Sailors make a beeline for the tiny Caribbean island of St Barth every March to join one of the most hotly anticipated events in the superyacht racing calendar. The Bucket Regatta is legendary for its sailing and socialising, but imagine taking part on a boat you’d actually drawn yourself. Well, for the renowned yacht designer Malcolm Mckeon, this is no mere fantasy.

“I think I’ve been going to the Bucket Regatta for almost 20 years,” he told us. “Sailing conditions are ideal for racing superyachts with interesting courses around the outlying islands. For most of those Buckets, I’ve had the pleasure to race on yachts I designed. I’m quite often invited on the newly launched yachts as I’ve already built up a relationship with the client.”

This year was no exception, as Mckeon was invited back by the proud new owner of 110ft Zemi, delivered by Baltic Yachts late last summer. It was only the second outing on the racecourse for a high-performance bluewater cruiser that Mckeon had conceived with a marked turn of speed and a full carbon fibre layup. And like many of the big yachts on the Caribbean circuit, she’d participated in the Superyacht Challenge in Antigua just one week earlier.

“I’d have already been aboard for the final sail trials – so it’s not as if I haven’t been on the boat before,” says Mckeon. “Joining a client aboard their yacht after delivery is more a social thing, really. But it’s nice to see how the boats compete on the racetrack and how well they are sailed.

fully powered up on a reaching leg. The Bucket is a prime chance to see what new superyachts are capable of when pushed in tradewinds. Photo: Michael Kurtz

“You certainly get a much better feel for how the boat performs than on sail trials – I suppose the sail trials are more about making sure that, within reason, the boat performs as per the design and as intended. But once you start racing, it’s more about fine-tuning performance.”

Mckeon was more of a guest than a member of the race crew, invited, he says, to advise and accompany an owner who is himself an experienced sailor. “I tend to avoid getting involved in any manoeuvres nowadays,” the designer says. “I used to run forward and help get the kite down, but I feel I’m getting in the way now – these guys are so much bigger and stronger! But if I see something that’s snagged or a line that needs coiling, of course I’ll help.”

Getting involved

But that didn’t mean he was sitting quietly among Zemi’s afterguard sipping tea. In fact, Mckeon admits he found it hard not to speak up at times.

“You don’t want to get involved with questioning the boat or the navigators and how they’re choosing to sail the boat tactically. You don’t want to step on their toes. But certainly, with regards to how the boat is being sailed in terms of sail trim and weight, moving the weight around on the boat, and even the more technical aspect of rudder angles, heel angles, etc, it’s hard not to comment. I only want to help – everyone has their own way and method!”

Mckeon was quite clear that the mainsail could be trimmed in a way that better suited Zemi’s design. And he improved the fore-and-aft trim of the boat by placing the crew in optimum locations according to the weather conditions. Whether his advice made the difference or not, at her Antigua debut, Zemi came 3rd of three in her class, while at St Barth, she was 3rd out of five.

Malcolm Mckeon at the helm of Zemi, a yacht from his own drawing board.

“The boat performed as expected and I was happy with the result – we came in behind the two J-Class yachts and ahead of the two other 34m to 35m modern sloops,” he says. “I don’t think we could have done any better, really, against the boats in our class. We also received a lot of comments about the elegant look of the boat and how well she sailed. To me that’s always important.”

Zemi sets a prodigious quantity of sail: 360m2 for the pinhead main, 276m2 for the blade jib – both in North Sails moulded 3Di composite – and an epic 1,110m2 for the big A2 gennaker. Set against that is the righting moment from a 28-tonne telescopic keel that can extend the draught to 5.8m. In sea trials last year, the yacht achieved sailing speeds in excess of 25 knots – pretty hair-raising for a monohull. But despite her highly technical lay-up in carbon composite, Mckeon says the brief was always for a cruising boat.

Cruising first

“While the owner wanted to partake in regattas, racing was never the priority,” he says. “The intention was to cruise for three years or so and join some regattas after that. Thinking ahead, however, the boat has been designed to carry a square-top main and bigger sails for racing. Their entry into the Antigua Superyacht Challenge was a bit of a last-minute decision, but they enjoyed it so much that they decided to join the Bucket too.

“With regatta participation, you push the boat a little bit more than you would do when you’re cruising, so actually I think it’s really good for the crew to have had the opportunity to test the boat in this way – to do something like this, ahead of a world cruise, can be a big confidence builder, both with regard to their ability and the boat’s. When Zemi returns to regatta competition, with racing sails, I expect to see even better performance.”

And rest! The more elegant and inviting cruising mode of Zemi at anchor

This year’s Bucket saw optimum weather conditions for the big boats, Mckeon says. “At previous Buckets I’ve raced in, it’s got quite windy at times, quite gusty and with a lumpy sea. But this year was perfect – 12 to 16 knots, which is ideal for superyacht racing, with reasonably flat water. We didn’t use any heavier-air sails, but we used the Code 65, gennaker, blade jib, the main and our staysail. In summary, that’s the whole sail inventory!”

The racing was measured, with consistent results. Following the usual pattern of staggered starts with the slowest-rated yachts first, Zemi crossed the line at the end of the pack for the two round-the-island races, and around the middle for the downwind start of the “Not So Wiggley” race on day two. Though out-performed by the Js Velsheda and Hanuman, she was faster than the 34m Dykstra yacht Aurelius and the 40m Baltic Perseverance, taking 3rd place in the first two races.

But it all changed with the closing race on day three. “In the final race, there were some big wind shifts around the back of the island which made for some close tacking duals with other yachts in our class and a close run to the finish line,” Mckeon recalls. Unfortunately, it also made for an infringement on the race course for Zemi with a 30% penalty, and she came in last for the race.

She still took 3rd overall in her class, and the mishap didn’t dent the atmosphere of excitement aboard – particularly not for the proud owner. “He helmed every practice day and every race,” says Mckeon. “He loved racing his own boat. He did a great job and after the prizegiving, we all went out for a crew dinner where he said how delighted he was with Zemi’s performance and how much he loved it. He is chuffed to bits with her.”

Teak decks gently overlapping the transom is now signature Mckeon. Note the steps below. Photo: Michael Kurtz

Nordic chic

The owner is Swedish, so naturally enough Zemi showcases an achingly cool interior design from Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter. Filled with light, it’s the sort of styling often described as Nordic chic – all natural materials in muted tones and without excessive decoration or ornament. I ask Mckeon what he made of it.

“When you’re in ‘race mode’ all the interior luxuries, the cushions, everything’s off the boat,” he says a touch regretfully, “so you don’t really get the impression of how nice it is when it’s set up for cruising.”

Natural materials and muted tones styling by Stockholm-based Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter, often described as Nordic chic

Nevertheless, Zemi has been conceived as a formidable bluewater yacht, with four guest cabins, a stern tender garage and a multifunction beach club aft. Under the skin, she has been engineered to cope with high latitudes and the tropics in line with her owner’s three-year cruising plan, which has already taken her up to the Svalbard archipelago at 80°N, and is setting sights on the Pacific islands next.

Power capabilities include a powerful 247kW Danfoss electric motor powered by a pair of 129kW gensets, and the ability to regenerate power under sail for zero-emissions cruising. The tender garage door opens in two sections to minimise slamming in higher seas, and the bimini and foldable dodger can withstand 50 knots of wind.

Dining with a view. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson

From the dock, Zemi offers a dazzling spectacle with her metallic bronze topsides and a low coachroof with curved vertical glass windows. More striking still is Mckeon’s flowing teak decking, which follows the sculptured lines of the boat from the coachroof down into the cockpit and on to the transom. Not for nothing has this been called ‘teak as an artform’.

“Obviously, I like the look of the boat!” answers Mckeon when I ask him what elements he’s proudest of. “I think Zemi looks quite contemporary; different from other boats we have designed. I was very pleased with the performance, too. I also like the open plan design, and I think it works well for racing and cruising.”

Mckeon has a busy year ahead, working on a flurry of motoryacht designs signed late last year. His Apex 850 concept with Royal Huisman for the world’s biggest sloop (it would have a 107m rig) remains on the drawing board, but he has just signed a client for an 81m Huisman-built sloop (see above). And there are still prospects circling his sailing supercat designs, from the jaw-dropping MM751 to the 30m Blackcat.

Soft luxury below. Photo: Kristofer Johnsson

Contemplating a year when no new Malcolm Mckeon sailing boats are due to be delivered, the designer’s mind is turning to some of his previous projects and the possibility of a reunion at next year’s Bucket (13-16 March). “The older boats I designed like the Kokomo’s, and the Mondango’s – the original owners have all moved on now,” he says. “These are second, sometimes third owners, so I don’t have that relationship with them. But I’d love to step back aboard and see how my earlier work is holding up!”

Zemi specifications

LOA: 33.50m 109ft 11in
LWL: 31.20 m 102ft 4in
Beam: 7.60m 24ft 11in
Draught (lifting keel): 3.80-5.80m 12ft 6in-19ft 0in
Displacement: 95 tonnes
Ballast: 28 tonnes
Design: Malcolm Mckeon / Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter
Builder: Baltic Yachts 2023

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