PHILIPSBURG:--- The first St. Maarten Lagoon Festival took place Thursday, March 23 – Sunday, March 26. This new Marine Industry Trade Event showcased the ever-growing Yachting Industry while offering a unique opportunity for the yacht crew members to celebrate the end of the season here in St. Maarten. The events hosted by IGY Marinas, Yacht Club Isle del Sol and Simpson Bay Marina, Yacht Club Port de Plaisance, Palapa Marina, and Skyport Marina, were extremely successful and organizers are looking to further develop this concept in upcoming years. With the support of the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association and St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, this event will serve as the foundation for future Marine Industry Trade Events.
“Growth can be expected with regard to all the initiatives that were launched in this past season. The feedback we received was extremely positive from both the yachting crew and the local community. Moving forward, the focus will be on how to make our events more inclusive and a more complete representation of the overall Marine Trades Industry. This event can literally spill into the streets of Simpson Bay and encompass all the businesses to partake in the event to become the reason why yachts and all visitors stay with us on the island. St. Maarten is considered an important hub for marine services within the Caribbean so why should we not celebrate and say thank you.” Stated Ralph Chianese, Trident Club Supervisor, at IGY Marinas.
The St. Maarten Lagoon Festival was the latest out of several collaborations this past season. The marinas work closely with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and St. Maarten Marine Trades Association year-round, which resulted in collaborations at boat shows in Europe and the United States last summer and early fall, as well as the first Crew Year’s Eve Celebration in January. With the addition of this latest event, it becomes clear that the Marine Industry is pushing hard to maintain its strong positioning within the Caribbean.
“Bringing the private and public sectors together is what made this event so strong. It has a lot of potential and the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau is happy to support it in future years as we see how the event promotes the island, enhances the island’s reputation, and further develops the blue economy. It can even start attracting interest from potential investors who would like to develop infrastructure or marine-related ventures on the island.” Said May-Ling Chun, Director of Tourism of St. Maarten.
During the St. Maarten Lagoon Festival, each marina hosted a specific event, showcasing the diversity within the industry. Yacht Club Port de Plaisance hosted a “Best of the Best” Chef’s edition. This event saw Yacht chefs compete against each other and against several local chefs, with local chef Suzirea Adoptie awarded as the winner. The event was followed by live music and dancers, showcasing St. Maarten’s cultural and musical influences.
Palapa Marina and Soggy Dollar Bar hosted the next event, showcasing more international and local talent. Yachties and local bar talent showed off their mixology skills in a cocktail competition, with a roundtrip to St. Maarten and accommodation as the grand prize. This event was followed by an Electro Jungle Night, as only Soggy can put it together, turning this popular venue into a jungle-themed setting.
On Saturday the event was hosted by Skyport Marina and Rusty Rocket with a Rock ‘N Roll Beach Party and Sunday saw the St. Maarten Lagoon Festival continue at Isle del Sol Marina (IGY) with a day full of food, beverages, and entertainment. The Carnival by the Bay theme showcased St. Maarten’s culture and heritage and the evening was closed out with a performance by Control Band. A fundraiser also brought in $500 to be donated to the Kidz at Sea Foundation, supporting local youth to enter the Marine Industry.
“The St. Maarten Lagoon Festival was another great example of how we can extend the season, even if it’s by 2 weeks, it makes a huge impact. The success of the high-end yachting sector in St. Maarten is partly due to our proximity to St. Barths, Anguilla, and other islands and so we act as a hub for transfers, repair services, provisioning, and so on. We truly are a gateway to the Caribbean. However, we do see strong competition from other Caribbean islands that are not only selling themselves as destinations but are also trying to provide more services to encourage the yachts to base there. That’s why the St. Maarten Marine Industry needs to keep reinventing itself, and where the private sector is investing in this concept, it needs Government support to solve the challenges we are facing to further develop the sector.” Stated Chris Marshall, president of the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association.
The St. Maarten Marine Trades Association is proud to see the collective efforts between the marinas and is keen to include more trade businesses in the St. Maarten Lagoon Festival and other marine events in upcoming years to showcase the whole of the industry. A calendar of events for the upcoming season is being worked on to allow earlier promotions and more joint ventures.
For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit yachtingstmaarten.com
