St.Maarten Heineken Regatta sponsorship cemented

by Heather Tackling on 14 Sep 2007 After 28 years of what they now fondly call 'Serious Fun' it was all business as Frank Hoedemaker, commodore of the Saint Maarten Yacht Club, and John Leone, Managing Director of Heineken N.V sat down to finalize the sponsorship agreement for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 regatta.

Both men were pleased with the results and look forward to several more years of partnership. Commodore Hoedemaker stated 'negotiation were intense, and in the end both parties goals and needs for the upcoming event were met, it is a pleasure to work with Heineken once again and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship' Heineken N.V has been a long time sponsor of the regatta with 28 years of cooperation.

'We are extremely happy to continue our partnership with the St. Maarten Yacht Club. We feel the St Maarten Heineken Regatta continues to grow in quality and importance to both the sailing world and the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. We constantly get feedback that the event is really appreciated by the businesses and people on the island, and that makes all the effort worthwhile.

'We will always be there for the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, as the people of St Maarten/St Martin have always been there for Heineken, and we sincerely appreciate every single time they enjoy our products. As we like to say 'It takes the whole island to throw a party this big' and we really mean it. Only through the cooperation from the island governments, the sponsors, the volunteers, the businesses and the wonderful people of our island, can an event of this magnitude be held. This is really a world class event and we should all be very proud of what we have created together' mentioned John Leone, managing director of Heineken NV.

The regatta is scheduled to take place March 6 to 9 2008, with the additional day of sailing, the Budget Marine Commodores Cup to take place on the Thursday March 6th.

As in the past, there will be nightly concerts on all four nights and competitive sailing will take place during the days. Participants from all over the world are entering the regatta and an expected 2500 sailors will grace the sunny shores of St.Maarten to sail, party, eat and enjoy the islands many activities.

With over 250 entries in 2007 the regatta organization is expecting about the same turnout for 2008. With Heineken on board the participants as well as spectators can rest assured that the parties will continue long past the turn of midnight and that the beer will be ice cold. The sailing will be competitive and in the end all who come to St.Maarten to take part in the event, whether it be on shore or on the water, will have memories that will last them a lifetime.

Plan for the 28th St.Maarten Heineken Regatta - March 6 to 9 2008.
www.heinekenregatta.com