Celebrating 45 Years of “Serious Fun!” at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
That’s a wrap on the 45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta!
The Regatta Village has been broken down, visitors have checked out to fly home, and boats have casted off through Simpson Bay bridge one final time to head to their next destination. Over 100 boats – 107 to be exact – from 30 different countries and thousands of tourists and locals gathered in St. Maarten to take part in a legendary celebration for the 45th anniversary of the Regatta. The bucket-list event delivered “Serious Fun!” on all fronts for both participants and spectators. It was a weekend of close match-ups on the water and iconic celebrations onshore.
Day 1: Starting Strong to Anguilla and Around the Island
The kick off to the Regatta had fleets embarking on offshore courses around the island. Race Committee selected routes based on challenging and variable wind forecasts looking ahead to the next 4 days of racing. It was a choppy downwind start for all fleets with 12-knot southern winds. The Dutchside coastline was treated to a colorful scene with a sea of spinnakers as teams made their way to their first turning mark, where they then split to go off on their respective ways. CSA Multihull 2 and Bareboat classes raced to Blowing Rock off Anguilla and back, while the rest of the classes undertook the iconic Around the Island Race.
Day 2: Light Winds, Dynamic Scenes
The sun welcomed sailors for the second day of the Regatta as fleets gathered near Cole Bay and Simpson Bay for a mix of around the marks/rocks, and windward leeward courses. Race Committee designed a number of course options to accommodate the light and fluctuating winds, which varied between 4 and 12 knots. Each fleet completed 2-3 races with upwind starts, which set the scene for an entire event of close match-ups.
Day 3: Beach Stadium Racing
Dynamic racing was seen across both the Frenchside and the Dutchside of the island on Day 3. For the first time ever, a special Diam 24 beach-stadium race took place in Grand Case Beach, sponsored by Saint Martin Tourism Department. A fleet of ten 24-foot trimarans competed on a dynamic course with the finish line just meters away from shore, right in front of Saint Martin’s iconic beach clubs. Crowds were treated to an amazing show, which was accompanied with live play-by-play commentary at Tropics Beach Bar. In the first race, zeebest secured a commanding lead, while Karibuni and As MDA had a photo finish. The second race saw the BVI-based Buzz Race Team recover from an early start penalty to finish eighth. The third race was dominated by Opteamwork.dev, who dethroned the leaders in the fleet, zeebest.
Day 4: Iconic Scenes for the Grand Finale
The Regatta concluded with an exhilarating final day of racing. The courses set by Race Committee along the southern Dutchside coastline were exemplary, accompanying ideal weather conditions with consistent winds – creating a picture-perfect day and iconic sights. As fleets sailed past Maho and Mullet Bay Beaches, planes soared overhead, landing and taking off from Princess Juliana International Airport as the sun intensified the crystal-clear bright-blue water.
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