St Maarten match racing

$10,000 up for grabs prior to 30th Heineken Regatta

The second annual Budget Marine Match Racing Cup will once again take place two days before the start of the 30th Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta. This event will give top racers a chance to collect some of the US$10,000 in prize money just before they sail in the what has become the Caribbean’s leading fleet regatta. Last year’s inaugural event saw Peter Holmberg of the US Virgin Islands give a demonstration of truly professional match racing in heavy breeze during the one day event.

Organisers are targeting an eight team invite roster for the event and looking for a wide geographical spread of sailors. The teams need to consist of three persons per team including the helmsman. A strong umpiring staff will ensure that the event is run at a high standard. The event will take place in the Simpson Bay lagoon.

The event precedes the Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta which has for many years had the largest entry of Caribbean Regattas. The main event is preceded by a warm up regatta for Spinnaker boats called the Commodores Cup. The timetable is arranged so that participants in the match racing have ample time to train on the fleet racing boats that they may wish to sail on in the main event.

Anyone who is an accomplished match racer, male or female and who would like to enjoy match and fleet racing, win a pile of dollars and enjoy some of the finest regatta parties in the Caribbean should mail the regatta office at regatta2@heinekenregatta.com and submit their sailing CV for consideration. The cost of participation is low, but in order to avoid no shows a deposit of $500 usd is required to confirm the slot.