SERIOUS FUN RACING

Set in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, powered by the cooling northeast trade winds and run by an experienced, innovative and friendly race team, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is four days of world-class racing in idyllic conditions appealing to a broad range of tastes. 

REGISTER ON YACHTSCORING

View NOR, check out the growing scratch sheet, and register your team.

Register Here!
Official Notice Board

Our race committees provide custom-tailored racing for the thousands of sailors from more than 35 countries that come to race: from Olympic medalists and World Champions sailing Maxis and Performance Multihulls to holiday-makers on chartered Bareboats and live-aboard families cruising the Caribbean.

Sailors are offered a mixture of races with a combination of windward-leeward and coastal races blended together into an irresistible cocktail of racing chosen to suit each class. As the all-out racing monohulls savor the prospect of eight races over four days with windward-leeward races on two days and two longer coastal races testing both boat handling and tactics, it’s easy to understand why the regatta attracts a large competitive classes of 40ft and 50ft cruiser-racers. 

 

Non-spinnaker cruising boats get more varied courses with less emphasis on tight maneuvers, but lots of strategic opportunities to keep the racing tight. Maxis and Multihulls have their own race areas to stretch their legs with races suited to their sailing styles: an emphasis on coastal races with fewer windward legs for cruising-style multihulls and longer more challenging races for Performance Multihulls and Maxis. 

Live-aboard cruisers and others just wanting to be a part of the regatta get one medium-length race per day with a leisurely start time and the emphasis definitely more “Fun” than “Serious” in our Island Time class. For the Island class, no official CSA rating is required, but for all other classes racers must obtain a CSA measurement and rating. Register for your CSA rating here.

NO BOAT, STILL WANT TO JOIN?

Participants of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta have many options with regards to entering in the event. If you don’t own a boat yourself you can go through our charter listing and choose from a variety of options.

Watch the racing up-close, go on the official spectator boat!

During the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta visitors have the option to join the Official Spectator Boat. During this morning event, Saturday March 2nd and Sunday March 3rd from 07:30am – 12:30pm, guests can enjoy the racing on the water with friends and/or family. Ticket includes breakfast, lunch and open bar for US$125.

CHARTER A BAREBOAT!

Our longtime sponsor Sunsail offers fun and fabulous bareboat charters providing comfortable accommodations and still allow for fierce race competition in one of the popular bareboat classes. Book your charter directly with Sunsail or choose one of many tour operators, like KRAS, and have your travel, accommodations, boat rental and other services handled all at once.

BOATS FOR CHARTER:

Private boats are also available for charters. Racing boats, luxury boats, cruisers, catamarans and many other options are available. You can charter the entire boat with friends and family or you can reserve an individual spot and enjoy racing with new friends. Click here for more information!

Salt Fish

Salt Fish

Charter our J 24 “Salt fish” and take part in one of the iconic Caribbean regattas or have her delivered to the island you are staying on and have her moored waiting for you to take out for a sail whenever the feeling hits you just for the pure fun and pleasure of sailing a well balanced well maintained sailing boat.
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Hermes

Hermes

Hermes is a turbocharged Pogo 12.50 -- a Class 40 racer-cruiser equipped for your perfect mix of serious racing and serious fun! Races with 8-10, can sleep 6 comfortably onboard. Full set of racing sails and spinnakers, modern racing design and racing tech onboard.
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Escapado

Escapado

Escapado is a 2008 racing-ready Beneteau First 40.7; a racer that embodies all the aspects of a racing pedigree, with the added provisions of comfort in mind. Whether you're a novice, or a serious competitor, Escapado can put a smile on your face.
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El Ocaso

El Ocaso

"El Ocaso, is J122 which has an enviable racing history in the Caribbean. The J122 is one of the most successful IRC racers of her generation. Quick and responsive, powerful and stable, the J122 is easy to handle and delivers all round performance.The J122 has an upwind sail area of 97 square metres, thanks to her 110% headsail, and a 150 square metre downwind sail area. She also benefits from a carbon fibre bowsprit and asymmetric spinnaker, which makes her easier to race for most teams, especially those with fewer crew."
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DNR

DNR

"The Xp 50 is part of the Xperformance range and is a modern, sleek performance-oriented racer cruiser that offers a superb sailing experience. The Xp 50 has a carbon bow sprit, asymmetric sail inventory and a sleek uncluttered deck with the lines running under the coachroof.The Scandinavian design is evident in the Xp 50 with superb engineering and minimalistic yet functional styling. This comes at no surprise as X-Yachts focuses on excellent sailing performance and painstaking weight control whilst not compromising on comfort."
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Aragon

Aragon

The Reichel Pugh designed Maarten 72 was commissioned by a performance-oriented owner and was overall winner of the 2016 RORC TransAtlantic Race. Aragon is the great choice for those looking to race competitively whilst retaining some cruising comforts.
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Farm Truck

Farm truck

Charter our Melges 32 FARM TRUCK and experience one of the iconic Caribbean regattas on this winner. The Melges 32 was designed by Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design and added to the Melges line of performance products in 2005, A lean-and-mean, super-sleek hull provides a spacious cockpit and clean deck layout. Its large, powerful sail plan makes it a blast downwind and seriously fast upwind.
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Gone

gone

Charter our C&C 30 GONE and experience one of the iconic Caribbean regattas on a true weapon. A product of the drawing board of veteran naval architect Mark Mills, the C&C 30 is billed as a mini TP52, and it feels like just that—from the wide open, crew-friendly cockpit to the offset companionway to port and the single offset battery of clutches to starboard for controlling halyards and other sail controls.
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Sao Jorge

Sao Jorge

Sao Jorge is a 2007 Harmony 52, only 20 of these boats were ever made. They are light, spacious, and extremely stable making them ideal for crossing oceans and offshore sailing. We have invested a huge amount of time and effort in upgrading our vessels to meet the highest safety standard and improve their competitiveness.
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Jajo

Jajo

The VO65 Jajo is a high-performance yacht designed for racing at the highest level. Built by Persico Marine in Italy, the boat features cutting-edge design and construction techniques, making it both fast and reliable. Jajo was originally built for the 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race, where it was skippered by the legendary sailor Bouwe Bekking. Jajo features state-of-the-art navigation and communication equipment, as well as a high-tech sail inventory that allows it to perform well in a wide range of conditions.
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Sunrise

Sunrise

JPK have become known for building fast and very competitive race winning yachts. The 1010 and the 1080 have both been incredibly successful inshore and offshore. The 1010 won the its class in the 2013 Fastnet and the 1080 won the Fastnet overall in 2015.The JPK1180 will be the fastest boat in IRC 2 with a handicap of 1.099, Sunrise has 2 modes an inshore mode with a short bow sprit and an offshore asymmetric mode with a 1.7m bow sprit and 10m2 of extra downwind sail area.
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Happy

Happy

Charter our Melges 20 HAPPY and take part in one of the iconic Caribbean regattas or have her delivered to the island you are staying on were she will be moored waiting for you to take out for a sail whenever the feeling hits you just for the pure fun and pleasure of sailing a well balanced well maintained sailing boat.
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Smile

Smile

Charter our Melges 20 SMILE and take part in one of the iconic Caribbean regattas or have her delivered to the island you are staying on were she will be moored waiting for you to take out for a sail whenever the feeling hits you just for the pure fun and pleasure of sailing a well balanced well maintained sailing boat.
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EH01

EH01

Global Yacht Racing offers professionally maintained race yachts in the Caribbean, Med and UK. We offer Beneteau First 47.7, Grand Soleil 50, J122 and Elan 450.‘EH01’ is a race prepared First 47.7 and her results speak for themselves: 2nd Antigua sailing Week 2023, 3rd RORC Caribbean 600 2023, 3rd Heineken Regatta 2023 to name a few.She can race with up to 13 crew, is expertly maintained with competitive sails. Available for Whole Boat Charter or individual crew berths.
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Pata Negra

Pata Negra

Pata Negra is a prototype IRC 46 design by Marc Lombard and built by CSC Composites in 2016. Pata Negra has a proven track record of podium results when racing offshore or around the cans. With an Axon carbon rig, asymmetric sail plan and continual investment in the boat, she is a fantastic yacht that ticks a lot of boxes. Pata Negra regularly finishes on the podium and is available to charter with her boat captain.
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Sidney II

Sidney II

Sidney II is a joy to sail; fast, manageable & comfortable with plenty of space below deck. The Grand Soleil 50 is the ultimate cruiser racer combining style and comfort with racing performance. With a full wardrobe of Doyle racing sail Sidney II is a great choice for charter. The deck layout offers a spacious cockpit and with sporty twin steering wheels and a closed transom offering plenty of room behind the wheel for easy crew movement during racing and abundant space above and below deck.
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Have a look through our frequently asked questions (FAQ)

FAQ