45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Day 1: Sun, Squalls, and Serious Fun Around the Island
by St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 7 Mar 07:03 UTC
March 6-9, 2025
45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Day 1: The close competition between Panacea X and Quintessence III continued on the iconic Around the Island Race © Laurens Morel /
www.saltycolours.com
The 45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta started off with a bang as fleets were sent offshore and around the island for day 1 of racing! Race committee was tasked with the decision on which courses to give the fleets based on the fluky wind forecasts over the next 4 days. The final decision was made early in the morning, and teams gathered in Simpson Bay to get ready for an exceptional day ahead.
One startline for the whole fleet hosted the starts for each class, beginning with CSA Multihull 2 and the Bareboats who were racing to Blowing Rock off of Anguilla and back. The rest of the race fleet were sent off by their respective class for the iconic Around the Island race. The exception being Island Time, which was racing a course closer to Simpson Bay.
It was a choppy downwind start with winds averaging 12 knots from the South and teams headed west towards the first turning mark - where they would either head towards Anguilla or around the island. The race boats had a colorful start, as most made the decision to hoist their flying sails for the first downwind leg as the breeze filled in.
The bigger race boats in CSA 1 and 2 took off the startline with full strength. The CSA1 fleet arrived at the first rounding mark one by one, and it was Sailing Poland that made the decision to keep their spinnaker up for longer and headed offshore. Meanwhile, Sisi, Ocean Breeze, and Leaps and Bounds 2 doused their sails and took off towards Marigot. With higher winds in the forecast, the V62 were faced with tough competition against the Volvos and were in constant pursuit of the VORs all the way around the island. Sisi led most of the way, but ultimately, Leaps and Bounds 2 prevailed and came out as champions! The match-ups were significant in CSA2 and entertaining to witness all around the island, but it was DNR, the XP 50, that came out on top to set the stage in their class for the rest of the weekend.
As fleets merged together after rounding the first mark, it was close competition heading up the island towards Creole Rock. Near Friar's Bay, J-aguar abruptly came to a halt as they got caught in a dead zone. One after one, boats around them were falling into the same wind hole in the lee of the island. LA LOEVIE was maintaining great speed, but sailed right into the hole, stopping dead in their tracks. Few teams like Whistler managed to get their positioning right by shifting weight forward and leeward to avoid the shadow and maintain speed - but still needed to practice patience. The winds picked back up, but not before the teams behind gained significant ground, closing the gaps between the boats.
In CSA3, Pata Negra took off from the rest of the fleet, but got caught in the dead zone allowing the rest of the class to catch up including Hermes that came only a few boat lengths away. In the end, the Pogo 12.50 couldn't catch the Lombard IRC 46 who came out on top, but still dominated the other Class40s in the class to take second.
The match-ups in CSA5 were as pronounced as ever and the great rivalry between Panacea X and Quintessence III was no exception. Reigning champions Panacea X were the leaders for most of the way until the fleet passed Creole Rock and started a relentless upwind leg. It was then at Pelican Rock where the rivals took the lead and there was no looking back. But it was stealthy El Ocaso who took 1st place in the class with Quintessence III coming in 2nd and Panacea X in 3rd.
The high-performance Diam 24 fleet blasted across the startline and were out of view before the rest of the classes even started. It was Zeebest that took 1st place, the reigning champion of the Caribbean Multihull Challenge and the one to beat at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. A hyper-competitive battle took place within the Melges 24 fleet as the five boats kept tight to each other around the island. Exodus had a strong lead to start, but it was local Team Island Water World that took 1st. "The other teams are so competitive, it's going to be a tough competition this year," as mentioned by Berit Bus on Island Water World before heading out on the water today.
Throughout the day, sailors were treated to dynamic skies and varied conditions including some sunshine and a fierce squall on the east side of the island that completely enveloped the fleet. Fleets racing to Anguilla and back were lucky enough to avoid the path of the squall. Bareboat DREAMBOAT mentioned, "It was a good call by race committee to not send us around the island. It was a good shake down for us as we only got the boat a couple days ago. It seems to be a fairly close knit group and well-matched."
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta celebrates key values that are highlighted across each day of the event, today being sustainability. New this year at the Regatta is the Ecocoin cup recycling program, which encourages Village visitors to recycle their drink cups at the bar. Also a new addition is an Exofor water refill station, and scattered around the Regatta Village are dedicated recycle zones and sustainably-built bars.
Not only is the Regatta focused on sustainability efforts, but so are sailors and teams from all around the world. Bareboat team AQUA CLARA is part of a global sailor campaign called Sail4Earth, where sailors can help protect the planet for a small donation via Uon.Earth. All teams received a unique Sail4Earth flag that they can proudly fly and support the campaign.
After a big day of racing, the Regatta officially kicked off with a welcoming press conference in the Regatta Village. Members from the Regatta, Heineken, and the St. Maarten/St. Martin Tourism Bureaus were in attendance to acknowledge and speak about the significance of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on the island, sponsors, and supporters. "One island, one regatta" was a key theme among the commissioners from both the Dutchside and Frenchside.
Following the press conference, the energy in the Village turned up with lineups at the bars and food trucks as steel drums and DJs took the stage. Headliner BATA closed off the nightly entertainment before the party made its way to No Where Special, the official GREEN ZONE after party of the night.
As sailors head into day 2, we're expecting even more close match-ups as teams get to know each other better on the water and onshore. Get ready for more exhilarating battles out in Simpson Bay!
More information at www.heinekenregatta.com