There’s nothing to beat the combination of tropical Caribbean sun, clear blue waters, reliable cooling tradewinds, often around 15-25 knots, and a party atmosphere. Post Covid the Caribbean regatta season has bounced back with renewed vigour, healthy entry lists for boats of all descriptions and well-supported new events in the calendar.
One of the most popular regattas today is the Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta, which attracts more than 100 entries across 15 classes for four days of “serious fun” over the first full weekend in March. The 43-year-old event extends a warm welcome to boats ranging from dinghies and Diam 24 high performance trimarans, though charter bareboats, long-distance cruisers and regular offshore racers to spectacular large yachts including four Volvo 65 and a pair of Volvo 70s.
The regatta is a hit with many teams from the UK and elsewhere in northern Europe, particularly the Netherlands, a number of which sail to
