TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Heineken Regatta Question

Does anybody know which of the 3 days of racing is the day that the boats are racing a course around the marks? Last year we went out on Lambada or Tango for the around the island race but I think I could get better pictures on a course day. I figure Zanshin would know as he is on the committee boat.
Thanks

This link might provide some information. #11 might provide some insight. From what I recall, courses and days are subject to change depending on conditions.

https://yachtscoring.com/event_documents/16772/2025_SMHR_NoR_June_22_2024__As_Published_8_PM.pdf

Thanks for that info JD. I know as a sailor that you cannot predict the weather or the courses until "game time". We're just trying to lock up our reservation with Aqua Mania on the right day to get the boats rounding the mark and setting their spinnaker sails.

The course could also change because of weather conditions. I think last year the round the island was changed. This year (2025), it’s scheduled for Friday.

Thanks Kim, so then I'm looking at Saturday for course racing to get my photos.

I'll be on one of the committee boats again this year, with the best seats in the house for the races

Apart from the biggest boats, who travel faster and further and have marks at places such as Anguilla or Tintamarre, all of the boats will be turning marks close to Simpson Bay and Philipsburg. See page 9 of Sailing Instructions 2023 for the map from last year.

The race officer for each class gets up before sunrise on the race days and, armed with wind, waves, weather reports and the speed ratings of the boats in each class, will compute the best race courses. The goal is to make it fun and challenging (not just windward-leeward) but keep the times around 2-3 hours per race. It is a both a science and art to do this; there's safety aspects about not crossing courses or having head-on potential at the marks or finish. All this means that the courses for each race can be changed until about 10 minutes before each class starts on a race. And the second set of races on each day are set after the race officer looks at the result of the previous one.

All this means that nobody can know with confidence which of the many turn points are going to be used. If you are on a spectator boat with a knowledgeable captain, he or she will know which of the course marks are most likely to be used. The only guaranteed places are the start and finish lines (the finish is separate to the starts at the Heineken).

Thank you Zanshin for your insight. We will be on island about a week and a half before the regatta so it might be better for me to book our reservations when we arrive.

Whale Tail--If it were me, I'd just book on Tango, regardless of the day. If the wind is good, you will get great pictures, regardless of the course. Haresh does a great job keeping up with the boats. Enjoy!