St.Maarten Heineken Regatta - Snow pushes sailors south to thaw out

by Heather Tackling on 11 Feb 2010 One of the worst winters on record for many parts of the USA and Northern Europe has resulted in a boom in entries to this year’s St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which runs from 4-7 March. Fed up with the long, cold, winter freeze, competitors have opted to migrate south to enjoy a fun-packed week of partying and racing in guaranteed high temperatures, fresh, consistent breezes, and clear blue Caribbean waters.

With still three weeks to go to the start of this 30th anniversary event, entries have reached well over 193 including an impressive 100 yachts in the Bareboat charter fleet. The popular Spinnaker class is also attracting a healthy entry and competition is expected to reach record standards with the likes of Bill Alcott’s Andrews 68 – Equation, George David’s Reichel/Pugh 90 – Rambler, Clay Deutsch’s chartered Farr/Cookson 50 – Privateer, and Tom and Dotty Hill’s custom Reichel/Pugh 75 – Titan 15, among the fastest, high performance yachts in the fleet.

Irvin Laidlaw’s Wally 82 Highland Fling, and Richard Matthews’ Humphries One-Off design – Oystercatcher XXVI are another couple of interesting entries to watch out for. Elsewhere, Chris Besser’s Swan 80 Team Selene and Peter Harrison’s Farr 115 Sojana are back to continue the race-long battle from last year where Team Selene took the upper hand over Sojana in Spinnaker 1 class.

Another pair set to continue their usual regatta-long battle is James Dobbs’ J/122 Lost Horizon, and Rick Wesslund/Mike Caldwell’s J/120 El Ocaso which finished first and second respectively in Spinnaker 4 class last year. The two are fairly similar but El Ocaso is an older version and therefore has a slight handicap advantage. With her experienced crew however, there is no reason why she can’t break Lost Horizon’s domination in Spinnaker 4 class.

The Multihull fleet, with a five-strong, high-performance Gunboat contingent making up the bulk of entries once again, is another class looking forward to a lively time on the racecourse. The Gunboats who are regular visitors to Caribbean regattas, made a big impact at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta last year and, with two of the latest Gunboat 66s signed up this year, expect some exciting racing. Peter Johnstone of J Boat fame, and Gunboat founder said the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has all the right ingredients for Gunboat racing. 'The three-day schedule filled with fun courses and parties cannot be beat. The early March timing is perfect for strong winds, and the Gunboat fleet can’t wait to get on the startline.'Johnstone, who was racing on Cream, a Gunboat 48 with Xabier Ross last year, and who won the class, will be racing again but this time aboard Gazelle – one of the new Gunboat 66s.

As far as the racing conditions go, there’ll be no shortage of high temperatures and good breezes. The prevailing wind is from the east and, as a rule, ranges between 10-20kts. Although there is generally not much in the way of current, it is still an issue competitors should be aware of. Rien Korteknie – Chairman of the Race Committee – says although conditions are fairly predictable, achieving a good result at the regatta is still a challenge. 'When the wind tops 25kts we do get a bit nervous because not all participants are prepared for this. There are many other challenges out on the water too particularly if the courses take the fleets close to the shore where it is sometimes very gusty. And the beat in the Anguilla channel is against current and waves, so it pays to avoid if possible. Other than that, it’s all about having fun.'

James Mark Plaxton from the neighbouring BVIs – regular competitor and many time class winner at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta who’ll be racing his Jeanneau 52.2 INTAC (Igoodia), confirmed the importance of enjoyment when summed up his thoughts on the regatta: 'INTAC's team motto for the 30th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, the Gill Commodore’s Cup, and the Budget Marine Match Racing (which I am fortunate to be racing with Gavin Brady and Tucker Thompson), is - Peace, Love, Boat Speed, and Serious Fun.'

For full information on the Gill Commodore’s Cup, Budget Marine Match Racing, and the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, including entry lists, entry forms and news, visit www.heinekenregatta.com.