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SHTA Membership Survey – Economy

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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.

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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.

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

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

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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.

St Maarten Heineken Regatta

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.”

St Maarten Heineken Regatta

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

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Peter Isler and team aboard this stunning new, ultra lightweight racing machine enjoyed an extremely testing 32nm race round the island of St Maarten in unusually light, southerly winds which only reached 12kts at best. They engaged in an early bow-to-bow battle with Rambler and Highland Fling from the start and, although Rambler soon powered off in the building gusts on the first spinnaker leg to the western most point of the island, Titan and Highland Fling were always snapping at her heels.

The tactical part of the race for all classes really began in Marigot Bay where choice of headsails was critical. Isler chatting about the race said: “We went with the jib top which is a bit smaller, tighter angle combination and the other two went with spinnakers and a Code Zeros. For a while our combination was better but behind the lee of the island it got quite light. We were headed on starboard tack reach first then when we got to the middle of the bay it started lifting and the Code Zero started to pay which allowed us to overtake Highland Fling.”

St Maarten Heineken Regatta

Once round the north-east tip of the island at Tintamarre (mark 4) it was a beat back down to the finish at Philpsburg in an ever-decreasing breeze. Titan however, now with about a minute on Rambler and in striking distance of Highland Fling had done enough to secure the first Spinnaker Class 1 race of the regatta.

An impressive race from George David and Kenny Read and team on Rambler, but not quite enough to knock Titan off her perch in these light airs. Reed – vice president of North Sails, North America, and skipper of Puma, which took second overall in the in the 2008-09 VOR, says today’s race was essentially a microcosm of the VOR. “It’s navigation of an island but I have to say, more fun than the VOR. It’s nice to be able to sleep in a bed at night, have good food, and have a beer at the end of the day. It’s those little things in life you take for granted until you do a VOR, and it’s only then you start to really appreciate it.”

Rounding the island is always a challenge for the navigator and Reed says they did get a bit too close for comfort at one point during the race today. “There’s a million little pot holes out there you have to avoid, and whoever does that best, simply wins the race. We got a little close a couple of times, that’s for sure and even had a little scuff but thankfully nothing too dramatic.”

Peter Holmberg, on the other hand, on the helm of Highland Fling said he was playing it safe today. “There are certainly some spots to be careful of in this race, but today there were no real benefits by getting too close, and I’m not going to be the one make the call that risks putting an 82ft Wally on the rocks, that’s for sure.”

St Maarten Heineken Regatta

The Reichel/Pugh 44 Peake Yacht Services sailed by Peter Peake and team managed to hold off Richard Matthews and team from the UK aboard Oystercatcher XXVI – the fast, and well sailed Tom Humphries design, to take their first win of the regatta in Spinnaker 3, despite a spinnaker wrap round the third mark. These two have been engaged in race long battles in the Caribbean for several years, and this week the battle looks set to continue. Neil Mackley, trimmer aboard Oystercatcher, and St. Maarten Heineken Regatta regular, commented: “These two boats are very similar in speed and the last four years we’ve had a lot of great racing. They’ve won today, but tomorrow’s another day!”

Italian Andrea Scarabelli sailing the Melges 24 Budget Marine is another one to watch out for this week. This racy-looking team managed to beat the other Melges 24s in Spinnaker 7 fleet and finished second in class by just four minutes on corrected time to Dave West and team in the Melges 32 Jurakan. “It was a long race in the light winds for us,” said Scarabelli, “but we sailed well and had good boat speed so we hope to continue to improve throughout the weekend.”

Calvin Reed and his Gill Commodore’s Cup-winning team from yesterday put up another good performance today and won the highly competitive Spinnaker 5 fleet once again. Elandra – one of six Beneteau 40.7s competing in this class – comes from Antigua and Geoff Linton tactician said they hope for more light winds: “Light winds and windward/leewards and we’ll be happy. We have new sails and a good crew who sail together 90 per cent of the time so we feel definitely have what it takes.”

The forecast for the second day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta looks set to continue with similar light to moderate southerly winds. The 20nm course will take the fleets round the north-west tip of the island up into the Anguilla Channel with a finish in Marigot Bay.

Report by Sue Pelling

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Reed and team, sailing in the highly competitive Racing B class at this opening event of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, managed to hold off not only similar designs such as a J/120 and a couple of A40s, but also five other First 40.7s. At a special prizegiving ceremony at Port De Plaisance, Nick Gill – company chairman – presented the delighted team with a selection of Gill products including a Gill Regatta Master starting watch and kit bag.

Now in its sixth year, and held as a run up to the three-day Heineken Regatta which starts tomorrow, the Gill-sponsored event attracted a bumper entry with a total of 47 boats on the startline. According to Robbie Ferron – event chairman – the boat of the day is calculated by the deltas. “When we’ve measured the deltas, in other words the differences in corrected time, the boat that wins the most decisively in the most competitive class is the overall boat of the day. There are some subjective factors here but it allows us to have different courses for the faster and slower boats.”

The two windward/leeward, two-mile courses were set in Simpson Bay, and the fleets was treated to a day of light to moderate, tactical, patchy conditions on a relatively large rolling sea which made for an interesting warm-up to the regatta.

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Elandra Prize

The glamorous head-turners such as Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling, Tom and Dotty Hill’s custom Reichel/Pugh 75 – Titan 15, and Bill Alcott’s Andrews 68 – Equation, were also out in force today giving a fair indication of what’s in store for the rest of the week. With America’s Cup super-stars – Peter Holmberg on the helm of Highland Fling, and Peter Isler driving Titan – it wasn’t particularly surprising to see these two neck and neck throughout the day. Titan suffered a torn spinnaker in race two but her impressive speed against the powerful, Wally 82 Highland Fling which has a 35m rig, was still enough to secure two first places. Highland Fling took second, while the 10-year-old, stunning looking Equation took a well-deserved third in class.

Holmberg commenting on the day’s racing said it was a day where pressure was clearly the dominating factor: “Pretty light airs for the Caribbean. It was a top day to spot the pressure but it was an excellent warm up and we really felt we improved as the day progressed on the short windward/leeward course. Really looking forward to the start of the regatta tomorrow and I think we’ll have some good racing with the likes of Titan and Rambler.”

Titan 15, Highland Fling and Rambler are highly comparable new boats incorporating the latest trends in high technology, and also have some smart people among their crew which will make it all the more interesting.

Further down the fleet, in Racing C, local sailor Ian Hope-Ross aboard his Beneteau First 36.7 Kick ‘Em Jenny hoped to better his runner up class position from last year but was unable hold off the Beneteau First 10R, Luxury Girl, and once again had to settle for second overall in class.

In Racing D, Peter Peake’s smart looking Reichel Pugh 44 Peake Yacht Services Storm, gave Dave West’s Melges 32 Jurakan a good run for her money but was unable to break her impressive 1,1 scoreline and had to settle for second in fleet. Paul Solomon and his team from Trinidad making their racing debut at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on a Henderson 35 – Blackberry Enzyme – also had a good day, finishing just behind third-placed Melges 24 – Budget Marine. Solomon says he hopes to notch up a good result with at least a third place overall at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

After the welcoming party and Gill Commodore’s Cup prizegiving, competitors and visitors to the island were treated to a special performance of ‘Voices of Classic Rock’ – the first of many legendary acts planned for this special 30th anniversary event.

The first race of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta kicks off tomorrow (Friday 5, March) with the 32nm Round the Island Race scheduled for most classes. However, light winds are forecast once again, which could affect the outcome of the course.

Report by Sue Pelling

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St Maarten Heineken Regatta

Two in a Row for Holmberg at Budget Marine Match Racing Cup

March 2, 2010, Simpson Bay – St. Maarten – Peter Holmberg has won the Budget Marine Match Racing Cup – the opening event at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta for the second year in succession.

Holmberg and his all-star team including Ben Beer and Maurice Kurg were up against some of the world’s most talented match racing crews at this ISAF-sanctioned Grade 5 event including the likes of Gavin Brady and Peter Isler. Racing identical non-spinnaker, Jeanneau SunFast 20s supplied by Lagoon Sailboat Rentals, Holmberg won two races in the best of three final against Gavin Brady and in doing so secured the US5,000 dollar top prize. Brady in second place overall was awarded US3,000 dollars, while Peter Isler, who enjoyed an interesting petit final against Chris Nesbit and his ‘amateur’ team from San Diego took third overall and a prize of US1,000 dollars.

Chatting about the racing as he stepped ashore at Sint Maarten Yacht Club this afternoon Holmberg summed up the extremely well organized event: “Nice, eh. It’s a fun event but we always get serious as soon as the start gun’s fired. Gavin is a fun guy to race against and we had some good, close racing out there. I have a good team with me and we work together really well. It’s a great event and we like to support it because it has really raised the interest of the regatta. We’ll certainly be back next year.”

Brady, racing with Marc Plaxton and Tucker Thompson gave it a good shot in the finals. They won the start of the first race in the extremely shifty winds, and had control up to the closing stages of the second beat but when the teams split tacked, and the wind temporarily dropped the race effectively started again. Holmberg however, positioned himself over to the right just in time for the wind to fill in from that side of the course and from here on in, led the race to the finish with a 24-second lead.

In the second, and what turned out to be the closing race of the final, Holmberg won the start and led a close battle keeping careful cover on his opponent. Brady reeled in Holmberg on the last run to the finish but it was too late and Brady had to settle for another second place, this time with just an eight second deficit.

Plaxton talking about the racing said Holmberg sailed a better final: “Basically they were just a superior, all round team and although Brady sailed like a total pro and did a phenomenal job he had a crew who’d never sailed together before except for half a day’s practice yesterday. Racing against the likes of Holmberg who has been sailing together with his team for 20 years, was a hard one to match, so hats off to him. They out-sailed us and totally deserved the victory.”

The race of the day had to go to Chris Nesbit and his amateur team who had a dream win against two-times America’s Cup winner Isler in the first race of the petit finals. Nesbit, who has a career in real estates and has only really been on the match racing circuit for the last year or so, sailed a near perfect first beat and after two rounds had extended his lead at the finish to 23 seconds over Isler. Isler praising Nesbit’s performance said: “Chris Nesbit and team sailed really well. I know they’ve been focussing on match racing for the last year or so and been doing a few Grade 2 and Grade 3 events so they clearly have what it takes now.”

With one loss under his belt, Isler and team upped their game and went on to win the last two races. “That felt really good,” commented Isler. “It’s always rewarding to enjoy the fun part of match racing which is to come from behind with two straight wins.”

Nesbit commenting on his win said: “It was an awesome day’s racing and having the chance to race against Isler and take a race win. Sadly we have to go back to work tomorrow so won’t be competing in the Heineken regatta but hopefully we’ll be back next year.”

In fifth place overall was Colin Rathbun from the British Virgin Islands, while Marc Fitzgerald who was second in the Budget Marine Match Racing Cup last year had to settle for sixth overall but admitted he mucked up with the timing of the event thinking it was taking place on Wednesday. “I’d actually lined up match racing pro Andy Beadsworth to take the helm this year but ended up having to do it myself again. Thankfully it’s really enjoyable, the boats are great to sail because you can really throw them around, and I have a good, fun crew. It’s also such a privilege to be able to sail against some real top ranked pros. It’s a great event and not to be missed.”

The next big event in the run up to the 30th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is the Gill Commodore’s Cup which takes place on Thursday 4 March. This simple, one-day, windward/leeward format event is fast becoming a popular choice for race teams keen to tune up and ‘iron out the kinks’ before the start of the main regatta, and so far there’s a healthy line-up of 48 entries.

Overall Results

• 1st Peter Holmberg
• 2nd Gavin Brady
• 3rd Peter Isler
• 4th Chris Nesbit
• 5th Colin Rathbun
• 6th Marc Fitzgerald
• 7th Jakub Pawluk
• 8th Eugeny Nikiforov

Report by Sue Pelling

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Regatta Director Heather Tackling is pleased with this donation “We have many wonderful volunteers who work tireless hours for this event and who do not expecting a thing in return, to have a sponsor take the time to think about them and provide them with something that will keep them healthy is a really great gesture. When you work extended hours, and lack sleep, good nutrition and are under a lot of stress, it is easier for you to become sick, with the Immune Plus we will be able to help our volunteers stay strong and ready for the tasks at hand”

(left) Jonathan Wilkie Brand manager, (right) Heather Tackling regatta director

Since the tablet is taken by dropping into a glass of ice-cold water, the revitalising effects of Immune Plus are felt almost immediately. Vitamin C and Zinc help prevent the risk of catching a cold and reduces the length and severity of symptoms. Echinacea helps to stimulate the immune system, increasing the white blood cell count. The B Vitamins, also formulated into Immune Plus, work to provide energy for the body through breaking down carbohydrates. Combined, this formulation is a great way to keep energy and immunity levels at their best.

Packed in a compact tube, Immune Plus is convenient to take along to ensure increased levels of energy and immunity.

The St.Maarten Heineken Regatta is less than one week away and with over 200 boats entered this year will prove to be as busy as they have been in the past. Four days of fantastic sailing and four nights of world class on shore concerts will bring together sailors from around the world and allow them to enjoy the islands great hospitality, beaches, ocean and scenery.

Haliborange Immune Plus is now available at your local supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and gyms.

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The bareboat charter fleet is extremely buoyant with over 100 including a high contingent of Beneteau and Jenneau yachts making up the bulk of the fleet. There’ll certainly be no lack of top ranked competition in this fleet either with the likes of Margriet Matthijsse – Dutch, double Europe Olympic silver medallist – who will be racing with her team aboard a Beneteau Oceanis 473 Heineken Rotterdam (Monet II), among the notable entries.

The big boat line-up is exceptionally strong too with the rare opportunity to see Tom and Dotty Hill’s new custom Reichel/Pugh 75 – Titan 15 up against George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 – Rambler, and Irvin Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling, and probably in the same class as Roberto Galperti’s Swan 90 White Lie, Patrick Adams’ Swan 100 Varsovie, Peter Harrison’s Farr 115 Sojana, and Christopher Besser’s Swan 80 Team Selene.

These seven large boats represent an unusually strong fleet for recent regattas with three of them (Titan 15, Highland Fling and Rambler) highly comparable new boats incorporating the latest trends in high technology, which should make for some interesting racing. Also, Bill Alcott – an avid campaigner whose spirited effort is always appreciated in the Caribbean – will make a welcome return this year with the super-hot crew aboard his Andrews 68 – Equation.

Other interesting entries to keep an eye on include Clay Deutsch’s chartered canting-keeled Farr/Cookson 50 Privateer, and Richard Matthews’ Humphries One-Off design Oystercatcher XXVI. Given the right conditions, either of these boats could produce some sparkling results. Matthews chatting about what draws him from the UK to this particular regatta said: “I have been a fairly regular participant in the Heineken Regatta, Rolex, BVI and Antigua Sailing Week for the last 20 years as they are a great way to escape the UK winter… Most of the Heineken fleet will probably be charter yachts but there is still some excellent Class 1 and 2 racing, with great courses which we are all looking forward to.”

A solid group is forming to make Class 3 interesting including Kip Curren’s Swan 56 Clover III which is likely to be fighting it out with Stefan Lehnert’s Passion 4C (Turner 56), the Spanish 55 ft X Yacht Reserva de Higueron, Bernard Laurent’s Swan 62 Schider, and the 63ft Judel Vrolijk Stickey Toffee, to name a few.

Guaranteed close racing is also expected in the next class down with a bevy of Beneteau 40.7s such as Toucan, Spirit of Athens, Past the Mark, Lancelot, Elandra and Coyote up against a selection of highly rated A 40s including Malachite, Black Sheep, the well prepared El Ocasso (J/120), and the likely entry of Lost Horizon (J/122).

Smaller boats they may be, but there will be no shortage of strong competition among the three local Melges 24s whose mission it is to beat St Croix-based Bad Girl, the J/100 that, up to now, has consistently managed to out-perform them. Other hot locals include Ian Hope Ross with his Beneteau 36.7 Kick Em Jenny, and St Barth’s entry Raymond Magras with his Dufour 34 Speedy Nemo.

Arguably the newest boats at the regatta, and making a Caribbean debut, will be the SC37 Team Optimix/AEZ – one of the newest, highly regarded generation of Santa Cruz boats.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta race schedule kicks off at 1000 next Tuesday, 2 March with the ISAF-sanctioned Grade 5 Budget Marine Match Racing Cup. Peter Isler, Gavin Brady, and Peter Holmberg – three of the world’s most respected match racing skipper – will be among the eight-strong team, racing for cash prizes totalling $10,000.

The Gill Commodore’s Cup on Thursday 4 March is proving a popular option with over 40 entries already signed up. This one-day, windward/leeward format, on a course two miles offshore, is used by many as the perfect warm up to the three-day Heineken Regatta series. After racing there’s a special welcoming party at Port de Plaisance giving competitors and visitors to the island a chance to experience the first of many stimulating Caribbean parties. First up, in the line-up of legendary performances planned for the regatta is “Voices of Classic Rock”, an all star ensemble comprising the original lead singers from among the most iconic classic rock acts of the 1980s including Loverboy’s Mike Reno, Toto’s Bobby Kimball, John Cafferty of John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, and Tommy Tutone.

The first race of the Heineken Regatta series is on Friday, 5 March, starting just off Simpson Bay on a course that will take most of the fleet around the Island to Great Bay. After another night of partying, most classes race from Simpson Bay on the Saturday but this time to Marigot.

The final day of racing is from Marigot back to Simpson Bay where the prize giving ceremony will take place. The iconic Caribbean beach party atmosphere where competitors will be able to relax and dance with a cool Heineken in hand, will be enhanced by the presence of International Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and his band who promises an evening filled with classic hits of the last three decades.

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February 23rd, 2010, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – After 30 years of “Serious Fun” the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta still holds great aspiration towards the future, both short- and long-term. Introduced in last year’s event, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta again commits to the Sailors for the Sea Clean Regatta program as it strives to achieve Bronze level certification. In cooperation with the Sailors for the Sea, the only ocean conservation nonprofit focused on the sailing and boating community, the Regatta Organization tries to reduce our impact on our oceans and coastal waters. The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has tried to operate as environmentally friendly as possible. The use of reusable bow numbers, paperless registration, biodegradable products in the office and with the help of sponsors creates environmental awareness to all of those involved with the biggest sailing event in the Caribbean.

After being awarded with the Bronze certificate last year, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta will do its best to improve on last year. With the help of three 100% dedicated sponsors the aim is to maintain the environmental awareness on our island. Title sponsor Heineken has ordered biodegradable cups that will be used at the parties during the event. Furthermore they decided not to issue straws which will help reduce a significant amount of waste. And with the success of last year, the bracelets will be sold in order to raise money to protect the natural environment of both the French and Dutch marine parks on the island.

Sol, the official supplier of motorized support during the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, will provide all the boats with marine absorbing pads that will prevent our waters from oil spill. Sol has proven through the years to be very aware of the impact that this event has to their island, and they have taken responsibility to maintain the beauty that our Friendly Island still represents.

The new title sponsor of the Commodores Cup (Thursday March 4th) and worldwide leader in marine technical clothing Gill produce their Race Tech Collection shirts that are fully made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. These shirts offer 50 plus UPF sun protection as well as excellent wicking attributes. Made with a dual purpose use in mind. Ideal for base layer use under gear or as a standalone tech t shirt. The fact that these styles are made from recycled materials is a win for the customer and the environment.

The Regatta Office itself is as well very aware of their responsibility to set an example. In cooperation with the company Good 2 Go the organization will use several biodegradable products, such as cups, coffee cups, household towels, toilet tissues and garbage bags. In order to reduce the paper usage, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta aims towards a paperless registration for their participants and all the attending press will be issued with a press package with all the press releases on CD-ROM rather than the paper versions.

At registration all the skippers without sail numbers will place a deposit and receive a reusable bow number for their boats, and the regatta organization requests that these bow numbers be returned for use in future years. Finally the Regatta Organization will thank their volunteers for their help by handing out an aluminum reusable Thermal Mug to them!

The Organization feels that everyone involved is ready to celebrate 30 years of “Serious Fun” will all the participants.

The largest sailing event in the Caribbean will take place on March 4 to 7! For more information visit: www.heinekenregatta.com

About Sailors for the Sea Founded in 2004, Sailors for the Sea is a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers the boating community to protect and restore our oceans and coastal waters. For more information on or to participate in any of the Sailors for the Sea programs, or to become a member and support the organization, visit www.sailorsforthesea.org. A full list of Clean Regatta certification requirements is also available online.

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