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The 2007 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Promises Spectacular Sailing
The
27th edition of the incomparable St. Maarten Heineken Regatta-renowned
in the sailing world for its unbeatable combination of fast-paced
action at sea and world-class parties ashore-is now just weeks away.
And a sneak peak at the early entry list suggests that the emerging
fleet will be as strong, and diverse, as ever.
As
always, the Heineken Regatta is attracting an international field of
competitors all anxious to test their skills in the challenging blue
waters of the Caribbean. Veteran U.S. campaigner James Muldoon and the
crew of his Santa Cruz 72, Donnybrook, will no doubt be swapping plenty
of tacks with French skipper Rivet Gaetan aboard his Andrews 70, Renegade.
The upper end of the fleet has also attracted Belgium's Anders Johnson
on the Swan 70, Blue Pearl; American Jim Swartz on the Swan 601,
Moneypenney; and Trey Fitzgibbons aboard his Meritan 65, Mischievous.
Perhaps they should all beware of Scott Bradford and his team of
knowledgeable Caribbean sailors aboard the Reichel/Pugh-designed Titan
12, who will base their tactical calls on vast reserves of local
knowledge.
Towards
the other end of the spectrum, there promises to be nothing but tight
racing in the 40-foot Beneteau 40.7 ranks. Last year’s class winner
Sergio Sargramoso of Puerto Rico, sailing Lazy Dog, will defend his
title against the likes of Calvin Reed’s newly outfitted Elandra of
Hamble, aboard which legendary racer and sailmaker Charles “Butch”
Ulmer will no doubt make his considerable presence known. Italy’s
Franco Nanni (Lancelot) and the United Kingdom’s Dan McGanty (Past the
Mark) are also sailing 40.7s, and Ondeck Racing has entered another
pair of which Spirit of Venus will again be crewed by Dutch Royal
Maurits van Oranje and sail under the name of Scarlet Oger, which may
round out a strict one-design spinnaker class for the popular
production boat from the powerful French boatbuilding concern.
But the
Heineken regatta isn’t just about Grand Prix yachts and production
one-designs, it’s also a throwback to a more genteel era of classic
yachting. Alert, whose fine lines were drafted from the board of
historic yacht designer Phillip Rhodes, and which is now lovingly
sailed and owned by Holland’s Phil Warneke, certainly fits this bill.
So, too, do the 12-Meters Kate, built by Phillip Walwyn on St. Kitts,
and Geronimo, a graceful entry from Canadian Simon Handley. Rounsvelle
W. Schaum’s U.S.-flagged Lone Fox, a Robert Clark 64, rounds out this
prestigious group.
As for
Heineken sailors, few hold the offshore credentials of South African
Jean Jacques Provoyeur, a veteran of the grueling BOC Challenge/Around
Alone solo around-the-world race. Speaking of superlatives, the biggest
boat in this year’s running of the regatta may well be the Swan 112
Highland Breeze, entered by Lord Irving Laidlaw of Monaco. The
venerable Lord Laidlaw has owned and raced Swans in the top Caribbean
regatta for many years.
Add it all
together and the 2007 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, scheduled from
March 1-4, will again be one of the year’s most memorable and
best-attended events on the yacht-racing calendar. There is simply no
excuse for not being there!
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