On a beautiful, sun-splashed day with solid easterly tradewinds coursing over the deep blue seas surrounding the fabulous Caribbean island of St. Maarten, a spectacular fleet of 202 yachts in 15 separate divisions hoisted sail on Friday, March 2 to start the 32nd edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
Nautors Swan 100 charter yacht VIRAGO
On the first day the breeze was sharp and steady. On the second day of the annual Caribbean sailing festival, it blew harder still. On the third and final day of competition, the wind gods truly unleashed their power. And the result was one of the more stirring, sensational days of racing in the grand and storied legacy of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.
When the racers crossed the finish for the third and final race of the 2012 running, a new roster of St. Maarten Heineken Regatta champions was crowned.
Winner on the final race day in CSA 2 was Klaas van Duuren, but in the overall standings, it was too little, too late, to overcome Bill and Carolyn Titus’s magnificent Swan 100 charter yacht Virago, which earned a second today—along with two firsts in the previous two contests—to record a comfortable win in the “Big Boat” division. Klaas even missed the post to 2nd place, narrowly beaten by Kip Curren’s Swan 90 charter yacht Nefertiti. And yet another Swan claimed 4th place; Tomek Ulatowski’s Swan 100 luxury yacht Varsovie.
CSA 5 was another back-and-forth affair, which came down to two boats: a local boat and Jack Desmond’s Swan 48 CR yacht Affinity. The windy weather, and a fair bit of local knowledge, favoured the local which wrapped up the division title with a victory in the deciding race. Affinity finished in an impressive 3rd place.
CSA7 saw one of the closest battles in this year’s event. Valerio Bardi’s Swan 46 yacht Milatno, was nipped to top position by just one point.
