SIMPSON BAY--Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) is buzzing with life as competitors arrive for the 36th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Registration opens on Wednesday, with an estimated 2,000 sailors from 32 different countries participating and many thousand more visitors arriving in St. Maarten for the legendary party atmosphere.
World Class sailors will be racing in a huge variety of boats from beach-cats to super-maxis and all manner of boats in between, including the largest number of multi-hull racing at any major Caribbean regatta.
Wednesday, March 2 – The shore-side entertainment programme kicks off with Team Brunel at The Meet and Greet. Volvo Ocean 65, Team Brunel, will be racing in this year’s Regatta. Members of the team, which finished second in the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race, will be available for a question and answer opportunity at SMYC from 5:00pm.
Thursday, March 3 – Racing for the Gill Commodore's Cup starts the on-the-water action. The standalone event is proving ever popular as the curtain raiser for the Regatta; more than 70 yachts are expected to be racing. The Regatta Welcome Party will be held at Princess Port de Plaisance Resort and Casino from 5:00pm with top DJs spinning the tunes until late.
Friday, March 4 – Racing starts for the 36th Edition of the Regatta with an Around-the-Island Race. The party at Boardwalk Boulevard, Philipsburg, starts at 5:00pm, including a new Boardwalk Market. Musical entertainment is provided by the best of St. Maarten's Bands and DJs.
Saturday, March 5 – The second day of racing at the Regatta features four separate race courses, with most of the racing taking place south of St. Maarten. The scheduled finish for the last race is the Heineken Finish in Simpson Bay. The party action moves to Kim Sha Beach with Mixmaster Pauly, Honeypot, Orange Grove, Ziggy Recado and Rock City.
Sunday, March 6 – The final day of racing at the Regatta has just one race scheduled for all classes. The final party at Kim Sha Beach kicks off at midday. The Prize-Giving Ceremony starts at 6:00pm and the party goes on well into the night with The Cut Creator, DJ Outkast, The Cornerstone, Youth Waves Band and the big act of the Regatta, multi-award-winning rapper Akon.