Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine - March 2020

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“Changing up the Race Management Team helps
with the event’s dynamics and allows innovation. We
have had excellent racing in the past, but for the 40th
regatta we truly wanted to ensure all participants an
unforgettable experience, while bringing back fea-
Marc van Dongen,
new Race Director
for the St. Maarten
Heineken Regatta,
petition that will ensue has been called “Serious Fun”
for four decades!
Visit www.heinekenregatta.com for information on
the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
The Moorings Onboard for St. Thomas
International Regatta
Carol Bareuther reports: Organizers of the St. Thomas
International Regatta (STIR), taking place from March
27th through 29th, are pleased to announce that The
Moorings yacht charter company will once again
sponsor the use of one of its custom-designed catamarans
as a committee boat.
“Having The Moorings involved with STIR for over a
decade is an incredible advantage to our event,”
says Bill Canfield, who co-directs the 2020 regatta with
Pat Bailey. “The excellent committee boat also serves
class race committee, and friendly can-do attitude
towards competitors. There’s something for everyone.
This year, organizers are adding a PHRF-rated class
with racing on March 28th and 29th. Beyond this, STIR
offers CSA (Caribbean Sailing Association-handicap)
Racing and Cruising, IRC, ORC, Multihull, Beach Cat,
and One Design classes with a minimum length of 20
feet. There’s also a one-design Hobie Wave class.
Register for the event on www.yachtscoring.com/
emenu.cfm?eID=9666 or for the Round the Rocks
Race on March 26th on www.yachtscoring.com/
emenu.cfm?eID=9665.
New Class and More for Antigua Sailing Week
Antigua Sailing Week is considered one of the
Caribbean’s most prestigious regattas. Its 53rd edition
commences with the Peters & May Round Antigua
tures from the past. Our goal is to make everyone fall
in love with this event and have them return annually,”
said Yacht Club Manager Michele Korteweg.
Marc (age 60) competed in the 1985 Whitbread
Round the World Race aboard Philips Innovator
under the leadership of skipper Dirk Nauta. For
decades, he raced competitively on a variety of
boats and joined racing organizations from club
races to world championships.
This 40th edition will be special for many sailors, but
certainly for Marc: some of his former colleagues on
Philips Innovator will be racing. Bouwe Bekking, for
example, will be skipper of the V65 Childhood1.
Van Dongen said, “I was honored when asked to be
Race Director for this world-famous regatta. The team
is fantastic and adds a wealth of local knowledge.
Cary Byerley, Rien Korteknie, and Joris van den Eynde
have been involved for many years. We are currently
knee-deep in courses that we hope will challenge
each and every racer.”
Seasoned veterans and enthusiastic newcomers
from over 35 countries will sail in this event. The com-
as an on-the-water hotel for our Principal Race
Officers and the cost saving is tremendous.”
The Moorings 514PC (power cat) was designed to
provide a stable platform on the water. It’s the ideal
platform from which to run a regatta as efficiently
as possible.
“The Moorings was founded in the Virgin Islands over
50 years ago, so the region is near and dear to our
hearts. We feel strongly about supporting the events
that continue to draw visitors to this sailing mecca,”
says Ian Bockman-Pedersen, Senior Marketing
Manager at The Moorings and Sunsail.
STIR, celebrating its 47th year, is a globally-recognized
regatta renowned for its fantastic racing, first-
ASW Race Manager Jaime Torres drives
his Beneteau First 40, Smile and Wave.
Race on Saturday, April 25th. Following that are five
days of competitive racing off the south coast of
Antigua, which wrap up on Friday, May 1st.
The overall theme of the ASW 2020 plan is tailoring
the regatta to the racers on a class-by-class basis. The
Sport Boat Class has pocket rockets like the Melges 24
and the J70, which are fun and fast. They are tiny (less
than 30 feet), wet, and exciting to sail but are not
meant to be in long races on the same courses or
starts with slow cruiser-racers.
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march 2020 CARIBBEAN COMPAss pAGE 13
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