ROUNDING UP THE FINAL DAY AT ST. MAARTEN HEINEKEN REGATTA!
A dark cloud descended over Simpson Bay, right on time for the race start of the 4th and final day of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta; but that didn’t put a damper on the fleet. Squalls ultimately bookended race start and finish, making Mother Nature a formidable force in today’s races. “Some Volvos came in full speed from behind the line, it was the most amazing start — so exciting!” said Michele Korteweg, Director of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, who had a front-row seat to all of the action today. “It was also the most beautiful bareboat start, all lined up so perfectly. Meanwhile, by that time the sport boats were finishing their leg behind us and Kick ‘Em Jenny wiped out, having issues getting their big green spinnaker down as a huge gust came in.”
By the end of the regatta, the bare boats were acting like Pros. Many of them rocked a reefed mainsail today, heeding warnings from the many round-ups the fleet suffered in yesterday’s breeze. The fleet managed to keep themselves cool, calm and collected, and untouchable Girl and Squeakybrat II held onto their first and second places for overall class wins. Squeakybrat II managed to squeak in a first place win in today’s race, de-throning Girl from their otherwise undefeated record. Newcomers to the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, Team Krabbegat/Asterias from the Netherlands, had consistent performances throughout the event, ultimately earning them the final place on the podium for the Regatta. The Volvo fleet were off to a great start, but that soon fell to pieces at the windward mark. VO70 I Love Poland missed the mark, meanwhile fellow competitor Ocean Breeze took it with them! Back of the pack Il Mostro then rounded a phantom mark, while RC raced to hoist the M flag to make themselves the temporary mark. By the time the following fleet of Diam 24s arrived, the mark was unhooked from Ocean Breeze’s rudder, albeit slightly more offshore than its original setting.
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