Off Watch: Covid Blues

Herb McCormick, Cruising World's Executive Editor, and active J/24 Thursday night Fleet #50 racer in Newport, RI, had covered this year's St. Maarten Heineken Regatta back in March. J/News Editor Stu Johnstone spoke with Herb a few times at the famous evening concerts; Stu was sailing with friends on the J/105 SOLSTICE, owned/ skippered by Jordan Mindich from Long Island, NY. Here is Herb's retrospective view following our "lockdown life" in Newport, RI since March:

"Looking back, a visit to St. Maarten to cover the Heineken Regatta in early March now seems like a surreal experience in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are several things I have in common with our distinguished regular columnist, one Capt. Gary M. “Fatty” Goodlander. We’re both lifelong nautical scribes; have published thousands of magazine articles, and several marine books; and have a deep, abiding love for sailing. But, for the purposes of this little essay, I’ll point to one other experience Fatty and I have shared: We’ve both served as the press officer of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

There are a lot of fantastic perks to a career in sailing journalism— I’d venture to say that Fatty’s and my collective passport entries over the years are far more extensive and unusual than the average bear’s. But getting rich, alas, is most certainly not one of them. Which is why side gigs— such as books, freelance work, or working for regattas— are very welcome tasks indeed. And, that brings me to my most recent visit to St. Maarten, late this past winter, for the 40th edition of that crazy, wonderful event (it was actually my second swing to the island in recent months.)

Looking back, I think it’s safe to say that the Heineken Regatta— which drew sailors from Europe, Russia, the US, Australia, South Africa and many Caribbean islands, competing on nearly 150 yachts, and which took place from March 5th to 8th— was likely the last international sailing event to take place before the planet basically closed for business later that month due to the onset of the novel coronavirus. It’s hard to believe, just that short time ago, that few of us had any clue that before long we’d all be donning Jesse James-type bandannas for the ever-infrequent dashes to the supermarket.

Was it a surreal experience? In retrospect, indeed. But at the time, there was no real sense that we were all clueless spring breakers, or that we were pushing some irresponsible envelope to have a bit of fun at the world’s expense before it all went sideways. Who knew that all our lives would soon be governed by some bizarre concept known as “social distancing?” Life on the island, in the bars and restaurants— and yes, out on the racecourses— carried forth very much as usual. On the day that the regatta started, the first positive case of COVID-19 on the island was still nearly two weeks away. Of course, once that happened, St. Maarten quickly went on lockdown, and before the month was over, the international airport was basically closed to passengers. The wagons had been circled.

Meanwhile, in harbors and marinas the world over, the basic premise that governs the joy of owning and sailing a cruising boat— pure, unfettered freedom to go whenever and wherever we wish— had also come to a screeching halt. Plans were put on hold. With no real endgame in sight, there was no timetable to even plan when we could make a plan.

Full. Stop.

I wrapped up my duties on the last night of the regatta and was on a plane hours later, with a stop in Newark before my second flight back to New England. The usually busy airport was a ghost town. I washed my hands, had a beer, and washed my hands again. Then I flew home, suddenly aware of how things had already changed.

About a week later, I felt terrible. I’m generally a pretty healthy dude (touch wood), but I went down hard. There was no testing available in Rhode Island at that point, and I might never know for sure if I had the virus. After a long week, I got better, but at the time, I sure as hell knew I wasn’t in St. Maarten anymore, figuratively or literally.

I was sitting in my kitchen at some point during my illness, whatever the hell it was, listening to WMVY radio from Martha’s Vineyard, usually a bastion of good-time James Taylor tunes and the like. Over the years, the sunny station had provided the soundtrack on my boat for many a pleasant summer cruise. But, for the second or third time over the course of a few hours, they were spinning R.E.M.‘s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” And, I thought about who I’d hung out with in St. Maarten; and the bar I’d leaned on in Newark; and my poor daughter down the hall (whose highly anticipated senior year of college had just been zapped), who I might be infecting with my stuff.

And, I did not feel fine.

Of course, we’ve all got our stories about this mess...that’s mine. But I’ll conclude this little lament with a sunnier thought. Smooth sailing lies ahead. Stay safe, mates."  Thanks for this contribution from Cruising World- Herb McCormick

J/111 Stars in Espionage Thriller!

(Boston, MA)- It’s exceedingly rare for a self-published book by a new author to break into the top 20 on the Amazon “Most Sold” list. Christopher Rosow’s first book, "False Assurances", not only ascended to #6 on that list for the week ending May 17, it simultaneously hit #1 with a bullet on Apple Books…an occurrence only slightly more likely than seeing a mermaid. Today, it's #1 Amazon Kindle Best Seller, #1 Apple Books Best Seller, #1 Wall Street Journal Fiction Best Seller, #6 Amazon Combined Print/ E-Book Best Seller-- an amazing achievement.

In July 2017, a J/111 competing in the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is boarded by terrorists intent on smuggling weapons into the U.S. After escaping from his captors, the owner is rescued and subsequently calls the FBI Boston field office to report that his boat’s been hijacked. The call appears to be a hoax, and the local agents have already been assigned to a visit by the President that evening. Because Bureau procedures require a response to all threats, the task of investigating the call is given to an unlikely hero, FBI Information Management Specialist Ben Porter. With no training in field work, will Ben be able to uncover the deadly plot and prevent it from being carried out?

Christopher Rosow conceived this story while standing watch (perhaps not entirely diligently) on a J/111 during the 2017 Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race. According to Chris, "I was supposed to be on-watch, making the boat go fast, but instead I was goofing around with the boat’s AIS system in the navigation station, thinking, “what if…?”! LOL!

After the manuscript was rejected by a succession of publishers, he made the decision to self-publish and also write a sequel to False Assurances called Threat Bias. In just over a fortnight, 40,000 copies of the first two books in the Ben Porter Series were purchased and both have garnered 5-star ratings on Amazon.

Lauded as “thoroughly riveting” by best-selling author James Patterson (a man who knows a bit about “couldn’t-put-it-down” novels), False Assurances and Threat Bias are available in e-book or print format on Amazon, in e-book format on Apple Books, or in print format from your favorite independent bookseller via Ingram. This reviewer is predicting that these will be the best thrillers you’ll read this summer…and that heads will roll at more than a few publishing houses when the film rights to the Ben Porter Series are purchased by a Hollywood studio.

A life-long sailor known to his many friends as "Treef", Chris Rosow currently chairs the junior sailing program at Pequot Yacht Club in Southport, CT. He and his wife Meghan and children Connor, Keilan and Maggie live in Southport with a chocolate Lab and a Havanese (“The Odd Couple of dogs,” he jokes) and what he describes as “way too many boats.” Chris' brother David owns and sails the extremely successful J/109 LOKI and, along with their Dad (David Sr), they have been long-time active sailing members of New York Yacht Club.

JAMES PATTERSON applauds "a thoroughly riveting two-novel debut that introduces a compelling new hero.”

In CONNECTICUT MAGAZINE, Sean Chaffin writes, “What sets the novels apart from other suspense thrillers? Protagonist Ben Porter, who works for the FBI, is the anti-James Bond. A bit overweight and short, he’s more George Costanza than Jack Ryan.”

Editor-in-chief of WINDCHECK magazine Chris Szepessy predicts “that these will be the best thrillers you’ll read this summer.”  Buy on Amazon here.   Buy on Apple Books here.   Thanks to Chris for this contribution. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St Maarten Heineken Regatta Report

 
(Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten)- Over 100 yachts from thirty-five countries are competing in the 40th St Maarten Heineken Regatta. A key event on the Caribbean race schedule, the regatta attracts some of the world’s elite sailors and crews, with fast and furious racing in monohulls, maxis and multihulls.

Crystal clear waters and east-northeast trade winds give the pristine conditions for spectacular racing just off the coast of St. Maarten. And with Heineken as title sponsor, the racing days blend seamlessly into four nights of exceptional parties. The event is a bucket list must-do! The "Serious Fun" goes for four days from March 4th to the 8th.

The regatta started on Thursday and the PRO's managed to get in two long races for the fleet. The ENE trades settled in around 10-20 kts on a simply spectacular day of sailing, sunny, warm, with puffy white tropical clouds scudding across the sky. The J/Teams all sailed Course #13 of 17.5 nm, basically a 1.5nm beat, then a tour around the west/ southwest point of the island.


In the CSA 3 Class, Sam Talbot's J/111 SPIKE sailed two excellent races and posted a 1-2 for 3 pts to lead their class. Tied for second is Pamela Baldwin's J/122 LIQUID with a 2-3 tally for 5 pts. Then, Peter Lewis' J/121 WHISTLER posted a 5-6 for 11 pts to be tied for fifth. Over the next three days, the top of the leaderboard will surely change quite dramatically each day!


The CSA 4 Class has commenced with an epic battle for the top of the leaderboard. Just two point off the leaders that are both tied with 4 pts each are Jordan Mindich's J/105 SOLSTICE and Tristan Marmousez's J/109 SANG NEUG, each with identical 2-4 records.

Finally, in CSA 5 Class, Tanner Jones' J/30 has a 1.5-2 for 3.5 pts total to sit in second place.  For more St Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St Maarten Heineken Regatta Preview

(Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten)- Over 100 yachts from thirty-five countries will compete in the 40th Heineken St Maarten Regatta. A key event on the Caribbean race schedule, the regatta attracts some of the world’s elite sailors and crews, with fast and furious racing in monohulls, maxis and multihulls.

Crystal clear waters and east-northeast trade winds give the pristine conditions for spectacular racing just off the coast of St. Maarten. And with Heineken as title sponsor, the racing days blend seamlessly into four nights of exceptional parties. The event is a bucket list must-do! The "Serious Fun" goes for four days from March 4th to the 8th.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is famous for both its parties and racing. Over four nights, some of the world’s top artists take to the stage and ensure that each day of racing starts as well as it ends with the festivities continuing long into the night.

Looking forward to enjoying all the Serious Fun are a several J/Crews from the USA, Canada, Caribbean, and Europe.  In the CSA 4 Racing class are four J/crews. Having just won Grenada Sailing Week, Pamala Baldwin’s LIQUID (including her international crew of Julian White, Matt Kasorzycki, and Sil Grijpma) from Jolly Harbour, Antigua will be looking forward to another run at the top of the podium with her talented team.  Joining them in class are Peter Lewis' debut of his new J/121 WHISTLER from St. James, Barbados. Additional teams include Sam Talbot's J/111 SPIKE from Centerport, NY and the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, and Andrew Guhl's Charleston, SC team on the J/120 JAGUAR.

The CSA 5 Racing class has a fleet of 35 footers that will push each other hard and such tight racing keeps the scores very close.  The two J/105s include SOLSTICE (Jordan Mindich from Long Island, New York) and JENK (Remco van Dortmondt from Curacao). Joining them this year will be Tristan Marmousez's J/109 SANG NEUF from Saint Lucia, Martinique; Roland Wagner's J/35 PEGASUS from Hergiswill, Switzerland; and Garth Steyn's J/70 FRANNY from the hometown of Simpson Bay, Phillipsburg, St Maarten.

Finally, the CSA 6 Cruising class has two quite competitive J/Crews; Tanner Jones' famous J/30 BLUE PETER / ABSOLUTE PROPERTIES from Jolly Harbour, Antigua and Ryan Schenck's J/42 SHAZAAM from Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida.  For more St Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Another J/Family Performs in St Maarten Heineken- “The Jacksons”!

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)– The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is famous for world-class racing and attracting some of the world’s top musical acts for their legendary parties. This year is no different. Another famous “J/Family” will be present- Motown royalty, no less! “The Jacksons” (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon), will perform on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 at the final Awards Ceremony!

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Production Director, John Leone, comments, “Along with an action-packed race schedule this year, we are ecstatic to announce The Jacksons will headline our final party on Sunday March 3rd, 2019. They need no introduction. We are 100% certain their iconic through-the-decades beloved music will inspire all regatta competitors and party revelers. The Jacksons, will take us on an unforgettable journey through their historic lives and influential musical careers. Hearing this band on this beautiful Caribbean island will be Legendary!”

The Jacksons made history in 1970 as the first recording act whose first four singles reached number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, they celebrated 50 years as one of the most successful groups in music history. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, five brothers from Gary, Indiana, began as the Jackson 5 and later The Jacksons, and rose to fame for their combination of extraordinary musical talent and spectacular choreography.

First signed to Steeltown Records in 1967, The Jacksons found international success with the songs: "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There". Five albums later, the brothers went on The Victory Tour in 1984, and it became the highest-grossing concert series ever staged in the United States. The group, already inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, came to serve as inspiration for several generations of boy bands, including Backstreet Boys, New Edition, N*SYNC, News Kids on the Block, and today, the Jonas Brothers, One Direction, and many more.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is now in its 39th year, and now sports a brand new 2-handed racing class. The sailing and parties take place over four days, from February 28th to March 3rd, 2019. Four days of World-Class racing mixing perfectly with the awesome Heineken parties, electrifying the island well into the night. The entire event is located at the St. Maarten’s Heineken Regatta Village at the Port de Plaisance Resort, Casino and Yacht Club. Get ready for some Legendary “Serious Fun”!

To date, there are nine members of the J/Family participating, with more rumored to be hopping aboard the bandwagon of “serious fun” soon!  Here are the J/Teams currently registered:

• Emilio Torres-Requena’s J/130 MAZU from Puerto Rico
• Roger Gatewood’s J/145 KATARA from the USA
• Bob Hillier’s J/122 OCASO from the USA
• Pamala Baldwin’s J/122 LIQUID from Antigua
• Kathy Campbell’s J/120 JAGUAR
• Remco van Dortmondt’s J/105 SUNBELT REALTY JENK from Curacao
• Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados
• Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE from USA
• Tanner & Shari’s J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE

Follow the action on social media links here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/StMaartenHeinekenRegatta
Twitter – www.twitter.com/sxmheineken
Instagram – www.instagram.com/stmaartenheinekenregatta
YouTube - www.youtube.com/heinekenregatta

Sailing photo credit- Laurens Morel.  For more St. Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122 EL OCASO Charter- Caribbean Regatta Circuit!

(English Harbour, Antigua)- Interested in taking your team to race a Caribbean Regatta in 2019?  Caribbean Yacht Racing can help you make it happen...just arrive and race!

CYR has the J/122 EL OCASO available for the following 2019 Caribbean Regattas:

• Feb 18- RORC Caribbean 600- English Harbour, Antigua
• Feb 28- Mar 3- Heineken St. Maarten Regatta- Simpson Bay, St. Maarten
• Mar 22-24- St. Thomas International Regatta- Cowpet Bay, St Thomas, USVI
• Mar 25-31- BVI Spring Regatta- Road Harbour, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
• Apr 14-20- Les Voiles de St Barths Regatta- Gustavia Harbour, St Barthelemy
• Apr 27-May 3- Antigua Sailing Week- English Harbour, Antigua

Caribbean Yacht Racing offers a complete charter package, simply arrive to the location with your team and the highly competitive J/122 “El Ocaso” will be ready to race.  CYR can also assistant with team logistics, including lodging.

If you are interested, please contact Bob Hillier- bob@caribbeanyachtracing.com- for complete charter details or visit http://www.caribbeanyachtracing.com Add to Flipboard Magazine.

New J/121 Offshore Speedster Update

APOLLO Crushes Heineken St Maarten Long Distance Race
(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)- During the Heineken St Maarten Regatta, a newly launched J/121 named APOLLO created quite a stir amongst the offshore cognoscenti that were present in the 100-boat fleet.

The occasion was the traditional opening day race- the Round the Island Race.  Normally a 30.0nm picturesque circumnavigation of St Maarten, the course was changed for CHS Offshore classes due to lighter than normal winds in the 8-13 kts range from the East-Southeast.  The shortened course was approximately 23.6nm, starting in Simpson Bay heading west for 4.5nm under spinnaker to Point Basse Terre leaving it to starboard, a short reach north for 1.3nm around Point Plum, then a long 6.5nm beat up the Anguilla Channel to a turning mark off Bell Point leaving it to port, then a spinnaker run of 6.5nm back to Point Plum to port, around Pt Basse Terre for 1.3nm, then a 4.5nm beat to the infamous “Heineken Gate” and finish line in Simpson Bay.

It was a race course where no one could “hide”, you simply sailed it fast, clean, make smart sail choices, and have good boathandling.  Not much to pick for windshifts upwind or downwind, just sail fast and have fun.

That is precisely what Don Nicholson’s crew did aboard his J/121 APOLLO. They sailed away from their CHS 3 fleet that had the fastest, winningest J/122 in the Caribbean- EL OCASO- and the proven, winning offshore speedster- the J/111 SPIKE from the British Virgin Islands.  In other words, in a gold-plater division full of the best crews in the Caribbean, the J/121 sped away like a horse running for the roses and the barn door!

Leading at the first mark by well over 2 minutes, APOLLO powered away upwind to open up a substantial lead.  At the top turning mark, they gybe set their large A2 asymmetric spinnaker, and flew downwind.  By the time she crossed the finish line in 2 hrs 50 min 28 secs elapsed time (an 8.34 kts course average), they beat the 2nd place J/122 EL OCASO by 16 min 23 secs across the water and 9 min 11 secs on corrected time.  Needless to say, Nicholson and his crew were overjoyed to have proven in a simple point-to-point race that the J/121 lived up to its billing as an easy-to-sail, fast, shorthanded boat for six crew.

Nicholson commented on their performance with his new J/121 APOLLO after the regatta:

“I’m extremely pleased with our first regatta in APOLLO (J/121 hull #2).  We placed 3rd in CSA 3 Class of both the Gill Commodore's Cup and the Heineken Regatta in diverse and challenging conditions against a fleet of extremely well-sailed boats.

Being scratch boat in the class and crossing the line first in most races was a thrill.  The J/121 handles extremely well, with dinghy-like responsiveness and quick acceleration.  She pointed higher to weather than I expected and we routinely found ourselves both higher and faster than the other boats in the fleet, giving us many tactical opportunities, especially in close quarters at the start.

Downwind she was delightfully fast and competently handled all the sail area we put up.

My crew was awesome and the J/121 provided them a great opportunity to experiment with trim, weight distribution and boat handling so that we got up the learning curve quickly.

Our next regatta will be the St Thomas International Regatta in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the adjacent British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta, where we hope to hone our skills and push the boat to its full potential.

After that, Apollo will return to her homeport of Newport, RI in preparation for the Newport-Bermuda race.  I’m a big fan of the J/121 already and it’s great to be able to reduce our crew numbers and simplify the logistics of the Apollo program.”  Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel. For more J/121 Offshore Speedster sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St Maarten Heinken Regatta Rebuilds Island!

(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)- As the Caribbean Rebuilds, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Helps Re-open Tourism Caribbean winters are famous for their regattas. Sailors from all over the world come to soak up the sun, feel the trade winds in their sails and, admittedly, do a bit of partying. It has been like this for fifty years. One of the biggest on the Caribbean calendar is the Heineken Regatta, hosted on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. Last week was the 38th gathering, and the first one after Irma, a mammoth epochal hurricane, with 200 mile-an-hour winds, erased or damaged most of the island’s buildings, making this year’s regatta a profoundly different experience, and causing the community to refocus the event.

The airport is the first clue something is wrong…there is no airport. The terminal is a gutted shell, replaced by a makeshift tent. Immigration and customs are “al fresco.”

But continuing to hold the Regatta this year was, according to St. Maarten’s director of tourism Rolando Brison, “absolutely crucial.” The tourism dollars it brought were essential, but also, he knew it served as an important announcement to the world. “From an image perspective, not holding the regatta would have solidified the belief that St. Maarten is fatally damaged.”

Paul Miller, who organized the event, wasn’t about to let that happen. “The day after the hurricane, calls came from all over the world asking what they could do.” He told them: “Come sail the regatta with us. Make it happen as it always has.”

With 100 boats and sailors from 25 countries, it looks like Paul’s request was followed. This, despite the destruction of 80 percent of the bareboat fleet by Irma.

The first day of sailing was the Gill Commodore’s Cup, a non-scored event. The round-the-buoys race starts just off Simpson Bay sailing east to Point Blanche. The warm winds were in the 10-13kt range, the water deep blue, and the sky as well. St. Maarten sparkled. When such considerable challenges had been presented for this regatta—but with the payoff firmly in sight—the sense of excitement was palpable as these boats kicked off the event.

Day 2 marked the official start of the regatta with a round-the-island race. The forecast was for light winds (12kts) decreasing as the day went on. Fortunately, the breeze refused to die. The fleet was sent clockwise. The first leg to Pt. Canonier was downwind so up went the kites. From the deck of the J/105 Solstice, looking astern were scores of multi-colored spinnakers. The sailors had delivered a counterpunch to Irma.

Days 3 and 4 returned to round-the-buoys races. Friday’s winds were unusually light for the Caribbean, but the PRO got the races in. The final day there was a strong, but unusual, west wind. The fleet sailed the races they wanted in this brisk breeze.

The Heineken saw the debut of the hottest one-design racing boat in America, the brand spanking new J/121 APOLLO sailed by Don Nicholson. They took third in the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) Division 3 contest. Look for more and more wins from this innovative design from J/Boats.

Partying is an important part of every regatta, but this year the organizer’s made sure to keep it all in perspective. Sailors and locals danced to some of the Caribbean’s top acts— Orange Grove, Destra, Onion and the Emmy-award winning "Shaggy"— all musicians donated their time and fees to charitable organizations helping those without homes or work.

The realities of hurricane Irma’s impact have been devastating. Homes are gone and businesses have been destroyed. The wreckage is still keenly visible. Estimates of a total recovery put it anywhere from a few years to a decade away. That, and another upcoming hurricane season, is one everyone’s minds.

But, recovery means rebuilding the social fabric alongside the physical infrastructure. Sailing is part of both. New boats and dockages are being purchased and upgraded. Islanders depend on The Heineken Regatta for income, jobs and future connections.

Professional Race Organizer Paul Miller, who lives on the island, said it best. “With the support of the sailing community the recovery will be faster. Come sail with us.” Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel.   Thanks for contribution from Jonathan Russo at The Observer. Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Gorgeous, Chill Heineken St. Maarten Regatta

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)- The 38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta wrapped up on Sunday, March 4 with hundreds of sailors gathering at the event’s “Regatta Village” at Princess Port de Plaisance in St. Maarten to celebrate victors in the event’s 16 classes.

Ever since Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean island of St. Maarten this past September, the support from the yachting community has poured in, and the regatta welcomed an international fleet of 100 boats for spectacular racing on the crystal-clear waters of the Northeast Caribbean Sea. With another epic event in the history books, organizers announced that the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s 39th edition has been scheduled for February 28 – March 3, 2019.

The turnout of teams was impressive. They represented 25+ countries and participated in four days of stellar competition. Every day, racing concluded off Simpson Bay and boats were greeted with cheers and champagne spray from fans at the St. Maarten Yacht Club as they paraded to Simpson Bay Lagoon by way of the famed Simpson Bay Bridge opening. From there, the sailors headed shoreside to top off their “Serious Racing” with some "Serious Fun” that included a series of concerts and performances culminating on Sunday with a performance by Grammy Award winning musician Shaggy.

The battle began for the four-day Heineken St. Maarten Regatta on Thursday, March 1, 2018 with the Gill Commodore’s Cup. Set in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, powered by the cooling northeast trade winds and run by an experienced, friendly race team, the sailors were hoping for four days of world-class racing in idyllic conditions. However, that was not going to be the case for the 2018 edition, as light airs uncharacteristically plagued the race courses for three days before a highly unusual westerly settled in at 12-18 kts for the finale on Sunday.

J/111 Wins Gill Commodore’s Cup
In the light, but consistent easterly breeze, all fleets sailed series of stadium-style racing off Simpson Bay, competing in short around the buoy courses. Taking home the event’s coveted “Most Worthy Yacht” trophy was Sam Talbot and his team racing the J/111 SPIKE, which finished the three races in fiercely competitive CSA 3 Class with straight bullets.

“We were up against a lot of very competitive boats that are well known on the Caribbean circuit, so we were excited with this outcome,” said Talbot whose team – of U.S. and BVI sailors – is probably one of the younger ones competing, with the average age onboard being 30.  “This is my second time racing in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and we are so happy to see such an incredible turnout of competition. We owe today’s win to some great crew work onboard, and will have to stay on our ‘A Game’ for the remaining three days, as we now have a target on our back with the competition.”  Rounding out the top four in CSA 3 Class were the new J/121 APOLLO (Don Nicholson) in third place and the J/121 EL OCASO (Chris Body from the United Kingdom) in fourth place.

Heineken- Day One
It was a fun but challenging day of racing for the 100-boat fleet at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The light breeze and tricky conditions resulted in only the larger boats completing the regatta’s famed 26-mile around the island race, while the remaining classes completed a shorter coastal race.

The CSA fleets took off on a 15.0nm course, on the western coast of the island, starting and finishing off Simpson Bay with turning marks north of the island in the Anguilla Channel.

“It was really nice going downwind at the start and then around the western side of the island, but on the way back toward the finish, the conditions were a little chaotic,” said tactician Colin Symes, whose team on Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER took the win in CSA 4 Class. He added that many boats got parked with no wind off Baie Longue. “We were lucky and managed to sniff out the wind and stay in it. The whole team was better today and we hope to take that momentum through to the next few days.”  Fourth in CSA 4 Class was the J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE and 5th was Jordan & Shannon Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE.

In the CSA 3 Class, it was a runaway win for Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO, finishing fifteen minutes ahead of the next boat on elapsed time.  They not only won class on corrected time by nearly 9 minutes, but also earned the overall win over all CSA classes. Taking second was Body’s J/122 EL OCASO and third was Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE- a clean sweep for the day by J/Teams.

Day Two- Light & Squirrely
It was game on for competitors on Saturday, with many class leaders holding onto their positions by just a thread. Punctuated with abnormally light breeze from due south, the 100-boat fleet took to the water for shorter buoy-to-buoy racing off Simpson Bay. All CSA Classes were able to get two races off while the rest of the fleet finished with one.

In the event’s highly competitive CSA 3 fleet, Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO was holding onto a two-point lead. “This class is very well sailed with really high quality crew onboard,” said Nicholson who finished the first race of the day in fourth, but came back in race two, to take the bullet. “There was definitely an absence of wind today. We’ve never sailed this boat in light air, so we weren’t quite sure of settings and sail choices. We were underpowered with the kite we used in the first race, but for the second race we made some adjustments to the boat and that got us moving.”  Posting a 2-4 and holding on to third place was Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE.

In the CSA 4 class, the best J/crew was Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE, posting a 4.5-3 to jump into third position with the J/105 WHISTLER in fourth place.

Day Three- Gorgeous Finale
A gorgeous westerly breeze of 12-18 kts made for a spectacular grand finale of racing, and with lead positions still up for grabs in several classes, many teams were eager to make their final claims on class victories.

Chris Body’s J/122 EL OCASO sailed a brilliant final day, posting a 1-1-4 to take their very competitive class by three pts.  “We had a really tough class, so for us to be on top today means a lot,” said Bob Hillier who raced onboard with owner Chris Body. “There was no one dominant boat in the fleet, and taking the overall win came down to the last race.”  Taking third in class was Nicholson’s J/121 APOLLO with 15 pts net.  Then, not able to maintain their momentum from the Gill Commodore’s Cup, Talbots’ youthful team on the J/111 SPIKE took fourth place with 15 pts net, losing the tie-breaker to APOLLO.

Nicholson commented on their performance with his new J/121 APOLLO after the regatta:

“I’m extremely pleased with our first regatta in Apollo (J121 hull#2).  We placed 3rd in CSA class 3 of both the Gill Commodore's Cup and the Heineken Regatta in diverse and challenging conditions against a fleet of extremely well-sailed boats.  Being scratch boat in the class and crossing the line first in most races was a thrill.  The J/121 handles extremely well, with dinghy-like responsiveness and quick acceleration.  She pointed higher to weather than I expected and we routinely found ourselves both higher and faster than the other boats in the fleet, giving us many tactical opportunities, especially in close quarters at the start.  Downwind she was delightfully fast and competently handled all the sail area we put up.  My crew was awesome and the J/121 provided them a great opportunity to experiment with trim, weight distribution and boat handling so that we got up the learning curve quickly.  Our next regatta will be the St Thomas International Regatta in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the adjacent British Virgin Islands Spring Regatta, where we hope to hone our skills and push the boat to its full potential.  After that, Apollo will return to her homeport of Newport, RI in preparation for the Newport-Bermuda race.  I’m a big fan of the J/121 already and it’s great to be able to reduce our crew numbers and simplify the logistics of the Apollo program.”

The CSA 4 racing class was able to sail four quick races- all windward-leewards with a finish leg that consisted of sailing through the “Heineken Gate” to the finish near the harbor mouth.  With a course setup just off the Simpson Bay point, the winds were blowing offshore and were quite shifty.  After missing the first race of the day and scoring a DNS, Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE nearly ran the table, posting a 1-1-2 to win the day on points and also leap onto the podium, taking the silver with 16.5 pts net.  Just behind them was Lewis’ Barbados team on the J/105 WHISTLER, posting a steady 5-4-2-3 to take third with 19 pts net. Fourth place went to the Antiguan J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE with 21 pts net.  Sailing photo credits- Laurens Morel  For more Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Update

(Simpson Bay, St Maarten)– In the countdown to the 38th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, anticipation is building with a number of world-class maxi, multihull and monohull teams having signed up early to race. Scheduled for March 1-4, 2018 and staged out of the St. Maarten Yacht Club in Simpson Bay, the regatta is a staple on the Caribbean racing calendar each year, attracting seasoned sailors from around the world with its perfect blend of top-tier racing and lively shore side entertainment.

“The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is a big destination regatta for racers from the USA,” said Jordan Mindich (Huntington, N.Y.) who will be returning with his J/105 SOLSTICE. “Up on Long Island Sound, we generally race one-design, but down in the Caribbean we always race under CSA handicap, which we find to be competitive and very even. That, coupled with consistent breeze and great weather, makes for a great time!”

David Pritchard (Atlanta, Ga.), current President of Gill North America and longtime Heineken Regatta competitor and supporter, has raced in St. Martin post-Hurricane Irma and looks forward to returning again in March.

“The thing that St. Martin offers most is great sailing,” said Pritchard. “The wind is still there, the island is still there, the ocean is still there, and that’s what the regatta is all about. A lot has happened since Hurricane Irma, and the island is coming back. In three more months when the Heineken Regatta comes around, there will be even more recovery. The sailing will always be great, and the parties have always been beyond anything you ever see at any other regatta.”

Regatta Format
The four-day event kicks off on Thursday, March 1, 2018 with the Gill Commodore’s Cup. The optional event is separately scored and followed by an evening prize giving where winners are awarded Gill gear. On Friday, the fleet embarks on the event’s 26 nautical mile Around the Island Race before taking on a series of windward leeward races on Saturday and a single coastal race on Sunday. Each day of racing is rounded out with serious shore-side entertainment, including concerts and parties.

For free concierge service, please contact- regatta@heinekenregatta.com or phone# +1 721 544 2079.  You can register here- http://regattaguru.com/heineken/100237   For more St Maarten Heineken Regatta sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/Teams Dominate Heineken St Maarten!

J/122, J/109, J/105, J/39, J/30, J/88 Collect Silver Everywhere!
(Phillipsburg, St Maarten)- The Sint Maarten Yacht Club was a beehive of activity as competitors arrived for the 37th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The racing action kicked off on March 2nd with the Gill Commodore’s Cup, a one-day windward leeward racing event, allowing sailors to practice and perfect their racing without influencing the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which runs March 3-5.

The 2017 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta once again featured the largest collection of yachts racing at a Caribbean regatta since the 2016 edition. J/crews sailed in the various CSA Racing classes. The weather forecast for the start of the regatta was described as “fresh to frightening.”  With strong easterly trade winds all weekend long, the powerful and easy-to-manage J/Boats certainly reveled in the conditions.

GILL COMMODORE’s CUP
Here is how it was all initially setup for the GILL COMMODORE’s CUP Regatta.  The CSA 3 contained seven well-matched yachts, with many teams highly experienced at the regatta. Nevertheless, the standout team to match was the 2016 Most Worthy Performer, the American J/122 EL OCASO.

In CSA 4 Class, Sir Robbie Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 OSSENFEFFER from St. Maarten was looking forward to a battle with childhood friends from the island.

Then, CSA 5 Class, it looked to be a fantastic battle with well sailed boats right through the class. From St. Barths were two equally-matched J/109s- Dave Cullen’s POCKET ROCKET and Sophie Olivaud’s all-girls team on ALBACOR IV.  And, Peter Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER from Barbados would undoubtedly cause the J/109s much consternation.

As it turns out, it was far more competitive than anyone had bargained for! Pewter skies and a viscous rain squall preceded the start of racing; 20 knots of solid trade winds, with bullets of 25-30 kts of pressure firing up the wind speed!  It was an exciting day of racing for a record fleet of 89 yachts. The feisty weather soon improved, to provide glorious sunshine and a brisk 15-20 knots later in the day.

David Pritchard, President of Gill North America, was racing on Robbie Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 OSSENFEFFER in CSA 4, placing second in both races to take the silver.

After racing Pritchard, was enjoying a cold Heineken in the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. “I really enjoy coming here, I’m especially enjoying the sailing and having been involved for so many years, I have made so many good friends here,” commented David. “I love working with Heineken, John Leone and his team are always pushing to do better. You just have to take a look at the regatta village and the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ (the regatta stage on Kim Sha Beach), and you realize the energy and effort that goes into this regatta. From a business perspective, the sailors here are our customers, this is where they hang out, and they are associating Gill with having a good time. We are also spot-lighting our new Gill Race Series range, and at the awards tonight winners will get these brand new high performance Gill products.”

CSA 3 proved highly competitive with three teams claiming race wins. Pamala Baldwin’s Antigua J/122 LIQUID was 53 seconds ahead in Race 2, with Bob Hillier’s American J/122 EL OCASO tying for second place with Team Boston. In the last race of the day, EL OCASO corrected out to claim the bullet by 17 seconds.  LIQUID won the class by just half a point from Team Boston, with EL OCASO third.

CSA 5 produced another cracking battle between two equally matched J/105s- Peter Lewis’ WHISTLER and Jordan Mindich’s SOLSTICE crew from America. Tied on points after three races, WHISTLER won the last race to snatch the class win on countback. Rob Butler’s Canadian J/88 TOUCH2PLAY RACING took third.

After a spectacular day on the water at the Gill Commodore’s Cup, the Prize Giving was held at the Princess Pavilion, Port de Plaisance. With over a thousand competitors taking part in the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and many more joining in the fun at the “Green Sensation Party,” the venue was soon jumping to the rhythm of four of the island’s top DJs!!

HEINEKEN REGATTA
On the first day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, 164 yachts experienced strong trade winds and four metre seas on the windward side of the island. The Round St. Maarten Race produced a new record, a full on foam up, and sailors grinning like Cheshire cats at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.

With an enormous fleet of yachts taking part in the Round St. Maarten Race, and the breeze pumping up to over 20 knots, safety was of paramount concern. Race Director, Paul Miller meticulously analyzed the various speeds of the classes to avoid over-crowding on the course at crucial areas. The math worked out with the fleet evenly spread out around the race course, but less than an hour separated the first and last finishers.  However, mistakes were made by some that resulted in collisions and have a material outcome for CSA 5 class.

In CSA 3 Class, Mitch Padnos (a J/122 owner in Macatawa Bay, MI) chartered the J/122 EL OCASO and crossed the line just five seconds ahead to win the class on corrected time. Sam Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE was second after time correction. The 15-strong class of evenly matched race boats produced the most competitive start of the Round St. Maarten Race. In CSA 4 class, Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 was third.

The biggest drama of the day took place in CSA 5 class. After leading their fleet by a significant margin, and easily winning on time, Jordan Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE got t-boned by a massive 40 catamaran that was on port tack.  No amount of maneuvering by SOLSTICE could get them away from the fast approaching catamaran.  As a result, they had to drop out of the race to execute some quick repairs; thankfully, no one was hurt.  In the meantime, sistership J/105 WHISTLER, skippered by Peter Lewis followed up on their narrow win in the Gill Commodore’s Cup with another close encounter in Round St. Maarten Race with one of St. Barth’s most famous sailing families.  WHISTLER took the win on corrected time by just 29 seconds.  Then, in CSA 6 Class, Tanner & Shari Jones’ J/30 Caribbean Alliance Insurance, completed an all-Antiguan podium by taking third.

Day 2
On the second day, the competitors enjoyed truly gorgeous conditions. Bright sunshine and 15-20 knots of trade winds with a relatively flat sea state. The CSA Classes raced outside Marigot Bay with the wind funneling down the mountainous shoreline, a perfect windward leeward course was set for some epic racing in turquoise blue water. The remainder of the fleet enjoyed a superb playground, flat water, and a tactical race course, taking in the lifts and accelerating zones of the bays along the south coast.

The battles continued in CSA 3 class.  The J/22 EL OCASO continued their winning ways in a highly competitive class posting two bullets. However, the team faltered on the last race of the day, scoring a fourth. EL OCASO still led the class, but Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE was just a point adrift in second.

Mitch Padnos, who owns a J/122 in Michigan, decided to charter EL OCASO and bring his race crew to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta for the second time. “EL OCASO is virtually a sister ship to my boat in Michigan, so it was a no brainer as it has been so easy to organize, bringing the crew here to come and enjoy the regatta, especially as it is no more than 32 deg back home right now. The regatta is very user-friendly, between the marinas and the race committee. We are getting ready to sail back home on Lake Michigan, so having a blast here is great preparation for that, we are ready to go,” commented Padnos.

Meanwhile, in CSA 4 Class, Sir Robbie Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 put in a great shift today, scoring a 1-1-3, elevating the team to the top of the class.

The titanic battle of the 35-footers in CSA 5 class continued. The J/105 WHISTLER scored a 1-2-6 to hold a slender lead over Dave Cullen’s J/109 POCKET ROCKET. Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY RACING was in third just a point ahead of Mindich’s J/105 SOLSTICE.  Then, in CSA 6 class, two bullets and a second lifted Tanner and Shari Jones’ J/30 Caribbean Alliance Insurance, into second.

The stage at Kim Sha Beach sprouted into life during the evening with top acts entertaining thousands of revelers at one of the biggest Saturday nights in the island’s calendar. One of the Caribbean’s best-known bands, Asher Otto & Itchy Feet performed and, as the main attraction, Collie Buddz from Bermuda hit the stage.  An awesome evening of reggae jazz-fusion!

Day 3
For the last day of racing, Mother Nature smiled on the race course with exhilarating conditions to test the competitors. One race was completed by all classes.  For CSA 3 class, that meant the J/122 EL OCASO secured their position as the winningest boat ever in class, winning the last race by just 43 seconds to clinch the class win for the regatta. Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE, was second in the race and for the regatta.  In CSA 4 class, Ferron’s J/39 MICRON 99 lost the regatta on a tie-breaker and had to settle for the silver!

“Till death do us part,” might have been the motto for CSA 5 class. And, yet another collision! So close was the racing in this class that no one was sure who won until they all hit the dock and had enjoyed a few “greenies” and resolved a few “course navigation protests” that saw the two J/105s tossed out of the final race!  In the end, Cullen’s J/109 POCKET ROCKET was 6th on the day, but that was enough to secure the class win with Lewis’ J/105 WHISTLER disqualified. Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY won the race to move up to second overall with WHISTLER in third for the regatta.  The truly “hard luck trophy” must go out to Mindich’s crew on the J/105 SOLSTICE; having been hit in race 1 while winning the race, then getting tossed in the last race while getting 2nd on corrected (note- the issue was a NOR/SI’s issue regards navigational aids).

The Irish ex-pat Dave Cullen is a real fighter, and despite a damaged boat, the team finished the last race, to win the class, against all the odds.  “I have never won a regatta with such terrible results, a 6th and 8th, and we still won! We got holed by a boat in another class in the last race. We decided the best thing to do was to race on!,” commented Cullen.

Meanwhile, no one was surprised to see that, yet again, Tanner & Shari Jones J/30 Caribbean Alliance Insurance win the CSA 6 class by a single point!!  Time for celebration!

On Sunday, March 5th, over 3,000 people gathered on Kim Sha beach for the Prize Giving and a dance-the-night-away party with the chart topping British reggae band- UB40- and R&B diva- Mya- performing live, closing the regatta for another year!  Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright/ photoaction.com.  For more Heineken St Maarten Regatta information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

St Maarten Heineken Regatta Preview

(Phillipsburg, St Maarten)- The first of the signature Caribbean winter regattas will be taking place from March 2nd to 5th off the port of Phillipsburg, St Maarten in the Dutch Antilles.  Over 100 yachts will be competing in the CSA rating classes; J/Teams are experiencing a significant uptick in participation in four CSA classes.  It is not altogether surprising that attendance is up across the board as the regatta organizers have done an amazing job to ensure that on-water sailing is a challenge for all and, just as importantly, the onshore social festivities are simply off-the-charts!  Many of the Caribbean’s top musicians are featured in evening concerts sponsored by HEINEKEN.

You have to look no further than the line-up of top J/Teams in CSA 2 Racing class to find the crème-de-la-crème in the Caribbean circuit.  With two J/122s, J/120s and a top J/111, the racing will be fast & furious amongst these alpha dogs on the random course circuits offshore.  Coming back to hopefully defend a class win in previous years is the J/122 EL OCASO, this time skippered by Bob Hillier and friends from the USA.  Their stablemate, the J/122 LIQUID will feature her owner/skipper Pamala Baldwin from Antigua YC.  Amongst the J/120s, local Ben Jelic will be guiding JAGUAR around the track in hopes of maintaining pace with the J/122s.  Performance Yacht Racing UK has chartered the J/120 SUNSET with a mixed team from the United Kingdom.  Finally, the potential giant-killer in the class is one of the smaller boats, Sam Talbot’s J/111 SPIKE- a team with J/111 Worlds experience and a team that has learned how to sail their boat much faster.

While the competition amongst the J/crews in CSA 2 Racing class will be ferocious, it looks like Robbie Ferron’s beautifully restored J/39 MICRON will have CSA 4 Racing class all to themselves to fight for J/Boat honors!

Like their colleagues in CSA 2 Racing, the CSA 5 Racing Class looks to be loaded with talent.  Six J/crews will be charging the starting line and mark roundings hard to maintain a fine edge over their friendly foes.  At the top of the class are two J/109s from the island of St Barths, including David Cullen’s POCKET ROCKET and Sophie Olivaud’s ALBACOR IV.  Chasing them hard will be three J/105s, all sailed by top-notch crews from the Americas and the Caribbean.  It’s a formidable cast in the 105s alone; all of them have won something in either J/105 one-design class racing or offshore!  That ensemble includes VUJA DE (Remoc Van Dortmondt from Curacao), WHISTLER (Peter Lewis from Georgetown, Barbados), and SOLSTICE (Jordan Mindich from Long Island Sound, New York).  The real sleeper in this class will be Rob Butler’s J/88 TOUCH2PLAY RACING from Ontario, Canada (they are a top 3 team on the J/88 national one-design racing circuit).

Finally, in CSA 6 Racing Class, one of the Caribbean’s most famous 30-footers has to be the Antiguan crew on the J/30 BLUE PETER/ CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE- she will be skippered Shari & Tanner.  Over time, this J/30 has won or placed in her class over a dozen times in events like Antigua Sailing Week and Heineken St Maarten!  For more Heineken St Maarten Regatta information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

J/122 EL OCASO Dominates Heineken Regatta!

(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten) – For the last day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, Caribbean sunshine and 12 knots of warm south-easterly breeze, greeted the 193 teams taking part in the 36th edition of the regatta. Just one nerve-jangling race was scheduled with all competitors enjoying spectacular conditions on the leeward coast of St. Maarten. With no discard, every class was hanging in the balance and Super Sunday produced some of the closest racing in the long history of the regatta.

The headliner performance of the event was none other than past Caribbean Winter Circuit Champion, Rick Wesslund’s J/122 EL OCASO.  The Florida based team came storming back to win the last race and take the class.  Their fellow J/122 team on LIQUID skippered by Pamala Baldwin from Antigua took 8th in class.  Behind them was the J/120 PAULISTA skippered by Phillipe Champion in 9th position. Another J/120 SUNSET CHILD was 10th and yet another J/120 custom called JAGUAR took 11th.

Another close regatta took place in the CSA 4 class.  Jonathan Lipuscek’s Puerto Rican team on the J/105 DARK STAR narrowly missed winning class, taking second by one second overall.  Third was Jordan Mindich’s crew from Long Island Sound on the J/105 SOLSTICE.  Amazingly, with one race left the J/105s were 1st and 2nd with SOLSTICE in 1st with a 2-3-2 and DARK STAR in second with a 1-4-4.  It was the last race that torpedoed the chances for SOLSTICE to win class, posting an uncharacteristic 6th place to drop into 3rd on the podium. Taking 7th in class was Remco van Dortmondt’s Curacao team on the J/35 SUNBELT REALTY DASH.

Then, in CSA 5 class five, an excellent performance was turned in by Sir Robbie Ferron racing the J/39 TEAM BUDGET MARINE MICRON 99.  His team fought hard to take the class title and in the end settled for the silver in class with an amazing 2-1-2-3 record.

The J/30 BLUE PETER sailed by Peter and Shari Tanner from Antigua had a beautiful series with a 5-1-3-3 to take third in CSA 6 class.  Finally, in the CSA 2 Class, Henry van Melle’s Netherlands crew on the J/46 JENT took a fifth in class.   For more Heineken St Maarten Regatta sailing information

J’s Lovin’ Heineken St Maarten Regatta

J/125 Crushes, EL OCASO Pre-dominates!
(Simpson Bay, St. Maarten)- A record entry of 81 yachts entered the Gill Commodore's Cup, the prelude to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. 30 knots of wind with breaking waves, provided testing conditions for the fleet. The starting area on the south side of St. Maarten provided some relief from the ocean swell but the big breeze from the east cascaded over the hill tops forming bullets of pressure causing several boats to spin-out. Today's best performers were the teams that kept their yachts under control in difficult conditions.

In this “warm-up” regatta, many of the J/Teams attending had a fun time working out the “rust” of winter and collecting some silverware along the way.  In CSA 2 Class, Greg Slyngstad’s fantastic crew from Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California sailed the J/125 rocketship called HAMACHI to an easy class win with two bullets.  In CSA 4 Class, fellow J owner Rick Wesslund also sailed “lights out” on the fleet, posting double bullets to take CSA 4 on his highly photogenic J/122 EL OCASO.  Not far behind in third was John Thouron’s J/122 DUNDER with a 2-3, losing the tie-breaker for 2nd.  And, in third was Global Yacht Racing’s J/120 SUNSET CHILD.  CSA 7 Class saw the resurrection of the famous J/39, now named BUDGET MARINE ARUBA, and sailed by Robbie Ferron from St Maarten to a 2nd in class.  Finally, CSA 8 saw Bryan Coon’s J/105 SOLSTICE take class honors followed by David Cullen’s J/109 POCKET ROCKET from St Barths.

Afte the racing it was time for a new “sensation”.  For years the Heineken Regatta has pulled out all the stops when it comes to on the water racing, and on shore parties, which is what has made the event the success that it is.  For the 35th anniversary edition, things were a little different.  This year the Sint Maarten Yacht Club and Heineken hosted the largest party St. Maarten has ever seen, the Thursday night “Green Sensation Party”!!  Port de Plaisance hosted the party to kick off the regatta festivities— for some it was a night to remember (or forget completely!).

The evening was packed with local DJ talents as well as international mixing artists that delivered electronic music of pop, disco, rock and the hottest beats that only Heineken can deliver.  DJ Nachum, Heineken Caribbean DJ champion, teamed up with Soggy Dollar Bar DJ Bossman, to bring everyone a nonstop party vibe. But it didn’t stop there, making an appearance from New York City's hottest nightclubs, DJ Riz and Chris Moody layered on top of all that a new energy that could only be described as “Green Sensational, Mon”!!

After hundreds of sailors lazily woke up on Friday morning feeling a bit “green flushed”, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta got underway with 188 yachts entered for the three-day extravaganza. The huge fleet was a magnificent sight and very likely to be the biggest gathering of racing yachts in the Caribbean this season. Sailors from all over the world that came for fun-in-the-sun, competitive racing were not disappointed. Strong trade winds, gusting up to 25 knots, with brilliant sunshine served up spectacular conditions. Close to 2,000 sailors enjoyed a long first day of amazing yachting in the crystal-clear aquamarine waters off Simpson Bay. The vast majority of the fleet sailed a 30 mile course around St. Maarten and as an appealing change, the fleet raced counter-clockwise starting upwind from Simpson Bay.

The second day of sailing produced more thrilling action for the international fleet of yachts. All classes had at least two races. In comparison to the last two days, a breeze of about 20 knots was in more people's comfort zone, but the racing was no less spectacular with close racing right through the fleet. Most of the northern hemisphere was gripped by freezing temperatures, but not the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta with an air temperature of 75 F. degrees and a water temperature to match! It was shades, t-shirt and shorts weather even with blue water across the deck.

The last day was as good as it ever gets in the Caribbean with even more big breeze, plentiful sunshine and dolphin and flying fish flashing across the wave-tops, frolicking with the fleet.  The raw ingredients of fantastic sailing conditions and intense competition gave the regatta organizers the opportunity to lay on a tremendous spectacle – needless to say, it was an unqualified success for all!

For the Heineken St Maarten Regatta, it was clear the Slyngstad’s J/125 HAMACHI crew were on a mission after sweeping the GILL Commodore’s Cup.  After five races, HAMACHI swept the fleet with five bullets!  Needless to say, they crushed the fleet of sportboats in their class that included several Puerto Rican Melges 32s.

Greg Slyngstad commented, “HAMACHI goes really well in big breeze and we love big breeze, it is what we are used to in San Francisco. All of us have had a great time, we loved it. We have been sailing together for years, the weather was perfect for us and we have been tuning up the boat for two years and when the wind blows hard we know we can do well. Today’s my birthday, so it was a great present to go up on stage and take the trophy!!”

HAMACHI’s tactician, Jonathan McKee, said “HAMACHI is not a one man show, all of the crew are great sailors and we are all from the same area, so we are a California/ Seattle team that have come a long way to compete here and it is great to get such a good result. The courses here are great, windward-leeward, point to point and round the island. That is the stuff we love and the format is a big part of why we are here.”

In the CSA 4 Class, it was clear there was going to be a strong fight for class honors between Wesslund’s Miami team on the J/122 EL OCASO and a local Guadeloupe A40.  After a disastrous first race in which EL OCASO sailed to an unheard of “out-of-the-money” 8th place, Wesslund’s crew settled down and basically won their class with a 1-1-2-3 for the last four races- not good enough to win but at leastthey could take pride in a strong performance.  Their 2nd place finish will certainly help their bid to win the 2015 Caribbean Offshore Series.

Like they did in the GILL Commodore’s Cup, Ferron’s J/39 BUDGET MARINE ARUBA sailed fast and smart to take a 3-2-2-2 series scoreline to grab the silver on the podium.

CSA 8 Class saw Sophie Olivaud’s J/109 ALBACOR IV crew from St Barths sail a superb series, posting a 5-4-3-3 record to take 2nd overall in class!  Her best finish to date in “the Heineken”!  Fourth was yet another top J/109 from St Barths, David Cullen’s POCKET ROCKET, taking a scoreline of 4-3-5-5 into 4th place.  Just behind them in 5th place was a perennial Caribbean sailing ace, the Tanner & Shari crew from Antigua sailing their fabled aqua-blue J/30 called BLUE PETER.  Sadly, despite having posted three bullets (yes, 1-1-1), the BLUE PETER crew had to take a DNF in race 1 and could not throw it out— otherwise, it looks like they could’ve swept CSA 8 class!  In turn, they were followed in 6th place by Bryan Coon’s J/105 SOLSTICE; after winning the first race perhaps all that celebration went to their heads!   Sailing photo credits- Tim Wright   For more Heineken St Maarten sailing information