St Maarten Heineken Regatta

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. Four race committees provide custom-tailored racing for 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.

Starting with the one-day Gill Commodore’s Cup and continuing with the three days of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, 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 savour 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 alarge competitive class of 40ft and 50ft cruiser-racers

With Heineken as a long-standing sponsor, you would expect the parties to be exceptional… and you won’t be disappointed! With parties at varied locations around the island there are fantastic opportunities to experience the legendary nightlife for which the island is famous. St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has a well-earned reputation for hosting amazing artists like the Black Eyed Peas, UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey, Akon, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, The Commodores, and Red Foo and the Party Rock Crew at the parties.

Two days of training are included in the price.

Plan

***SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
Please take into consideration when planning your trip that the official dates for this race have yet to be announced. The dates currently listed are based on previous years dates and are, therefore, subject to change. We will update our website with the official dates as soon as they are announced.

Day 1 - 3rd Mar 2026: Arrival and First Training Day
Arrival in St Maarten and welcome on board. The official start time will be around 10:00 and will be communicated via the crew WhatsApp group. Meet your skipper and crew, followed by a safety brief and the regatta programme. The day will include getting to know your crew, cleaning and organising the boat, and making final preparations for the regatta.

Please consider a local accommodation for this week, as this can be quite a busy regatta and accommodation onboard is limited.

Day 2 - 4th Mar 2026: Second Training Day
After breakfast you will continue to make last enhancements to the boat and commence with the second training day.

08:30-18:00 – Registration at Race Village
19:00-22:00 – St. Martin Tourism Welcome Party – Marigot

Day 3 - 5th Mar 2026: Race Day 1
09:55 – First Race Warning, Simpson Bay
8:30 – Outbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 & 17:00 – Inbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 – Port de Plaisance Regatta Village opens
18:00 – Daily Prizegiving
19:00 – Live Entertainment featuring Livin High Band, Twenty Montana, Eduardo & more latin beats!
20:00 – Green Zone Party at Nowhere Zone

Day 4 - 6th Mar 2026: Race Day 2
09:55 – First Race Warning, Simpson Bay
8:30 – Outbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 & 17:00 – Inbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 – Port de Plaisance Regatta Village opens
18:00 – Daily Prizegiving
19:00 – Live Entertainment featuring Meltin Pot, Royalty & KRG Band, Tamillia, and Trilla-G for a night of Caribbean vibes and tempo!
20:00 – Green Zone Party, Bikini Beach at Orient Bay

Day 5 - 7th Mar 2026: Race Day 3
09:55 – First Race Warning, Simpson Bay
8:30 – Outbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 & 17:00 – Inbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 – Port de Plaisance Regatta Village opens
18:00 – Daily Prizegiving
19:00 – Live Entertainment featuring GTO Band, Roxsy & KRG Band, King James, and Alison Hinds for a soca mix!
15:00 – Green Zone Party at Lotus Nightclub

Day 6 - 8th Mar 2026: Race Day 4
09:55 – First Race Warning, Simpson Bay
8:30 – Outbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 & 17:00 – Inbound Bridge Show at St Maarten Yacht Club
15:00 – Port de Plaisance Regatta Village opens
18:00 – Daily Prizegiving
20:30 – Live Entertainment featuring Orange Grove and THE WAILERS for an unforgettable night of reggae!
15:00 – Green Zone Party, Rainforest Adventures at Sentry Hill

Before departure, we kindly ask everyone to help with a general cleaning and tidying of the boat.

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Other information

All crew members are welcome, even if they do not know the language spoken on board (english)

Full joining instructions will be provided once booked, however, please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Complete list of what is included in the price: Race Entry, Yacht Charter, Accommodation on board (shared cabins), Meals at sea (self service), Certified Professional Skipper, Basic Training, Consumables for the yacht (diesel, fuel and water), Mooring Fees, Insurance for the yacht, Lifejacket, Personal locating beacon,

Complet list of what is NOT included in the price: Airfares, Meals offboard, Transfers airport-marina-airport, Shore based accommodation, Wet gear, Personal insurance (we recommend Topsail).

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details

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4.5 · 3 reviews

European Mile Builder Leg 6: Malta to Gibraltar

Exceptional, complete, hard and demanding. A challenge that requires the capacity for suffering, the navigation is continuous without respites or stops, guard changes every 4 hours, warm bed. IT IS AN EXPERIENCE TO REPEAT after recovery

Reply from Germaine

Thank you for your kind words, we really appreciate having you on board and the skipper Will speaks very highly of you.

All the best
Germaine

European Mile Builder - Leg 3: A Coruna to Gibraltar