The 30th Annual Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta was a tremendous success.

We had 240 International boats competing and over 3000 sailors and locals enjoying 4 nights of musical acts and other festivities.

We want to thank you for making this year one of our best to date. As we look ahead to next year we are going to bring in more press from around the world.

March 8, 2010, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – there can be few events in the world that match St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s unique cocktail of fun and serious racing. Under the leadership of Robbie Ferron – Sint Maarten Yacht Club commodore – who set up the regatta 30 years ago, this Caribbean classic continues to go from strength to strength and, if the positive buzz on the street is anything to go by, next year’s event is going to reach record levels.

With some of the world’s most talented sailors including the likes of America’s Cup legends Peter Isler, Peter Holmberg, Gavin Brady, round the world sailors Kenny Read, Wouter Verbraak, Olympic/America’s Cup skipper Andy Beadsworth, and Dutch double Europe Olympic silver medallist Margriet Matthijsse, among the many high profile sailors competing here this week, it’s not surprising this event is fast becoming a Mecca for seriously fun winter racing.

As well as the big names racing on the latest, powerful ultra-light racing machines such as Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling, Tom and Dotty Hill’s brand-new stunning-looking custom Reichel/Pugh 75, Titan 15, George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 Rambler, and a healthy mix of big Swans, Farrs and custom builds, yachts in the 30ft-40ft range make up the majority of the fleet including a bumper 99-strong Bareboat charter fleet.

While fun and partying contribute hugely to Caribbean regatta success, it’s what happens behind the scenes and on the water that really counts.

race team run a good balance of coastal and round-the buoys races, and offer a highly efficient results system, which are the other key factors that make a good event, great.

The final race of the three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta this morning may have lacked one special Caribbean ingredient – sun – but there was certainly no shortage of action for the 240-boat fleet in the extremely lively northerly breeze which allowed the big raunchy yachts the opportunity to really strut their stuff on the 27nm race from Marigot Bay back to Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

In the three-horse battle between Titan, Highland Fling and Rambler, it was Titan that benefited from a strange twist of misfortune when she blew out her A5 spinnaker. With no option other than to hoist a slightly flatter A3, it proved to be the perfect choice of sail when the wind shifted round to a tighter angle. Revelling in the 20kt squalls, and sailing right on the edge, Peter Isler tactfully gave Titan the opportunity to really show her true colours and, in a fine demonstration of downwind sailing, stormed past Highland Fling and Rambler at blistering speed not only taking line honours but also an impressive first overall in class. Artie Means – navigator aboard Titan enthused about the day’s racing: “It was a fantastic day out there with all three of us doing 17-20kts downwind side by side and trading back and forth. It’s a great boat and great team, and it was the first chance we’ve had to line up against the others and really see how she performs. It was probably one of the best day’s racing I’ve had.”

Highland Fling led round the course most of the race and although she was effectively pipped at the post for line honours, Peter Holmberg was pleased with the day’s racing. “We probably put together our best result of the regatta because we, as a team, sailed smart. Titan got a little lucky and got in front of us just before the finish but we still feel we ended on a good note after a really fantastic race.”

Hans-Joachim Tiggels and team from Germany sailing a Beneteau Oceanis 523 Acele et were the overall winners of Bareboat 1, with the Duketown Official Royal Sailing Team (DORST) finishing second. Ronald Gessel and team in a Harmony 52 Neerlands Glorie who was leading the fleet going into today’s final race, suffered a disqualification following a protest hearing and had to settle for third overall.

One of the closest regatta-long battles this week was in Spinnaker 3 between the Reichel/Pugh 44 Peake Yacht Services sailed by Peter Peake and team, and Richard Matthews and team from the UK aboard Oystercatcher XXVI. These two raced neck and neck, often match racing each other round the course but it was the British Tom Humphries design Oystercatcher XXVI that won the day. Going into today’s race any one of three boats – Peake Yacht Services, Oystercatcher XXVI or Paul Solomon’s Blackberry Enzyme – could have won overall. Neil Mackley – trimmer – commented: “We had a great day. The key to our win was choice of headsail. We opted for a jib rather than the spinnaker which paid off big time and eventually beat Peake Yacht Services by a minute and a half – possibly one of the biggest margins of the week.”

The winner of Bareboat 6 was Robbie Nitche and the team from Germany sailing a Dufour 455 Let Me Go which three straight wins. Nitche, a first timer to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, said the bareboat fleets are extremely close but today’s racing in the biggest winds of the week, was the most competitive. “The most fun was today because we really had a good battle. It’s a great regatta because I like the courses and the three-day format, and the parties of course. We’ll be back,”

After a relaxing afternoon at Sint Maarten Yacht Club, and at the big prizegiving event, competitors and guests were treated to a relaxing evening dancing the night away on the beach in the presence of International Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and his band who played classic hits of the last three decades, well into the early hours, concluding yet another successful St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

Report by Sue Pelling

Competitors prepare for final showdown at St.Maarten Heineken Regatta

March 6, 2010, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – on the penultimate day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, competitors were treated to superb conditions for the Marigot Bay race. A lively southerly breeze topping 20kts this afternoon made for some exciting, classic Caribbean racing which led to more than a few thrills and spills within the 240-boat fleet.

While the fast racing boats enjoyed a couple of early morning, short, sharp windward/leeward races a couple of miles offshore, off Philipsburg, and then an afternoon sprint round the coast, the cruising classes and bareboat fleets raced on a course taking them to Simpson Bay in the north, where they were able to go ashore and enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the sun.

One of the first to suffer misfortune today was Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling. Peter Holmberg and team had just crossed the line in the first race when the genoa halyard failed. A swift recovery from the super-efficient team it may have been, but it wasn’t enough to make up ground on yesterday’s Spinnaker 1 winner Titan 15. This 75ft custom Reichel/Pugh design owned by Tom and Dotty Hill and helmed by another racing legend, Peter Isler, controlled the first race of the day with their outstanding downwind performance and led George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 Rambler on a lively sleigh ride to the finish and took line honours with a delta of 49 seconds, and finished first overall on corrected time.

There was also fun and games a bit further down the fleet, in the second race, when Clay Deutsch’s chartered canting keel, Farr/Cookson 50 Privateer got a bit too close for comfort by misjudging a situation at the first windward mark and managed to clip the pushpit of Vela Veloce with her bow sprit. Thankfully Richard Oland’s Southern Cross 52 suffered minor damage to the pushpit and Privateer escaped unscathed. Clearly unfazed, Vela Veloce went on to take second overall on corrected time with Titan claiming the top spot once again in the second race of the day. Chatting about the incident, Jack Slattery – tactician aboard Privateer – commented: “We took the close racing we’ve been having with Vela Veloce a bit too far today. Thankfully there was no major damage.”

Team Privateer who normally race aboard Deutsch’s Swan 68 Chippawa admitted they’d had mistake-packed day in the lively conditions but put it down to a fairly steep learning curve. Slattery added: “It was awesome racing and although the big guys were in front of us and going fast, we were able to hold on to them particularly in the windier last race where we finished third on corrected time. Privateer is so fast compared to Chippawa. On her we used to romp around in high speeds of 10kts but on Privateer everything happens so quickly. It takes a bit of getting used to.”

In Spinnaker 3, Paul Solomon’s Henderson 35 Blackberry Enzyme from Trinidad has, after today’s three races, managed to split two of the closest boats in the fleet – the Reichel/Pugh 44 Peake Yacht Services Storm sailed by Peter Peake and team, and Richard Matthews’ Oystercatcher XXVI. Peake Yacht Services Storm and Oystercatcher XXVI continued their battle on the racecourse throughout the day and, although Oystercatcher XXVI notched up a final race win over her closest rival, a scoreline of two wins in the windward/leewards for Blackberry Enzyme in both morning races puts her in second overall. But there’s only one point between all three boats which means there’ll be plenty of action in tomorrow’s final race. Tim Kimpton from Trinidad, and sail trimmer aboard Blackberry Enzyme this week said: “We had a great day with two firsts but had to settle for fourth on corrected time in the last race when we thumped the finish mark and had to do a 360.”

Elsewhere on the racecourse in Spinnaker 6 Guy Eldridge’s Beneteau First 10R Luxury Girl posted another couple of first places on corrected time today which puts her in a strong position atop the fleet, with Ian Hope Ross’s Beneteau First 36.7 Kick ‘em Jenny five points adrift. Currently in third place overall going into the last race tomorrow is David Cullen’s J/109 Pocket Rocket. Representing seven different nations including Israel, Grenada, Ireland, England, France, Italy and the Netherlands, this truly international team is giving the top two boats a fair run for their money and looks set for a final showdown tomorrow. In the stronger breeze today, the J/109 excelled and won the last race of the day on corrected time. Paul Heyes of Key Yachting in the UK, and trimmer/tactician this week said: “The conditions were just perfect for our boat. A little more breeze and a mixture of reaching and running legs really suit the J/109 so we had a great afternoon. This is my first time here at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and I think the sailing and the courses are the best I’ve ever been to, certainly the best in the Caribbean, and I’m definitely coming back.”

The Bareboat charter fleets, which, with 99 boats on the water, represent the largest number of yachts here at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, are also enjoying close racing. Jan Soderberg from Sweden and regular visitor to Caribbean regattas is sailing Team Aspen, a Beneteau Cyclades 43 in Bareboat 5 – Cyclades 43. Although he is also a fairly regular winner, and is currently leading the 11-strong fleet, there’s no room for error in the last race with just two points between the top two boats.

The wind forecast for tomorrow’s final race indicates another moderate day, although there’s a chance it could freshen later in the afternoon. Interestingly the wind is due to shift round to the north overnight, which like the southerly that’s been prevailing for most of week, is fairly unusual. The prevailing wind for 90 per cent of the time in St. Maarten is generally from the east.

Report by Sue Pelling