Ideal Sailing Conditions Await Record Fleet for the 28th Running of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
St. Maarten, N.A. February 5 – The race committee, event
organizers and islanders – as well as the dozens and dozens of volunteers who
help pull it all together – are ready. The party venues are set, the tents have
been erected, and the musicians are tuning up. The icy green bottles of
Heineken are waiting in the coolers, and folks are getting thirsty. There’s
only one thing left to do.
Go sailing.
The 28th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken
Regatta is about to commence, with a record-setting fleet of 281 boats
registered to compete. The wind gods, it appears, are smiling on the racers,
with ideal Caribbean sailing conditions –
east-northeast tradewinds hovering in the mid-20-knot range – forecast for the
opening days of the event.
“It’s great to have a record number, it shows we’re doing
something right,” said Robbie Ferron, the chairman of the regatta’s steering
committee. “But our emphasis has never been about getting bigger, only better.
And I like to think we’re doing that as well.”
For the second straight year, the action will commence on
Thursday as seven classes of flat-out, spinnaker-flying race boats gather on
the racecourse for the Budget Marine Commodore’s Cup. Fifty-eight yachts have
registered for the Commodore’s Cup, a three-race series that is scored
separately than the main event. The three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta then
begins on Friday, March 7.
Today, a number of boats took advantage of the clear skies,
bright sunshine and brisk breeze to hoist sail and continue preparations. A
pair of boats in the spinnaker racing classes – the Swan 70, Blue Pearl, and
the Ker 11.3, Minnie the Moocher – sailed several long tacks to windward before
hoisting kites and practicing jibes. One of the five Gunboats set to race in
their own separate division – the 62-footer, Looking for Elvis – spent much of
the afternoon working on upwind technique. Meanwhile, the crew of the CM 60,
Venomous, bent on a new carbon-fiber mainsail.
But, perhaps fittingly, the team on one of the 128 bareboat
charter yachts in the fleet – a Beneteau Cyclades 43, Premier Grand Cru – took
a decidedly different tack. With her crew soaking up the sun, downing a few cold
beers, and tending to the fishing line off the stern, the boat reached lazily
back and forth off Simpson
Bay.
“It’s pretty incredible, but we have three classes of
bareboats that will be sailing one-design,” said Ferron, referring to the
Moorings 515 (Bareboat 2), Oceanis 473 (Bareboat 3) and Cyclades
43 (Bareboat 4) classes. “We’ve always had to add boats to solve the ratings
puzzle, but this year the puzzle fits.”
On the Grand Prix level, the fleet boasts two canting-keel
rockets that should relish the fresh conditions. The Farr 50 Privateer, built
by Cookson Yachts in New
Zealand, is one of the boats to watch in the
Spinnaker 1 class. In Spinnaker 2, so is the other canting-keel entrant, the
Baltic 78, Rusalka. “There are sailors who feel the CSA Rule (the rating rule
under which the Heineken Regatta is contested) has handled the canting-keel
boats better than IRC,” said Ferron. “It’ll be interesting to see how it plays
out.”
The big boats aren’t the only ones that sail fast and well
in steady pressure. Ferron reckons the Anteros 36, Easy, in Spinnaker 3; the
Open 750, Panic Attack, also in Spinnaker 3; and the 6-Meter Biwi Magic, in
Spinnaker 7, all have a chance to shine if the breeze holds. And Spinnaker 4 is
shaping up to be an exceptionally tight division, with seven Beneteau 40.7s and
three A 40s vying for top honors. But they’ll have to hold off the charge of a
trio of J/Boats, the J/122, Lost Horizon, from Antigua;
and a pair of J/120s, El Ocaso and Paulista.
“And don’t forget the multihulls,” said Ferron, pointing out
one of the fastest-growing Heineken classes. In addition to the Gunboats, there
are three multihull classes, with 12 entrants in the Racing class, another 10
in the cruising class, and five more beach cats.
“Especially on the racing side, there are some really
different boats,” Ferron said. “On one hand you have the all-carbon SeaCart 30,
True Look, and on the other you have the Dick Newick trimaran, Tryst, which may
be the oldest boat in the fleet to race continuously, for so many years, at
such a high level.” Ferron smiled at the comparison: “So right there you an
example of the latest in high-tech materials alongside a vintage example of Caribbean plywood technology.”
While the trophies and silverware go to the winners, not everyone,
of course, takes home a top prize. “I would say that’s the essence of the St.
Maarten Heineken Regatta,” laughed Ferron. “The competition at the top end is
fantastic, as good as it gets. But as it turns out, even losing is always an
enjoyable experience!”
And those experiences, from the triumphant to the laughable,
are about to begin.
For full information, entry lists, entry forms and much
more, visit www.heinekenregatta.com.
Herb
McCormick
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