MainSail

SHOW #59

St. Barth’s Bucket

In April, 'MainSail' comes from the Caribbean, for the annual St. Barth's Bucket, a regatta where entry is restricted to superyachts of 100 feet and more. 'MainSail' presenter Shirley Robertson is invited to sail on an impressive selection of private luxury liners and tries push-button sailing, where all the technology is behind-the-scenes in a world where simplicity and comfort are the ultimate goals. At the other end of the sailing spectrum is the Volvo Ocean race. Shirley speaks to the crew on a 70-foot puma a month into the race from China to Rio. Via satellite video, the crew gives viewers a tour of their hellish hovel where they share bunks, sails crowd the living quarters and hot meals consist of boiling water poured into a bucket of freeze dried food powder. 'MainSail's coverage shows that the St. Barth's Bucket and the Volvo Ocean Race yachts have one thing in common: they are both at the cutting edge of technology and share many common elements - carbon fibre, sophisticated winch systems and space-age sail materials. However, only the superyachts boast their own submarines.