The St.Maarten Heineken Regatta includes a variety of locations, spread out across the island, providing spectators as well as island visitors with a unique opportunity to see and experience everything the fabulous St.Maarten yacht charter destination has to offer, while enjoying the regatta experience. For sailors this can make things a bit difficult, when trying to track down results or each other for that matter. This year, Budget Marine has sponsored a Lounge, which will be a place for gathering, reminiscing and relaxing after a hard day on the water, and since it is based at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, it is easy to find as it is the same location as registration.
New Budget Marine Lounge under construction
This fun Budget Marine Lounge will be open from Tuesday March 3rd through Sunday March 8th, and will be the only location where results will be posted, making it the place to be. In addition to showing up to the minute results they will also offer screens running footage of the days racing as well as highlights from the past Budget Marine Match Racing Cup events.
When asked about the new Lounge, Budget Marine General Manager Christopher Marshall had the following to say “We’re very excited to make a change this year and offer something that we always felt was missing. Unlike the smaller regattas this event is so large and spread across different venues each night. This will offer sailors and supporters one central place where they can meet up with friends, talk about the day on the water and squeeze in some relaxation in between while catching up on e-mails or sharing some moments with family and friends online on the free wifi available”
Budget Marine has been a supporter of the St.Maarten Heineken Regatta for many years and their continued involvement in the event is something both Budget Marine and the regatta are proud of. “Budget Marine was officially incorporated almost 26 years ago although we were in operation before then. This event is huge! It definitely puts the island on the map and perhaps most importantly it gives the people and residents an opportunity to showcase all that we have to offer to a wide audience” said Marshall.
“The founder of Budget Marine, Robbie Ferron, is also one of the Founders of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and so there is a definite link there and we are proud to see that both organisations continue to flourish.” No regatta Lounge would be complete without a bar serving ice cold Heinekens and other beverages of choice. The bar will be open daily from 11am through 8pm on registrations days of Tuesday and Wednesday. During racing days Thursday through Sunday the bar will be open from 4pm to 8pm.
Daily winners will receive a personal invitation to the lounge after racing to enjoy a relaxing glass of champagne while enjoying the ever so comfortable bean bags. The lounge will actually be elevated above existing containers already on property making this an ideal place to enjoy the world famous bridge openings after racing has finished, and with a little bit of luck, a stunning sunset or two.
For those who still need to pick up some last minute gear for their boat, or perhaps you want to take advantage of Budget Marines great prices and wide selection of merchandise, they will be offering a water taxi service that will run daily on the hour between their Cole Bay store and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. The Sint Maarten Yacht Club will be the central location for sailors, from registration to results and everything in between. It is the location of the regatta office, the Jury and protest rooms and the CSA measurers will also be on hand to assist in any rating issues that may arise. Organizers are hoping to turn this regatta hub into the place to be for sailors, making it easy for them to find each other after a day of sailing.
