March 1, 2022 — Simpson Bay, St. Maarten — A fleet of over 100 international race boats are descending into Simpson Bay for the start of the 42nd St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, March 3-6, 2022. Many teams are preparing for a rematch as they line up against friendly competitors to once again see who prevails.
Maxi yachts Deep Blue, a Botin 85, and Leopard 3, a Farr 100, go head to head to see who is king of the St. Maarten race course in CSA 1. Deep Blue made a strong debut back in September 2021 at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia finishing two places ahead of Leopard 3. It was Deep Blue’s first race on their 2020 new build with racing delayed due to COVID, making St. Maarten Heineken Regatta the team’s third race event. Perhaps the third time’s a charm!
The two Maxis have some tough competition as the rest of the CSA 1 fleet is jam-packed with some legendary big boats. Four VO65s and four VO70s round out the fleet, with many seeking their own rematches to claim, or defend, their glory. I Love Poland, winners of CSA 1 in the 2020 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, now has three other VO70s to match race, including another Polish team on Ocean Breeze led by Zbigniew Gutkowski of Yacht Club Sopot.
Grzegorz Baranowski, who once again serves as skipper of I Love Poland, has had many successes with his team and as a star Polish sailor, personally winning the Maxi Cup four times. He is ready to take his team back to the podium, with a strong mix of pros and aspiring young sailors. The permanent crew of I Love Poland is regularly joined by the winners of training programs, which has received over 900 applications over the last 3 years.
“The I Love Poland yacht has become a training unit for new Polish ocean sailors. The main goal of the program is to create opportunities for Polish regatta sailors to continue their sports career. The other goal is to promote national sailing and Poland abroad,” shares Monika Bronicka, Media Officer for I Love Poland.
In CSA 2, a fleet of four Class 40s are prepared to bring the heat. Class 40s #156 Guidi and #134 Vicitan set up for a rematch after taking second and third place, respectively, in this year’s Caribbean 600 Race. Meanwhile in the Multihull class, Arawak will be defending their 2020 Multihull 1 win in the 2020 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, while 2 2 Tango will attempt to remake some magic from winning this year’s Caribbean Multihull Challenge back in February.
There will be no time for mistakes, with the teams not only competing for a podium, but also an Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 timepiece. Oris, the official timekeeping partner of St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, will be awarding this beautiful watch to the overall winner of CSA.
CSA 1 is not the only fleet in contention for silverware and swag, smaller boats like RP 37 Taz and Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster in CSA 5 & 7, respectively, are known to out-sail their ratings. Scarlet Oyster is coming off a first place class win last week in the RORC Caribbean 600, and was also their class winner in the 2020 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
Competitors can expect hotter than ever competition on the water, but the same cold Heinekens to celebrate back on shore. A few things will be different on the shore-side this edition, with organizers instituting “Green-zone” festivities to replace the regular large concerts, which had to be docked this year due to COVID crowd restrictions. Supported by Heineken, the “Green-zones” feature top local venues that will offer sailors special celebrations to follow prize giving and post-race entertainment at the Yacht Club Port de Plaisance regatta village. Highlights include: Soggy Dollar Bar on Friday, March 4, the rooftop Moonbar on Saturday, March 5, and Mykonos outdoor nightclub on Sunday, March 6.
The VIP vibes continue throughout the event, with many regatta sponsors offering teams concierge and bottle services. Veuve Clicquot will be onsite at the race village to provide convenient celebratory champagne for teams, and 1st place winners on Sunday will walk away with their own bottle of bubbly. New sponsor Tito’s will provide tasting samples for sailors to mix up their own perfect Tito’s vodka cocktails. Fiji provides discounts on pre-ordered iconic square water bottles, perfect for race boats to avoid rolling about on tacks and gybes. Of course recycling facilities will be available throughout the race village, and the Regatta’s commitment to sustainability builds with a bar constructed of recycled materials.
The countdown begins with only a few days remaining until the start of the 42nd St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Fans at home can follow the fleet online @stmaartenheinekenregatta on Instagram and Facebook. Racers can check in and share media with family and friends back home by logging into free Wifi zones provided by Telem at the race village. Stream live race coverage from Island 92 Regatta Radio by tuning into 91.9 FM on island or visiting island92.com. Those lucky enough to join us on the water can watch the entire fleet start daily in Simpson Bay, or catch key moments from one of the island’s many beautiful beaches on Friday for the Round the Island Race.
Members of the press who are interested in attending the Regatta must request press accreditation online at http://heinekenregatta.com/media/. Press boat space is limited, so please submit press pass requests as soon as possible. Due to travel complications, we understand that some may not be able to travel to Sint Maarten to cover the event; let us know how we can assist with any specific coverage or editorial requests to cover the Regatta remotely.
