Sun, Squalls, and Serious Fun Around the Island for Day 1 of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
The 45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta started off with a bang as fleets were sent offshore and around the island for day 1 of racing! Race committee was tasked with the decision on which courses to give the fleets based on the fluky wind forecasts over the next 4 days. The final decision was made early in the morning, and teams gathered in Simpson Bay to get ready for an exceptional day ahead.
One startline for the whole fleet hosted the starts for each class, beginning with CSA Multihull 2 and the Bareboats who were racing to Blowing Rock off of Anguilla and back. The rest of the race fleet were sent off by their respective class for the iconic Around the Island race. The exception being Island Time, which was racing a course closer to Simpson Bay.
It was a choppy downwind start with winds averaging 12 knots from the South and teams headed west towards the first turning mark – where they would either head towards Anguilla or around the island. The race boats had a colorful start, as most made the decision to hoist their flying sails for the first downwind leg as the breeze filled in.
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