(St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles)- It all began in 1980 with a modest
12 entries and has steadily climbed to over 200 boats and in the last
year has drawn web traffic from over 160 individual countries! "The
Heineken Regatta" is a unique blend of International sailing, with boats
from as far away as Russia and Brazil, and musical talent the likes of
the Black Eyed Peas, the Marley Brothers, Maxi Priest and Wyclef Jean to
name a few. Nowhere else in the world will you find such an event,
each day brings new finish locations, new and unique party atmospheres
and bands from around the world.
The
2012 St Maarten Heineken Regatta will kick off on March 1st with the
pre-event GILL Commodore's Cup and will end on Kim Sha Beach Sunday
March 4th. Four days of world-class racing and four nights of
fun-filled Heineken parties will take place and offers something for
everyone. Participants and guests enjoy great food, ice cold beers and
international music performers each night. Regional music acts headline
the stages from Thursday through Saturday giving everyone a taste of the
Caribbean life. With the official slogan being “Serious Fun” it is no
wonder people come from over 25 countries to attend this one-of-a-kind
regatta.
On
the sailing side of things, many of the 141 current entrants are
familiar St. Maarten Heineken Regatta veterans, who are drawn to the mix
of great competition and sensational parties year after year. Among
these sailors are Rick Wesslund's team on the J/120 EL OCASO from
Miami's Coral Reef YC; Sergio Sagramoso on the J/122 LAZY DOG from Ponce
Yacht & Fishing Club- Puerto Rico; Jim Dobbs on the J/122 LOST
HORIZON from Antigua YC; Tanner Jones and Shari Potts on the famous J/30
BLUE PETER; and recent enthusiast Tom Mullen from New Hampshire on his
J/95 SHAMROCK VII. In addition to this veteran crew are Ben Jelic on
the J/120 ISLAND WATER WORLD JAGUAR, the J/125 AUNT JESSIE sailed by
Jordan Mindich and the J/35 SUNBELT REALTY skippered by Remco van
Dortmondt.
The
GILL Commodore's Cup on March 1st will once again give the participants
of the St Maarten Heineken Regatta a great day of warm-up races for
those flying spinnakers. This pre-event, which is sponsored by GILL, has
become a staple of the regatta weekend and makes for a great practice
race. Participants that enter this event won’t be disappointed, as
windward-leeward courses give them lots of great racing and a chance to
size up the competition for the coming weekend of racing. Sailing in
this "warm-up" regatta are the J/125 AUNT JESSIE, the J/120 EL OCASO,
the J/122 LAZY DOG, the J/95 SHAMROCK VII and the J/35 SUNBELT REALTY.
Sailing Photo credits- Tim Wright- Photoaction.com. For
more Heineken St Maarten Regatta sailing information
