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We cruised out of St. Maarten/St. Martin some two years ago, so when the invite came to not just visit the island again, but experience one of the world’s most well known and fun-filled regattas, we were off. The fact that it was 45°F in Seattle, and 75°F in St. Maarten was a welcome bonus. For 28 years sailors have been coming to St. Maarten (the island is half French - St. Martin, and half Dutch - St. Maarten. Since we stayed on the Dutch side, we’ll go with St. Maarten) to the Heineken “Serious Fun” Regatta. Frank Hoedemaker, commodore of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, remembers all the growing pains of the race. He thought that if it got to be over a hundred entries it would lose it’s appeal. Well, this year, with almost 300 entries and about 4,000 sailors from over 30 countries, it’s obvious that this is still the place sailors want to be in March. In fact, hard-core spinnaker class racers wanted another day of racing, so the Budget Marine Commodore’s Cup was created and took place Thursday, before the three day weekend HR-08. We stood on the deck at the St. Maarten Yacht Club to watch the parade of boats leaving Simpson Bay Lagoon going out to the race. Traffic stops on the two-lane main road as the bridge opens for the boats. It’s truly an amazing sight, like opening day with sailboats of a beauty and scale to put a smile on the face of anyone who’s ever tugged a sheet. Just the parades out and back everyday from the races are worth the trip to St. Maarten. But it’s the racing that brings the sailors to the island. The first day’s course was simple, go clockwise around the island. Winds started about 20 knots and built from there. Large troughs and steep seas challenged the boats, taking their toll on equipment. The big boats, and I mean big, 70-100 feet, reveled in these conditions and it was truly awesome, in the true sense of the word, to see their power to windward and the speeds and spray off the wind. Those conditions may have let the big boys go at full gallop, but the rest of the fleets had a bit more of a challenge. Beneteau 40.7’s, Mumm 36’s down to Melges 24’s all braved the same waters with many outstanding performances. Big waves, good wind and warm water – can’t get much better than that. 
Actually it could. The next two day’s racing still had stiff winds but the ocean was not quite as arduous as the first. One division deserves special mention and that’s the Bareboat classes. Each year, charter boats are gathered from surrounding islands to provide boats for skippers and crews flying in to do the race. This year over 120 boats were on the starting line in six classes. With so many classes they were practically racing one design. Some are serious, some not so much, but all have an unqualified good time. To watch them makes you want to immediately call ten of your closest friends and say let’s go. Unfortunately, it would be two years before you could even get a boat as they are already totally booked for next year’s race. With so many classes, we can’t list the results here, but visit the Heineken website www.heinekenregatta.com/ to view all the results, videos and fantastic photos by Bob Greiser. Exciting stuff. St. Maarten/St. Martin certainly has changed since we sailed out of there 20 years ago. It is now the commercial hub for the surrounding islands. When the European powers were divvying up the islands of the Carribbean, the Dutch and French beat out all comers for the island, a valuable source for sugar and salt. Rather than fight, they decided to split the island. Legend has it that a Frenchman, with wine and bread, started off one way, and a Dutchman with a keg of beer started out the other way. A line was drawn from where they later met to where they started out and that was how they divided the island. Actually, the French side is two thirds larger but the Dutch side has the major port. It doesn’t really matter because the treaty was written so that all resources were shared. At 37 square miles, it is the smallest land mass shared by two countries. There are no borders and everything is “free flowing.” With beautiful beaches, friendly people and the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean, it’s no surprise that St. Maarten’s main business is tourism. Development is rampant with hotels and condos going up everywhere. There are now over 400 restaurants on the island. Surprisingly, all the casinos are on the Dutch side. Last year over 1.5 million people visited in cruise ships, and 850,000 arrived at the new (two-years-old) Princess Juliana (daughter of the Queen of Holland) airport. Currently another cruise ship pier is being constructed that should double that capacity. The official currency of the French side is the Euro, with Gilders on the Dutch side. The Gilder is tied to the dollar at 1.78, so there’s no fluxuation. Both sides readily accepted US dollars, we never needed to convert. It is wonderful to be in the open air stands or in the shops and hear French, Spanish, Dutch and English all being spoken. Most everyone on the island speaks at least three languages which they learn in school. St. Maarten is a duty free port so it’s a Mecca for quality bargain hunters. Gucci, Prada, Versace, Dior, are all represented. Marigot is the main town on the French side, with a picturesque harbor, crowned by Fort St. Louis. It seems a bit more laid back than Phillipsburg, on the Dutch side. From high fashion costing thousands to t-shirts three for $10, they have them all. And we haven’t even talked about the food yet. Let’s just say that your palate will love you for your choice of travel destinations. One treat we picked up in Phillipsburg was Guavaberry Rum - Island Folk Liqueur. Add a little coconut rum and some colada mix and it’s to die for. Be prepared to have a very heavy suitcase going home. 
With all the development, island beaches are still open to all. Along with the more populated beaches, the more adventurous can still find that little bit of Caribbean paradise to have all to themselves. And, for those chartering or just out for the day, sailing or anchoring in a small bay surrounded by a sandy crescent is a fine way to totally relax.
Now, back to the HR-08 party. Those quiet streets that you ambled down during the day become filled to overflowing with tourists, sailors and locals as, every night, Heineken throws a party in a different spot on the island. As John Leone of Heineken says, “It takes the whole island to throw a party this big,” and they do throw it in style, featuring top Caribbean artists like Alison Hines, the Queen of Soca (south Caribbean music). Sunday’s finale had all the trophy winners on stage receiving their just rewards, then grammy winner Shaggy took over, capping a marvelous four days of sun, wind, warm water, racing, and millions of those little green cans of Heineken beer. The party was definitely in St. Maarten/St. Martin. ...back to 48° North title page.
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