PHILIPSBURG:--- Sailors and boating enthusiasts should mark their calendars and get ready to set sail at the 35th Annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta taking place March 5-8, 2015. To celebrate 35 years of world-famous racing, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta officials have announced a slew of changes to the racing, logistics and safety rules, all which were developed based on feedback from past competitors and spectators.
Race organizers have confirmed that the ever-popular Gill Commodore's Cup will be open to all Regatta participants (except Lottery class). In an effort to make racing more competitive, organizers will also offer an additional sailing event on Sunday for various racing classes (weather permitting). These new events offer sailors the opportunity to race in six races over the course of four days.
To accommodate additional sailors in these races and the 200-plus entries that the main event receives each year, registration will open a day early on Tuesday, March 3, 2015 and run through March 5. This information, including the new opening hours of registration, can be found in the Notice of Race on the Regatta website (www.heinekenregatta.com).
Further, to elevate stress and confusion for participants who take care of crew scheduling, this year, all races will start and finish at Simpson Bay. This change will also mean sailing crews and vessels can remain in Simpson Bay every evening, allowing for easier hotel and berthing arrangements.
Additional changes have also been made to the Official Safety Rules that will be implemented on all racing days. These rules can be found on the registration website at https://app.regattaguru.com/heineken/100083/docs. Race organizers urge all participants to download the new safety rules and review them to make sure all crew members and vessels comply.
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is an annual competition that has become a world-wide and one-of-a-kind sailing event with exciting entertainment, musical performances and celebrations that have attracted thousands of sailors and enthusiasts to the island over the years. The actual competition consists of round-the-buoys contests and point-to-point destination races against the backdrop of St. Maarten's breathtaking coastal views.
