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Sunday March 7th 2010, Simpson Bay Part 1 |
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Bumper finale at 30th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta |
 March 7, 2010, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – there can be few events in the world that match St. Maarten Heineken Regatta’s unique cocktail of fun and serious racing. Under the leadership of Robbie Ferron – Sint Maarten Yacht Club commodore – who set up the regatta 30 years ago, this Caribbean classic continues to go from strength to strength and, if the positive buzz on the street is anything to go by, next year’s event is going to reach record levels.
With some of the world’s most talented sailors including the likes of America’s Cup legends Peter Isler, Peter Holmberg, Gavin Brady, round the world sailors Kenny Read, Wouter Verbraak, Olympic/America’s Cup skipper Andy Beadsworth, and Dutch double Europe Olympic silver medallist Margriet Matthijsse, among the many high profile sailors competing here this week, it’s not surprising this event is fast becoming a Mecca for seriously fun winter racing.
As well as the big names racing on the latest, powerful ultra-light racing machines such as Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling, Tom and Dotty Hill’s brand-new stunning-looking custom Reichel/Pugh 75, Titan 15, George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 Rambler, and a healthy mix of big Swans, Farrs and custom builds, yachts in the 30ft-40ft range make up the majority of the fleet including a bumper 99-strong Bareboat charter fleet.
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Read more... [Bumper finale at 30th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta]
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Competitors prepare for final showdown at St. Maarten Heineken Regatta |
 March 6, 2010, Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – on the penultimate day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, competitors were treated to superb conditions for the Marigot Bay race. A lively southerly breeze topping 20kts this afternoon made for some exciting, classic Caribbean racing which led to more than a few thrills and spills within the 240-boat fleet.
While the fast racing boats enjoyed a couple of early morning, short, sharp windward/leeward races a couple of miles offshore, off Philipsburg, and then an afternoon sprint round the coast, the cruising classes and bareboat fleets raced on a course taking them to Simpson Bay in the north, where they were able to go ashore and enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the sun.
One of the first to suffer misfortune today was Irvine Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling. Peter Holmberg and team had just crossed the line in the first race when the genoa halyard failed. A swift recovery from the super-efficient team it may have been, but it wasn’t enough to make up ground on yesterday’s Spinnaker 1 winner Titan 15. This 75ft custom Reichel/Pugh design owned by Tom and Dotty Hill and helmed by another racing legend, Peter Isler, controlled the first race of the day with their outstanding downwind performance and led George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 Rambler on a lively sleigh ride to the finish and took line honours with a delta of 49 seconds, and finished first overall on corrected time.
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Read more... [Competitors prepare for final showdown at St. Maarten Heineken Regatta]
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