mente over nearly two decades, winning a raft of major events from ocean races to Mini Maxi and Maxi Worlds. 

The current Bella Mente, a Maxi 72, most recently won the IMA Maxi European Championships in May 2024. He is also a founder of the American Magic syndicate with the New York Yacht Club, which competes for the America’s Cup.

The St Barths Bucket may have always emphasised social events, but the racing is earnestly contested. It was not long before Fauth became frustrated. “We never had a good rating, and it never really reflected what the boat could do,” he says. “Ultimately, I got very discouraged about going and spending a lot of money and not having the opportunity to win.”

For six years, Fauth stayed away. In 2014, the Bucket was sold to Perini Navi, Royal Huisman, Vitters Shipyard and Rybovich. These companies were aligned to what owners wanted and made some important changes. Today, Royal Huisman and Vitters remain stewards of the Bucket. 

“It became much more professionally organised, albeit not as intimate,” Fauth says. “They came up with a much more professional rating system and we got to see the newest boats and lots of very competitive big boats. The event took on a whole other dimension and the racing was much more serious.”

He returned in Whisper. “We went back and won our class, but that was almost secondary to enjoying the event, seeing friends and getting some competitive racing under our belt.”

Whisper is a modern classic sloop, with an elegant sheerline sweeping to balanced overhangs at bow and stern. “I have an eye for classics, and Whisper is a classic in every way,” he says. “She is timeless; you would never know when the boat was built. People have asked me how old she is because she looks brand new. I spend the money because I like to keep Whisper maintained in Bristol condition.”

Fauth notes the continual evolution of performance carbon-composite superyachts designed to sail fast and win races, which Whisper was not. “Now you’ll get a guy who commissions a 150ft [46m] boat but says, ‘I want to win the Bucket,’ so it’s a compromise and a trade-off. Underwater, some of these boats look like flat-out racing machines.”

Racing here is very different to the format and approach Fauth enjoys with Bella Mente. “With Bella Mente, it is classic fleet racing. Everyone starts together and your elapsed time is corrected by your handicap. At the Bucket, you start according to your rating and the first to finish wins,” he says. 

“I’d start with the displacement of the two boats: Whisper is 180 tonnes; Bella Mente is 10 tonnes, or less. It’s a totally different deal. Bella Mente is a fine-tuned race boat: 74 feet [22.5 metres ] with 22 crew taking sails up and down, and on Whisper, we don’t have a lot of sails to go up and down apart from a spinnaker and maybe a staysail; the genoa is roller furling."

He continues: "Strategy-wise, at the Bucket, you take advantage of areas of the course where you know your boat has its best speed; it is definitely navigator-centric racing versus the tactical focus of fleet racing. The make-up of the crews are different, too. On Whisper, we have five pro crew who live on board and we augment that with 10 or 12 guests. We have push-button winches, not pedestals. Whisper’s hull speed is 12 to 13 knots, whereas Bella Mente does 25 knots.”

The combination of early-season sunshine, reliable trade wind conditions, beautiful coastal scenery and after-race parties is the essential essence of the Bucket. “What makes it special is that it’s a nice break in the winter and someone always has a party,” he says.

“St Barths itself is gorgeous and it’s really fun being there. There are lots of restaurants and plenty of action. And you are not going as a tourist. There’s a good atmosphere. Everybody gives money to the yacht club for its junior sailing programme and I think the fleet is well received and the island does well from it.”

But don’t get too distracted by the rugged beauty of the island, Fauth jokes. “There are a lot of rock piles, which are really nice to look at with all the spray breaking against them, but boats have left lead here and there, so you have to be careful!”

First published in the March 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.