Match racing in St Maarten

US$5,000 up for grabs at new pre-Heineken event

The countdown to the 2009 edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has begun, and race organisers have added plenty of new wrinkles to the event. The new Budget Marine Match Racing series will commence on 3 March, and a new sponsor, Island Global Yachting, will host the IGY Commodores Cup, for the flat-out racing fleet, on 5 March. The traditional three-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta will then take place from March 6-8.

The Budget Marine Match Racing series is the newest wrinkle for the event, now in its 29th continuous year of operation. Confirmed competitors include America’s Cup veteran Peter Holmberg, New Zealand up-and-comer Simon Minoprio, American Michael B. Hoey from Team Chippewa, and highly respected Russian ace Eugeny Nikiforov. But one slot in this prestigious inaugural event, with a first-place prize of US$5,000, remains open.

Interested teams must have substantial match-racing experience. The charge for the one-day event is only $US100, though crews must immediately place a bond of $US500 to hold their slot. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will be a highlight of this year’s St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. For further information contact Race Director Heather Tackling here.

For filmmaker Anton van de Koppel of Quest Media, who produces the critically acclaimed video footage of the event, the Budget Marine Match Racing series provides another outlet to capture some of the best sailing action on the Internet and TV.

“The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is very special to me and my company,” he said. “It’s one of the oldest venues we do, along with the America’s Cup. It’s one of the world’s best-organized regattas, very condensed, three days of very serious fun. We’re really looking forward to it.”