From sea to shore, behind the scenes two weeks before the start of The Round Martinique Regatta

Malécon in Fort de France - The Round Martinique Regatta © Max Treffre

With just two weeks to go until the Round Martinique Regatta begins, preparations are well under way to welcome participants and spectators, with 28 boats now registered for this 33rd edition of the regatta.

The official village, the race's focal point, will be up and running on the Malécon in Fort de France over the course of the entire competition from 7-10 February.

Acting as the real hub of the race, the official village will be a friendly, fun, festive and sporty "must-see" place to visit, as Paul Constantin, race organiser and heading up the village, tells us:

"Installed on the seafront at Malécon, the The Round Martinique Regatta village will be open from Thursday 7th February for four days. The hardest part was organising a village for three days and three different legs. Over the last three years, we have revised this format and operation. This year, the leg taking place on Saturday will be co-organised with the Yacht Club du Marin and the Club Nautique Neptune, and also with the support of the two associations, Ven dan Vwel 972 and Open de Barre. This makes things easier in terms of logistics and allows us to raise the profile of the village at Fort de France. The village will remain open throughout the competition, with films being shown about sailing, updates on racing, various workshops on raising children's awareness of marine ecology and, of course, opportunities to meet and talk to the sailors. The event partners will also be represented, and there are two conferences scheduled, the first on Friday 8th February, and the second on the Saturday night."

All in all, there will be a rich programme on offer at the village, with emphasis placed on the town of Fort de France, but also and especially on the seafront of Martinique.

"Fort de France, one of the few in the exclusive club of most beautiful bays in the world, will provide a beautiful setting for the first day of racing in "The Round Bay". After sailing round the island and the stopover at Marin, the crews will come back to anchor in front of the waterfront for a big meal. Finally, the prize-giving ceremony will take place from 18:00 pm in the village," explains Paul Constantin.

With 28 monohulls currently registered, the fleet will include six different categories: eight in the Surprises, six in the Racing class, three Class40s (all having participated in the Route du Rhum), five in the Racing Cruising, five Cruisers and finally one Saintoise (traditional sailing boat from Guadeloupe).

This interesting and diverse fleet promises some spectacular nautical racing along the beautiful coast of Martinique.

Register your entry at theroundmartinique.com.