Warm sunshine, calm waters and a steady south-easterly breeze greeted 193-teams entered in the 36th Heineken Regatta off the coast of St. Maarten. With ideal views from Simpson Bay, the Dutch side of the island hosts the World Class Sailing event annually. Organized by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, 37 countries were represented by a range of boat classes including Maxi Yachts, Multihull, Monohull, Spinnaker, Bare Boat and Beach Cat. From March 3rd – 6th, 2016, a series of races traversed the teams on a 26-mile circumnavigation along the exquisite Caribbean coastline from which visitors and bystanders watched, toes in the sand.
Known for offering a variety of venue locations, the Heineken Regatta empowers visitors to experience several picturesque spots around the island over the 4-days of racing. In order to provide sailors and attendees with a central meeting place, the Sint Maarten Yacht Club creates a lounge with easy access to water taxis from the club’s dock. Sailors relax with a cold Heineken or one of the yacht club’s signature Bloody Mary’s while waiting for their teams to finish each day. Daily race results display on screens inside the lounge, keeping with the event’s environmentally-friendly practice of using less paper.
With title sponsor Heineken hosting the race since its inception in 1980, the weekend’s onshore events continued to live up to the regatta’s motto, “Serious fun”. A daily happy hour and multiple beach bar parties were sponsored by Captain Morgan’s Rum and hosted by the brand’s “Morganettes”, outfitted in pirate garb. A concert featuring chart-topping rapper Akon and nightlife ignited by world renowned DJ’s also drew in visitors from around the globe.
Kicking off the race on March 3, 2016 was the Commodore Cup. The cup maintains individual results, allowing sailors to become acclimated to the sea’s conditions before the main event results. Gill, the leader in sailing apparel and accessories sponsored the commencement race for the 7th year. Additionally, Gill provided all official racing venue locations with Heineken Regatta branded technical gear.
Closing the race on March 6th, was just one nerve-inducing course scheduled for all classes of boats. Nearby the capital of Philipsburg, onlookers from the Westin Dawn Beach took in an epic view of the racers sailing by, with a silhouette of Saint Barths sitting in the background. Relaxing in one of the luxury resort’s private cabanas while sipping Guavaberry Coladas, celebrities and VIP guests enjoyed a perfect perch for race watching on what the regatta has coined, “Super Sunday”.
For the official list of regatta winners, additional photos and registration for the 37th annual Heineken Regatta March 2-5th 2017 visit: http://heinekenregatta.com/index.php
