St. Maarten Heineken Regatta - New racing class added

by St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on 8 Jan 2014 The 34th St.Maarten Heineken Regatta already has all that a sailing event could offer. A large variety of classes ranging from monohull to bareboat and multihull, no matter what type of boat you enjoy sailing, there is a class for you, including the all fun lottery class that the live aboard, family home/cruiser fits right into. Yet this year race officials have managed to up the appeal for this event by offering an all new class called the Inshore which will appeal to those one design racers with a love of competitive sailing in near perfect conditions.

The inshore class will be raced in the One Design fleet of nine SunFast 20's. The boats are available for charter for the event for a total of five days, which includes a practice day leading up to the event and three days of competitive racing on March 7th through ninth 2014. Racing will take place either inside the famous Simpson Bay Lagoon or outside in Simpson Bay or in Marigot Bay depending on weather conditions at the time of racing.

A minimum of four boats must be registered to have racing take place and crews may consist of three to four crew members although the boats sail best when crewed by three. There will be no spinnakers used for this event. The race committee confirms that courses will mainly be windward-leeward, and races will run the duration of approximately 40 minutes each.

The One Design SunFast 20's are regularly used for match racing as well as fleet racing, and have an internal ballast and a swing lift centerboard and rudder. The comfortable cockpit is well laid out and easy to race using the main sail and self-tackling jib. Competitors will enjoy their racing experience in these one design boats with its easy handling and manoeuvrability.

For bookings and reservations, regatta organizers have joined forces with well know charter organizers Ondeck, to allow interested parties from all over the world the chance to race in this exciting new class. Package prices are available for the boat rental which includes the practice day and entry fees.

For more information about rental fees, deposits or to make a reservation to take part in this inaugural class, contact Sarah Brinsdon from Ondeck at atlantic@ondecksailing.com or contact the offices via telephone at + 1 268 720 5313. More information can also be found on their website.
Event website