On Monday January 25th, organizers of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta published its plans for the 41st edition of this annual event, eliminating the parties and social gatherings from this year’s event format and focusing on hosting the 4 days of world class racing, as it is first and foremost an outdoor sporting event.

Yesterday, the Sint Maarten Council of Ministers decided to cancel the March 2021 execution of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The government body stated, “…various new strains of the COVID-19 virus have been detected in several countries around the world resulting in a travel ban of linked countries; this also includes Sint Maarten for which a temporary ban on incoming flights from high-risk countries containing stronger strains of the COVID-19 virus has taken effect. With these substantial developments, the government was strongly recommended to impose stricter public health measures. This would include the withholding of licenses for large events”.

After months of actively working together with Government to construct a safe and professional sailing event, organizers are disappointed to have been informed they are now unable to offer any sailing to the participants that were willing to make such efforts to attend the Regatta.

“We do of course understand the concerns people have regarding the hosting of events during these challenging Covid times and will comply with the Government’s request and will now focus our efforts on the future of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The past 10 months did allow us to assess new ideas and developments that can now be incorporated in upcoming editions of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.” States Regatta Director, Michele Korteweg.

Organizers are most grateful for all the support and guidance along the way from sponsors, participants and other stakeholders and will reach out to all involved to address any concerns and plans for the future. Stay tuned for latest developments and exciting news! The 2022 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is set to take place from  March 3 – 6, 2022.