45 Years of “Serious Fun!” at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

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.

In CSA 1, Sailing Poland initially led, but was overtaken by Leaps and Bounds 2 who secured victory. It was Selma Racing – Sisi that earned the fastest time around the island for monohull with a spinnaker with a time of 2:37:32. In CSA 2, the XP 50 yacht DNR emerged as the leader, setting the tone for what would be an incredible close match-up in the class. As fleets converged near Creole Rock, one after one, boats abruptly came to a halt in the same wind hole, creating a closer competition as gaps between the fleets lessened. Zeebest, a Diam 24-ft trimaran, was the fastest multihull around the island with a time of 2:29:16 – very impressive!! A fierce squall on the east side of the island welcomed the fleets before an upwind leg to the finish. Sailors embraced the day’s “Serious Fun,” setting a dynamic tone for the rest of the Regatta.

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.

It was a hyper-competitive battle of the locals in the Melges 24 fleet, as Puerto Rican team Exodus dropped out of the competition due to a de-masting. Each race saw a different winner, with photo finishes as boats were within seconds – and inches! – of each other coming across the finish line. Apollo gained a strong lead in CSA4 along with El Ocaso in CSA5 and zeebest in the Diam 24 fleet, all taking first honors for each race. “The core of our team has raced together for 25 years. Our first ever Regatta was here in 2018. It was a brand new boat so naturally we hit a mark. It was during the Around the Island race — but we managed to come first! And we wanted to do it again this year,” said Donald Nicholson of Apollo, who led the CSA4 fleet the entire Regatta. “We love the racing here. All of the teams push each other to be our best. You don’t always get that in the Caribbean regattas.”

It was a diverse scene out on the water as courses collided and fleets merged together. Volvo’s, Melges, Multihulls, Bareboats, and more, could be seen cutting through each other and competing for first mark roundings, showcasing the diversity in the fleet. Despite the light winds, sailors adapted and embraced the hot and sunny conditions, maintaining the “Serious Fun” atmosphere out on the water.

Day 3: Beach Stadium Racing

© Digital Island

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.

Meanwhile, in Cole Bay and Simpson Bay, a warm 10-12 knot breeze sustained after the Race Committee performed a ceremonial wind dance. Fleets raced on similar courses from Day 2, engaging in intense competitions especially seen – and heard! – at mark roundings. Maëlia dominated CSA6 in every race, coming from behind chasing the pack at each turning mark. Beneteau First 210 Maline, the smallest boat in Island Time, secured 1st. It was a battle between DNR and GEM for 1st and 2nd every race, and JOYI and CARA in the Bareboat classes maintained their class lead taking 1st in each race.

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.

A sea of spectator boats were treated to thrilling starts and dramatic competition at mark roundings across the course, as the close match-ups were settled among fleets. Pata Negra in CSA3 and El Ocaso in CSA5 finished the event undefeated. El Ocaso went on to win the entire Regatta, earning them the Most Worth Performance Overall special trophy. DNR claimed first in the closely matched CSA2 class after a tough competition against GEM and Kinship. The Leopard 50 La Novia successfully defended their title of reigning champions in Multihull 2, and the spirited Italians onboard Leaps and Bounds 2 defeated the Volvos in CSA1.