CLEAN REGATTA
In 2009, The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta became the first “clean regatta” in the Caribbean with Sailors for the Sea. Sailors for the Sea is a leading conservation organization that engages, educates, inspires and activates the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean. They are a movement and pragmatic voice for action that offers boaters tangible opportunities to create a legacy and make a difference.
Keeping both local and non-local’s aware of the environment of St. Maarten and the Caribbean is a strong point on the Regatta’s agenda. At this moment the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has been awarded with a Silver Certificate and is very eager to maintain this level and try to improve on various points. Together we can help and keep the ocean clean. Described below is what the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta will actually do in order to make everyone involved in this major event aware.
Biodegradable Products: The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Office orders several biodegradable products, such as cups, coffee cups, household towels, toilet tissues and garbage bags to be used during the Regatta.
Banning of Styrofoam and Straws: Since the 2017 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, the organization bans Styrofoam on the event site. Styrofoam was used by many food vendors as plates or box. Before, the organization had already banned straws at the event. Straws are dangerous when ending up on the beach or in the ocean, where they can injure and kill wildlife, including endangered sea turtles.
Recycling/ responsible signage: To make people aware of their garbage, we collaborate with Clean St. Maarten to promote separating waste. All waste bins are clearly marked with ‘Recycling’, ‘Compost’ or ‘Landfill’. Clean St. Maarten provides recycle bins to cover the property at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. Every day, employees of Clean St. Maarten come to empty the recycling bins and to keep everything clean.
Paperless Regatta Management: Just like previous years, we always aim for a paperless registration process for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. This will help saving paper and will save us a lot of garbage at the same time! With our online entry and results system, provided by yachtscoring.com, QR codes for WhatsApp Race Committee chats, and digital results screens on the party locations, there is no need for paper anymore.
Bow numbers: All the bow numbers that will be used for our participants are reusable. At the end of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, the organization and volunteers are busy cleaning the bow numbers and making sure that they are still in a good shape.
No Discharge: All participants are reminded in the Notice of Race that sewage discharge is illegal.
Alternative Transportation: To reduce the amount of cars on the island, the Regatta Organization encourages public transportation, by running shuttles and providing water taxi services between the Yacht Club and the party locations.
Would you like to know more about Sailors for the Sea? Please visit their website here.
REGATTA LAGOON CLEAN UP
Regatta Kayak Lagoon Clean-Up
As a pre-event for the Regatta, the St. Maarten Yacht Club Regatta Foundation organised a lagoon clean-up in collaboration with Tri-Sport, EPIC and the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten. Tri-Sport provided the kayaks for the activity, enabling volunteers to access the mangrove areas inside the lagoon. EPIC and the Nature Foundation taught the participants about the importance of keeping our beaches and the lagoon clean to protect the ocean and nature from plastic waste.
On the day, all participants gathered at Kim Sha Beach, where they received instructions on how to use the kayaks and a short briefing about the importance of protecting the lagoon and mangrove ecosystem. Afterwards, the group paddled by kayak into the Simpson Bay Lagoon mangroves to begin the clean-up.
With approximately 60 volunteers in attendance, a large quantity of rubbish was collected and removed from the mangrove areas, with plastic waste being one of the main types of pollution found. This event was an important environmental initiative and a great way to bring the community together to raise awareness of the need to keep St Maarten’s natural environment clean and protected for future generations.
A big thank you goes out to the sponsors: Trisport, who provided the kayaks; Heavenly Water; Scuba Shop; IGY Marina; ZeeBest; the St Maarten Yacht Club Restaurant; and Harken Derm.
Derm.
REGATTA ART COMPETITION
The Regatta Art Competition is an annual initiative organised by the St. Maarten Regatta Foundation to encourage creativity among schools across St. Maarten. Each year, more and more students and schools participate, making the competition a vibrant celebration of local talent, creativity and island spirit.
As an official pre-event of the Regatta, the competition invites children to create artwork inspired by sailing, the Regatta itself, beaches, the ocean or their vision of St. Maarten. They are encouraged to submit paintings, drawings or postcard-style artwork showcasing their colourful interpretation of island life and the sailing atmosphere.
The Regatta Art Competition provides an opportunity to engage the young people of St. Maarten with one of the island’s most significant international events, while fostering creativity and community involvement. It also educates students about the Regatta’s importance and positive impact on the island.
The winning artworks will be announced before the Regatta and exhibited during the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, enabling both locals and international visitors to appreciate the creativity of St. Maarten’s young artists.
Thank you Drywall for sponsoring the postcards, Funtopia for face painting, aquamania and the Scuba Shop.
key values
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is built on several objectives and key values. Each day will focus on one key value and will allow sponsors and partners to showcase their affinity with these values through specific activations. It allows for firm storylines prior, during and after the Regatta. The key values are: Sustainability, Generations, Inclusivity and Celebration.
GENERATIONS
CELEBRATIONS
SUSTAINABILITY
INCLUSIVITY
