The 29th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta 2009 will take place on March 5 - 8.

With the 2008 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on the Books, Organizers Look Ahead to the 29th Running of the Great Celebration of Caribbean Sailing and Partying

St. Maarten, N.A. (March 10) – The sensational 28th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta finished in fine fashion last evening with the traditional prize-giving ceremony on Kim Sha Beach followed by musical entertainment by Grammy-winning recording artist Shaggy, who had an overflowing throng of thousands of sailors and islanders dancing by the sea.

As race organizers and the dozens of volunteers who helped make the regatta a tremendous success took a deep breath after the four-day marathon of sailing and parties, plans were already being set in motion for the 29th running of the annual event, which is scheduled for March 5-8, 2009.

Steering committee chairman and event co-founder Robbie Ferron, with assistance from a host of St. Maarten officials, handed out prizes to the top boats in the regatta’s 21 divisions, with special awards presented to the regatta’s outstanding performers. The CBBS Cups, presented to the high scorers in the Caribbean Big Boat Series, went to Sam Fleet’s Swan 601, Aquarius, in the Racing category and to Peter Harrison’s Farr 115, Sojana, in the Racing/Cruising class.

TP 52 Panthera, SeaCart 30 True Look, and a Pair of J/Boats Among Big Winners at 28th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

St. Maarten, N.A. (February 9) – The 28th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta wrapped up today, in similar fashion to the way it began: With clear skies and a steady breeze offering ideal conditions for a record-setting fleet of competitors. And after the series’ final race, a point-to-point contest from Marigot, on the island’s French side, to Philipsburg on the Dutch side, an impressive array of winners emerged.

In the animal kingdom, the term “Panthera” is synonymous with a mighty species of “cats that roar.” It proved to be a fitting title in the big-boat Spinnaker 1 division as well, where the UK-based TP 52, owner Benny Kelly’s Panthera, capped a strong effort by conquering an impressive fleet of competitors, particularly the canting-keel, turbo-charged Cookson 50, Privateer. Panthera went undefeated in the five-race series for the spinnaker classes, with Privateer wracking up five straight seconds.