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Tropical
Sail Loft

Lagoon Marina
Wellington Rd. #35
Cole Bay
St Maarten

Tel +(1-721) 544 5472


 

 

8 years of North Sails Regatta's, from 2002 - 2009 before continuing as the Caribbean Marlow One Design Keelboat Championship. 

Remembering the excitement & superb sailing as we all enjoyed over those past years.

St Maarten
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

2009             2008             2007             2006
2005             2004             2003             2002

North Sails Regatta

2009
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

North Sails Regatta 2009, Markku Harmala Wins 2009 North Sails Regatta June 21, 2009-St.Maarten, Netherlands Antilles—This past weekend’s ever changing winds created a challenge for competitors during the 8th annual North Sails Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships. With 12 teams competing for 1st place the competition was intense, and in the end the point difference between first and second place was only 0.7. A total of 18 races were sailed over the course of two days with a one pool format, with 12 teams competing in eight boats thus allowing four teams to take a break in between races. Both regatta organizers and the main sponsor were thrilled with this weekend’s results, and according to Ernst Looser, owner of Tropical Sail Loft, agent for North Sails St.Maarten “it went very well, very enjoyable as the racing was closer than normal. North Sails is proud to be part of such high quality event with much credit going to the volunteers, especially Cary with organizing the event and Race Officer Andrew Rapley's excellent work, which kept all competitors happy”.

North Sails Regatta 2009, Teams competing from around the Caribbean, with sailors such as Simon Manley of St.Maarten, Markku Harmala of St.Barths and Frits bus of St.Maarten battled it out over two days, twelve races each and eighteen total races for the fleet which allowed for the first time ever, each team the opportunity to drop one race from their results. The winner was decided by 0.7 of a point leaving Markku Harmala, Team St.Barth Libre, with the win of 27 total points, and Frits Bus, Team Aqua Mania, placing second with 27.7 points. Third place went to Simon Manley, of team Scuba Shop with 33 points overall. Speaking to Markku after the event, he stated “fun, very fun. Nice people to race with, good organization even with the shifty conditions. It was perfect one design racing!”

The teams raced on the Sun Fast 20’s over the course of two days in the Lagoon, using a raft up using floating dock and change boat “SANTINO” courtesy of Aqua Mania and a Lagoon 41 as the committee boat. Together teams watched their fellow sailors battle it out each race and the overall atmosphere was total joy being able to be out on the water in such splendid conditions, and although they were competing against each other, those who were resting on the change boat were cheering and rooting for their fellow competitors. The camaraderie was outstanding to say the least. North Sails Regatta 2009,

When asked how he felt the weekends racing went, Frits Bus, of team Aqua Mania stated “Interesting!! With the wind shifts and the ups and downs of wind strengths. It was good sailing conditions for this regatta, lots of different types of weather; light, breezy, shifty then steady!” Racing was finished by 1:00pm on Sunday and once all the boats were back at the dock at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, sailors sat down to a fantastic BBQ lunch and the prize giving ceremony. Yacht Club board member and competitor Simon Manley thought “It was a fantastic event, and a really great weekend. The wind shifts were challenging along with the quality of the other crews.”

The points score was more compact than in most regattas. In spite of the leaders pulling away on points overall. Each of them spent many moments in the “pack” trying to break out. The first positions were to be found on the score card as low as 10th place. A great many sailors had a place in the top three at different times.

North Sails Regatta 2009, The rules knowledge of sailors was high which resulted in very little contact and dissension, in spite of the very short course. Starts were consistently high level with boats lined up right across the line showing an elevated level of starting.

So now that the sails are put away, the boats neatly tied to the docks and the competitors on their flights back home, it’s fair to say that the sailing conditions in St.Maarten are ideal for one design racing and regardless of the constant wind shifts, all the competitors had a great time and look forward to returning to St.Maarten in 2010 to battle it out once again.


FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2009
 

  Name Team R.1 R.2 R.3 R.4 R.5 R.6 R.7 R.8 R.9 R.10 R.11 R.12 R.13 R.14 R.15 R.16 R.17 R.18 TOTAL
1 Markku Hamala St Barth
Libre
3 - 1 2 - 3 - 2 3 - 4 5D 1 - 3 3 - 2 27
2 Frits Bus Aqua Mania
St Maarten
4 - 5D - 3 2.7 - 4 2 - 1 1 4 - 4 - 1 1 27.7
3 Simon Manley Scuba Shop
St Maarten
- 2 3 - 7 4 - 1 1 - 2 7 - 2 1 - 8D 3 33
4 Robbie Ferron Budget Marina
St Maarten
- 1 2 - 2 2 5 6 - 7D 6 - - 1 2 - 4 6 37
5 Bernard Sillem Dutch Connection
St Maarten
- 6 4 3 5 - 3 3 - 1 3 - - 4 7D 2 5 - 39
6 Paul Solomon Emzyme
Trinidad
2 3 - 1 1 - 2 5 - 6 7 - 2 7 - 6 7D - 42
7 Benoit Meesemaecker St Barth
Attitude
6 5 - 6 4 - 7D - 6 5 - 2 3 6 - 1 3 - 47
8 Guy Redmile Last Minute
St Maarten
1 - 6 8D - 5 1 - 5 4 - 6 5 - 5 4 - 7 49
9 Chris Marshall Budget Marine/Gill
St Maarten
5 7 - 4 - 7 4 - 4 3 - 3 6 5 - 8 - 8D 56
10 Luc Knol
St Maarten
- 4 7 - 8 1 - 8 7 8 8D - - 3 6 - 6 4 62
11 Bernie Evan-Wong
Antigua
7 8 - 5 6 - 8 7 - 2 - 4 8 8D - 7 2 - 64
12 Paul Johnson Saga Boy ll Racing
BVI
8 - 8 7 - 6 6 - 8 - 5 8 7 - 8D 5 - 5 73


===========================================================


2008
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

Paul Amon takes First Place in North Sails Regatta 2008.
North Sails Regatta 2008, North Sails Regatta 2008, High winds and tight competition made for a great weekend of sailing as fourteen teams of the Caribbean's best sailors raced against each other in a one-design fleet of identical Sun Fast 20 boats.
After each team sailed a total of nine races over the course of two days, what was left was a tired yet satisfied group of sailors. The shifting winds gave each team a hard time, and made it difficult for them to implement any of their well thought out strategies. Saturday proved the most grueling with each team completing 6 to 7 races. Each race coughed up a new winner and not one team had back to back first place wins. By the end of the day it looked like the ladies team, headed by Emma Paull out of Tortola, was sitting in a good spot to start off Sundays races. Andrea Scarabelli sailing out of St.Maarten was also looking well having sailed consistently throughout the day while pulling of a first place finish in the last race of the day. Sunday proved to be an entirely different day for all sailors with stronger and steadier winds. The final placing came down to the last race as most of the top teams were within four points of each other. Eric Baray of Martinique came up with an amazing win. Early on he had the lead when his halyard broke, using his quick thinking he used his main topping lift as a jib halyard and after dropping behind in the group managed to climb back up to the front and finish with a first place. North Sails Regatta 2008,

In the end Mike Green out of St.Lucia placed third, while local sailor Frits Bus walked away with a second place finish. It was Paul Amon who brought home the first place finish overall, including a first in the last race of the day. Paul said “I had a lot of fun; the partying was just as good as the sailing. We changed tactician since last year and that made a big improvement. We are now back sailing with our regular crew and that helped.” Third place winner Mike Green commented “It is always nice sailing one design boats against the best in the Caribbean, I enjoyed being on the “EXPLORER”, which is great for the spectators and for the teams changing boats. This event is always well organized and it shows.” North Sails Regatta 2008,

After racing all of the teams made their way back to the Sint Maarten Yacht Club for a lunch at the Spinnaker Bar & Grill and prize giving took place at 2:00pm. Many volunteers were thanked and the title sponsor North Sails was extremely pleased with the outcome. Andrew Dove, area manager for North Sails in the Caribbean stated that “North Sails has been involved with this event from the beginning. North Sails was born on the race course and will definitely continue to support this event in the future. North Sails Regatta 2008,

For more information about this event please contact Cary Byerley at 588-2474 or via e-mail at director@bigboatseries.com

Press Release Monday 23 June 2008 Heather Tackling heathertackling@yahoo.com 599-580-8181 599-544-2079

 


FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2008
 

  Name Team Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Race 9 Race 10 Race 11 Race 12 Race 13 Race 14 TOTAL
1 Paul Amon Drunken Monkey
Trinidad
- 1 - 6 3 - 1 8 - 2 3.25 - 4 1 29.25
2 Frits Bus Stella Artois
St Maarten
5 - 4 7 - 1 - 7 1 - 1 6 - 2 34
3 Mike Green Team
St Lucia
9 - 1 - 4 4 - 1 7 - 2 4 - 3 35
4 Andrea Scarabelli Ocean Planet
St Maarten
2 - 5 5 - 2 4 - 6 1 - 5 - 6 36
5 Emma Paull Doyle
BVI
- 5 3 - 5 6 - 2 3 - 3 2 - 8 37
6 Eric Barray Martinique
Sailing Team
6 - 2 3 - 7 6 - 2 - 6 1 - 7 40
7 Simon Manley Scuba Shop
St Maarten
3 6 - 2 7 - 2 5 - 3 8 - 5 - 41
8 Bernard Sillem Dutch Connection
St Martin
- 9 6 - 2 - 7 3 - 5 5 - 1 4 42
9 Segey Boer Curacao
Marine Team
4 - 7 4 - 3 3 - 4 4 - 8 6 - 43
10 Shag Morton FKG Rigging
St Maarten
1 8 - 1 9 - 9 6 - 6 - 7 3 - 50
11 Markku Harmala St Barth
Libre
- 2 9 - 1 8 - 9 - 7 7 - 2 5 50
12 Robbie Ferron Budget Marine
St Maarten
- 4 8 - 6 5 - 4 5 - 4 - 8 9 53
13 Donald Stollmeyer Bachannal Boys
Trinidad
7 3 - 8 - 9 5 - 8 8 - 3 7 - 58
14 Ian Hope-Ross Kick em Jenny
St Maarten
8 7 - 9 8 - 8 - 9 9 - 9 9 - 76

North Sails Regatta 2008,

===========================================================


2007
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships


Chris Rosenberg comes out on top once again. The North Sails Caribbean Keelboat Championships proved once again to be an event like no other. With competitive sailing and great camaraderie between competitors this event was a complete success. North Sails Regatta 2007,

The morning started out with competitors, and committee members heading out to the spectator boat Explorer which served as a floating observation point for the weekend.

A total of 18 races were sailed over the weekend and by the end of the day on Saturday the 18 teams were divided into two fleets, Gold and Silver. In the gold fleet Chris Rosenberg from team Vertical Yachts gave an outstanding performance with 4 first places out of 6 total races. Chris, who was the 2006 winner of the North Sails Regatta, was pleased to be at this event once again and during his acceptance speech thanked the organizers of the even for another wonderful year. Local St.Maarten sailor, Frits Bus, placed second with his team Carib. Third place in this fleet was awarded to the Stanton brothers Chris and Peter from St.Croix. North Sails Regatta 2007, In the Silver fleet first place went to Donald Stollmeyer and team Bachannal Boys from Trinidad. Second and third place were awarded to Team Scuba Shop of St.Maarten and lead by Simon Manley and Team Wadadli Too lead by Bernie Evan-Wong of Antigua. The all women’s team, and womens regatta winners for the past three years, which was lead by Emma Paull was unable to repeat their win at this North Sails Regatta. They placed 2nd during their first race and made it into the gold fleet, but were unable to place high enough land them in the winners seat.

The conditions on the water were ideal. Spectators aboard the floating observation point Exploror got to see some fantastic sailing by some of the Caribbean’s best sailors. The shouts of the spectators, a mix of resting competitors and sailing enthusiasts, could be heard each time one of the boats made another maneuver in attempts to better their opponents. Teams were able to use the floating dock alongside the Explorer to switch boats and teams with very little difficulties, which allowed the races to keep a steady pace for most of the day. This unique vantage point gave those participants who were not sailing at the time a great spot to watch the races and rest in between races. North Sails Regatta 2007,

The North Sails Regatta has been considered an innovative regatta model and this event has been copied by other territories. This year besides the general competition format, the regatta introduced an umpiring model that may also turn heads. The island is fortunate to have a senior international judge in the person of David de Vries and by sheer coincidence and good fortune another senior judge and umpire, Mr. Rob Overton from the USA happened to be on the island. North Sails Regatta 2007,

Together these two designed a penalty system which builds on the existing rules and allows a combination of the existing penalty system that is initiated between competitors as well as one initiated by the on the water judges . The penalty levels are designed in such a manner that there is an incentive for compliance by participant initiated penalty calls. In this first try out the system worked very well and the overall consensus was that this highly competitive event with very close racing was saved from the possible antagonistic relations that sometimes occur in regattas at this level .

Between the on the water judges the floating observation point and the incredible racing by all 18 team, this event was unquestionable a success and will be one event that these sailors will add onto their schedule for the 2008 racing season.
Article by Heather Tackling, photographs by Jolyon Ferron


FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2007

Championship Gold Fleet

 

Name Team Race 2 Race 4 Race 6 Race 8 Race 10 Race 12 TOTAL
1 Chris Rosenberg St Thomas 1 3 7 1 1 1 14
2 Frits Bus St Maarten 3 7 3 3 2 5 23
3 Chris Stanton St Croix 6 6 1 5 3 3 24
4 Luc Knol St Maarten 7 1 8 4 5 2 27
5 Markku Harmala St Barths 5 5 6 2 8 4 30
6 Paul Amon Trinidad 4 9 2 8 6 5.8 34.8
7 Robbie Ferron St Maarten 8 2 5 6 9 7 37
8 Emma Paull Tortola 2 8 9 7 4 8 38
9 Shag Morton St Maarten 9 4 4 9 7 6 39


Silver Fleet >
Name Team Race 1 Race 3 Race 5 Race 7 Race 9 Race 11 TOTAL
1 Donald Stollmeyer Trinidad 1.8 3 2 1 1 2 10.8
2 Simon Manley St Maarten 8 2 3 2 2 3.4 20.4
3 Bernie Evan-Wong Antigua 2 9 1 3 3 3 21
4 Mark Solomon Grenada 4 6 5 4 7 1 27
5 Bernard Sillem St Martin 5 5 4 5 4 5 28
6 Jack Bishop St Thomas 1 4 6 7 9 4 31
7 Robbie Yearwood Grenada 3 1 7 8 6 7 32
8 Nick Forsberg St Lucia 6 7 8 9 5 6 41
9 Ben Jelic St Lucia 7 8 9 6 8 8 46


===========================================================


2006
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

North Sails Regatta 2006,

Rosenberg rules at North Sails Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships.
ST. MAARTEN – Sailed over the weekend of June 17th, the fifth regatta to carry the famous sail maker’s name was blessed with near perfect conditions. Sixteen teams, making up some of the Caribbean’s best sailors, competed in two pools to decide which teams would eventually go forward into the Gold and Silver fleets.
From the beginning racing was tight and whatever mistakes were made were due to an over abundance of enthusiasm than to lack of skill.

By mid morning Saturday, one man was beginning to dominate the event. Champion IC 24 sailor Chris Rosenberg from St. Thomas was immediately at ease with the boats and revelled in the conditions. Being a champion one-design sailor helped, yet surprisingly Rosenberg claimed it didn’t help much. “Sailing IC 24s doesn’t give you an edge when sailing the Sun Fast 20s, but being a champion dinghy sailor like Karl James from Antigua, does,” he said.
Olympic Laser sailor Karl James, who pushed Rosenberg hard, said he wasn’t sure about that. North Sails Regatta 2006,
“You have more people on board and it’s a heavier boat,” he remarked. “It’s more the dinghy instinct that helps.”
The regatta, which is organized by the St Maarten Yacht Club and Lagoon Sailboat Rentals, and sailed aboard their fleet of Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s, eschewed the use of a shore-side base and this year ran the event from a floating HQ in the form of the two decked, motorized catamaran Explorer.
This bold move was successful beyond all expectations. A floating dock alongside Explorer allowed for rapid rotation, with crews hopping in and out of boats like clockwork. Explorer’s bar and restaurant, manned by friendly staff, helped to keep the sailors fueled, but it was the upper deck that came in for the most praise.
Watching from 15-feet above water is like watching motor racing from the stand. With the fleet often tacking and jibing within a booms length of the catamaran, crews waiting their turn to race could check out the competition while being thoroughly entertained.

Sailors are vocal whether shouting for water at the mark or roaring out disparaging remarks from afar. Thus the cheers and jeers went up at the start of the second race when Robbie Ferron, the man responsible for one-design racing in St. Maarten, crossed the line early and was forced to restart. North Sails Regatta 2006,
Sun Fast 20s are resilient boats, however, race three of Saturday’s qualifying rounds saw Phillip Shannon puzzled when his rudder sheared off and the boat suddenly rounded up.
Thanks to superb organization, the maintenance team soon had another rudder in place and the next race started with little delay.
It became obvious early on that the gate at the end of the downwind leg would play a major role. This decision to round to port or starboard was often a simple one, yet occasionally, in the slight yet ever changing Lagoon winds, the choice determined the outcome of the race.
With such close racing the protest flag occasionally took flight, but with Judge David de Vries patrolling the marks by dinghy, things remained calm and, as in previous regattas, the protests were settled in a gentlemanly way. North Sails Regatta 2006,
By 1.00 pm the qualifying races were over and the Gold and Silver fleets decided. With barely a break the regatta rolled on, and tough luck to those who dallied over lunch.
Of the local teams, Simon Manley, Luc Knol and Frits Bus joined visitors Chris Rosenberg (St. Thomas), Markku Harmala (St. Barts), Karl James (Antigua), Phillip Shannon (St. Thomas) and Fraito Lugo (Puerto Rico), in the Gold fleet.

In the Silver Fleet, the local teams of Robbie Ferron, Bill Gray and FKG, sailed against Jeb Beaudin (St. Croix), Nick Forsberg (St. Lucia), Bernie Even-Wong (Antigua), Mark Plaxton and Vincent De Maynard (Guadeloupe).
By now the posted results were highlighting changes in fortune. “It’s nice to start a regatta like this,” noted St. Maarten sailor Frits Bus after winning the first race of the day. Yet ultimately Bus was lucky to scrape into the Gold Fleet, where he finished in eighth place. Bus wasn’t the only one with problems; Vincent De Maynard sailed hard in the Silver Fleet but never climbed higher than sixth place. North Sails Regatta 2006,

Conditions on Sunday mirrored those of the previous day with sunshine and winds from the southeast at 10 to 12 knots.
Following three consecutive bullets on day one Rosenberg needed a race to warm up, but he was soon on form and went on to win with 12 points.
Markku Harmala squeezed out Karl James to secure second place, but it could have gone either way as both had the same amount of points going in to the final race.
St. Maarten’s, Simon Manley, finished a creditable fourth.
Top honors in the Silver Fleet went Jeb Beaudin and his crew of girls from St. Croix. St. Maarten’s Robbie Ferron secured second place ahead of Nick Forsberg of St. Lucia.
The kudos flew thick and fast at the Sunday afternoon’s awards ceremony.
“This regatta is always a great regatta and the competition is tough,” noted Chris Rosenberg, who went on to credit his crew with the win. Like most other competitors, he also said he would return next year. North Sails Regatta 2006,
Both North Sails Representatives, Ernst Looser of Tropical Sail Loft, St. Maarten, and Regional Manager Andrew Dove said they were delighted with the regatta and confirmed North Sails future commitment.
“You watch people sailing here and it is high level sailing with people having fun in simple boats, which are all the same. If we think things are positive for sailing in the Caribbean, then we do our best to support it any way we can,” Dove said.
A grinning Ernst Looser summed up the weekend for everyone. “The regatta went smoothly and the weather was perfect. It was challenging with the wind shifts but the courses worked out really nice. Nobody complained, the races were fair and the competition was brilliant,” he said.
Article & photos by Gary Brown, Docktalk Marketing & Media.
More photos available at www.docktalksxm.com




FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2006

Championship Gold Fleet

  Name Team Race 2 Race 4 Race 6 Race 8 Race 10 Race 12 Race 14 TOTAL
1 Chris Rosenberg St Thomas 1 1 1 4 2 2 1 12
2 Markku Harmala St Barths Libre 2 3 7 5 5 1 4 27
3 Karl James Budget Marine, Antigua 4 8 2 2 1 6 8 31
4 Phillip Shannon Magic Bus 7 7 8 1 4 3 2 32
5 Simon Manley Scuba Shop, St Maarten 3 5 3 6 8 4 5 34
6 Fraito Lugo Orion Sail Team, Puerto Rico 8 2 4 7 3 7 7 38
7 Luc Knol St Maarten 6 4 5 8 7 5 3 38
8 Frits Bus Carib, St Maarten 5 6 6 3 6 8 6 40


Silver Fleet
  Name Team Race 1 Race 3 Race 5 Race 7 Race 9 Race 11 Race 13 TOTAL
1 Jeb Beaudin Gone Cruzan, St Croix 2 4 5 1 1 2.5 1 16.5
2 Robbie Ferron Budget Marine, St Maarten 4 6 1 2 4 4 2 23
3 Nick Forsberg Team St Lucia 1 3 4 8 2 5 4 27
4 Bill Gray Island 92, St Maarten 5 1 6 5 7 2 3 29
5 Bernie Evan-Wong Team Waddali, Antigua 6 2 2 7 3 3 7 30
6 Mark Plaxton INTAC, Tortola 6 5 8 3 6 1 5 34
7 FKG FKG, St Maarten 3 7 3 4 5 7 6 35
8 Vincent De Maynard Zoo Regatta, Guadaloupe 8 8 7 6 8 6 8 51


===========================================================  
North Sails Regatta 2005


2005
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships


The BVI’s Team Latitude 18 Tops Fourth Annual North Sails Regatta

Simpson Bay Lagoon, St Maarten, June 19, 2005- Sixteen teams from throughout the Caribbean battled it out on the waters of Simpson Bay Lagoon in St Maarten this weekend (June 18/19) in the fourth annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship. After three qualifying races and seven championship races in the Gold fleet, the British Virgin Islands’ Robby Hirst, with brother Mike and Chris Haycraft as crew, won with 13 points. Robby Hirst also won the event in 2002 with the same crew. North Sails Regatta 2005,

Puerto Rico’s top racer, Fraito Lugo (Team Orion), was eight points behind and second. Third place by a slimmer margin of three points went to Markku Harmala from Team St Barths Libre. Luc Knol and his Team Enerserve topped the Silver fleet.
The race committee added a leeward gate this year and the first day of racing saw light and shifty sub-10 knot conditions with two pools of eight teams vying for the top four slots in each to qualify for the gold fleet. After the qualifiers, Hirst and co. cleaned up the first day of racing in the Gold fleet with three bullets giving them a nine-point lead going in to the second day.

According to Robby, the key to their success was crewwork, boat speed and “avoiding the pile ups”. “Of all the people I’ve sailed with, we are pretty good together and that really makes a difference. We also had a strategy which we were allowed to pursue by our competitors - race after race - which was starting at the committee boat end and controlling the fleet for the crucial first beat which was very short.” North Sails Regatta 2005,

After the more tactical light first day, the second day - which saw heavier, and steadier winds with periods in the 18-knot range - was more of a “brute strength day”.

Although Hirst and co. racked up a win for the first race, two seconds and a fifth place followed. “They [the other competitors] closed down our strategy,” said Haycraft. “It’s psychological too, added Robby. “When you have nothing to lose you do better because you take more chances and you push yourself harder whereas when you’re winning you want to hold onto it and not take chances. So you end up with not quite as good a start which puts you back in the fleet a little bit. You can’t win without coming off the line well.” They relaxed a little too.

After a slow start Harmala finished up with the last two wins in the gold fleet. For Lugo, who was relegated to the silver fleet last year, a second in the Gold fleet this year was welcome. “Last year is a long story but this year we are having fun. We have more knowledge of the boat, more time sailing the boat and I think, year by year, it’s going to be better.” North Sails Regatta 2005,

Knol and crew from St Maarten won the silver fleet by one point with Kwame Hinds’ Team Infinity from Barbados, second. Knol finished the first day one point behind Hinds and was able to rack up a first and second in the first two races of the last day with good starts and clean air while Hinds got two third places. “After that we were only really looking for him [Hinds],” said Knol. “We were looking for winning the regatta not winning the races. Tactically that changed everything.”
However, while Knol and crew were concentrating on Hinds, Shag Morton took three of the last day’s races to finish two points behind Hinds.

Despite the sea of red protest flags that were seen on the water throughout the last day, all protests were withdrawn when it came time to sit round the table. However, a lively, impromptu rules clinic was held instead. North Sails Regatta 2005,

The racing, in the Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s supplied by Lagoon Sailboat Rental, was fast and furious off Uncle Harry’s Bar on Simpson Bay Lagoon where spectators would have eight boats heading at them as the bar was on the layline for the windward mark.

“This event is unique in the sailing world of the Caribbean in that it allows the top sailors from all Caribbean territories to compete on a level playing field without the huge expense that is attached to racing campaigns in the large traditional events,” said event organizer Robbie Ferron.
The event is sanctioned by the Caribbean Sailing Association as the Caribbean Keelboat Championships and teams from Antigua, Puerto Rico, Martinque, the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St Barths, Barbados and Guadeloupe competed against eight teams representing St Maarten/St. Martin.
Last year’s winner, John Holmberg from the USVI, was unable to attend.
Dates for the 2006 event are June 17/18. North Sails Regatta 2005, Press Release by Alastair Abrehart, Broadsword Communications 19 June 2005

For further information or high resolution photos please contact:
Robbie Ferron, North Sails Regatta E-mail: rob@budmar.an
Ernst Looser Tropical Sail Loft E-mail: ernst@tropicalsailloft.com
Alastair Abrehart Broadsword Communications e-mail: alastair@broadswordcommunications.com

FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2005

Championship Fleet

  Name Team Race 2 Race 4 Race 6 Race 8 Race 10 Race 12 Race 14 TOTAL
1 Robby Hirst Latitude 18, BVI 1 1 1 1 2 2 5 13
2 Fraito Lugo Orion Sailing Team, Puerto Rico 3 2 8 2 1 3 2 21
3 Markku Harmala St Barths Libre, St Barths 7 4 4 3 4 1 1 24
4 Frits Bus Carib HiHo, St Maarten 5 5 2 5 5 5 7 34
5 Karl James Budget Marine, Antigua 6 8 7 4 3 4 4 36
6 Tim Pitts Racing Crucians, St Croix 8 3 5 6 8 7 3 40
7 Phillippe Herve O Plongeoir, St Martin 4 7 3 7 6 6 8 41
8 Mathieu Moures Martinique 2 6 6 8 7 8 6 43


Silver Fleet
  Name Team Race 1 Race 3 Race 5 Race 7 Race 9 Race 11 Race 13 TOTAL
1 Luc Knol Team Ennerserve, St Maarten 1 2 6 2 1 4 6 22
2 Kwame Hinds Infinity, Barbados 4 1 3 3 3 5 4 23
3 Shag Morton FKG, St Maarten 8 7 5 1 2 1 1 25
4 Simon Manley Scuba Shop, St Maarten 2 5 8 5 5 3 2 30
5 Philippe Quere Ecodec-Orange-Dell, Guadaloupe 7 3 1 7 4 6 3 31
6 Didier Rouault W.I.A.Architects, St Martin 5 4 7 4 6 2 5 33
7 Peter Gramnetia Island 92, St Maarten 3 6 4 6 8 8 8 43
8 Doug James St Maarten 6 8 2 8 7 7 7 45


=========================================================== John Holmberg team, winners 
North Sails Regatta 2004


2004
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

USVI’s John Holmberg Tops St Maarten’s North Sails Regatta

Simpson Bay Lagoon, St Maarten, June 27, 2004 – It came down to the last boat lengths of the last leg of the last day of the third annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship held this weekend (June 26,27) in St Maarten; four boats were in contention to win with myriad permutations for winning.

The USVI’s John Holmberg crossed the line finish line first but it was Antiguan Karl James’ second place and Rosenberg’s third place that secured his overall win by putting two places between Holmberg and Green. Excruciatingly, Green had been second to Holmberg around the course until the last seconds of the race. The USVI’s Chris Rosenberg needed the same permutation as Holmberg to win. The BVI’s Robbie Hirst needed a win and two boats between him and Green. Green needed a second place to win overall. However, Green did claim second overall and Rosenberg was third. Last year’s winner, Robbie Hirst, was fourth having been “punished by some silly mistakes” particularly on the first day. North Sails Regatta 2004,

Green, the favorite coming into the second day having notched up three first on the first day saw what some thought was an assured victory start to erode with a fifth place finish on the first race of the day after a bad start. “If you get a bad start in this fleet you just get buried very quickly,” lamented Green. A third, followed by a victory-killing seventh place, broke the field wide open. Having taken the left side of the course, which as a rule was the right move to make throughout the weekend, Green was shut out at the windward mark coming in on port. “It was one of those horrible situations where you just get stuck. I should have not taken the risk, gone behind everybody and settled for fourth place. It would have saved me three points,” said Green.

However in the crucial final race, Green once again headed deep left chasing some breeze on the first beat while Holmberg shadowed him closer to the middle of the course. This move put Green in second place at the mark. On the second beat it was James going left that brought him out of nowhere to come in under the wire for second while Holmberg, Green and Rosenberg tussled on the right hand side of the course. James’ move gave Holmberg the place separation that he needed to win the regatta. North Sails Regatta, start

“I just got on my knees and prayed a moment ago for first and someone between me and Mike Green,” said Holmberg before the last race and that’s exactly what he got. “It was one of the most competitive regattas I’ve been in for a while,” said Holmberg on his victory. “Actively disengaging” was the Holmberg team game plan for the day. “Anytime we saw a situation approaching with two or three or four [boats] together we were actually disengaging and sailing clear and fast because you can win a spot on a mark rounding or lose four. So it’s better to come around and keep your position on the rounding and make your passes on the long legs up and downwind where you’re not liable to get penalized.”

Although his skills were not so evident on the second day, Green was credited with having an uncanny knack for spotting shifts that others don’t. “I spend a lot of time looking outside the boat not inside the boat especially on this piece of water where the shifts that are coming look like a lift and then are not a lift as they are coming all over the place around the mountains. So it’s very critical looking not at the one you’re on but what’s coming after that and even two and three shifts ahead because you can see where they’re coming from up the course” North Sails Regatta

Fourteen teams from throughout the Caribbean battled it out for the silverware at the third annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship, which started Saturday morning with a sudden death best of three races to decide the Gold and Silver fleets.

The big news of the first day was Puerto Rico’s Efrain “Fraito” Lugo’s failure to qualify for the Gold fleet. At the end of the three-race shootout John Holmberg, Mike Green, Chris Rosenberg, Robbie Hirst, Bernard Sillem, Karl James and Shag Morton were Gold fleet. Fraito Lugo, Claude Thelier, Luc Knol, Carlos Skov, Garth Steyn, Simon Manley and Vassil Beyazov made up the silver fleet. Despite his surprise at being in the Silver fleet, Fraito racked up three firsts in the fleet and won by seven points over second-placer Claude Thelier who won on a tiebreak over Luc Knol, third. “I’ll be back next year,” said Fraito even before his last race of the regatta.

The shifty winds in the 10-20 knot range proved challenging where oscillations could be as much as 25 degrees. After a dismasting in the last race of the first day and with the spare boat called into action, reefs were the order of the second day which were shaken out for the Gold fleet’s last race. North Sails Regatta, Robbie Hirst & team

No recent Caribbean regatta has pitted so much Caribbean-wide sailing talent against each other since the inception of this one-design event three years ago. The racing, in the Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s supplied by Lagoon Sailboat Rental, was fast and furious off Uncle Harry’s Bar on Simpson Bay lagoon where spectators could touch the boats as they headed upwind with the start line off the bar’s deck.

“It was an excellent weekend with excellent racing,” enthused race director Robbie Ferron. “This regatta is about bringing all the best sailors of the Caribbean together without them having to ship equipment and still with a level playing field. We were very pleased with the field we were able to bring together and pleasantly shocked at the intense competiton.” Press Release by Alastair Abrehart, Broadsword Communications 27 June 2004

FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2004

Championship Fleet

  Name Team Race 2 Race 4 Race 6 Race 8 Race 10 Race 12 Race 14 Total
1 John Holmberg Claims Paid, USVI 3 3 2 4 5 2 1 20
2 Mike Green Lucians, St Lucia 1 1 1 5 3 7 4 22
3 Chris Rosenberg Micro W*nkers, USVI 5 4 5 3 1 1 3 22
4 Robbie Hirst HIHO, BVI 2 6 6 1 2 3 5 25
5 Bernard Sillem L.ile Marine, St Martin 7 2 3 2 7 4 7 32
6 Karl James Budget Marine, Antigua 6 5 4 6 4 5 2 32
7 Shag Morton FKG, St Maarten 4 7 7 7 6 6 6 43


Silver Fleet
  Name Team Race 1 Race 3 Race 5 Race 7 Race 9 Race 11 Race 13 TOTAL
1 Fraito Lugo Orion, Puerto Rico 2 1 3 3 1 1 4 15
2 Claude Thelier Gwada Team, Guadaloupe 4 4 2 1 6 4 1 22
3 Luc Knol Knol / Bernaz, St Maarten 3 2 4 4 4 3 2 22
4 Carlos Skov Cruzans, USVI 1 3 6 2 3 2 6 23
5 Garth Steyn Buccaneer Bar, St Maarten 5 5 1 6 5 6 5 33
6 Simon Manley Scuba/Sunsail, St Martin 7 7 5 5 2 5 3 34
7 Vassil Beyazov Gerena, St Maarten 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 47


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2003
North Sails Regatta

Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships

Robbie Hirst and his team of experienced BV Islanders win the second North Sails Caribbean One Design Championship. Mike Green of St Lucia had the same number of points and Chris Rosenberg of St Thomas and Karl James of Antigua were breathing down his neck. But better finishes just got him past the post in this incredibly competitive Caribbean Championships.
For the spectators watching the gold fleet thrashing around the course in 20 knot fast shifting winds that required every ounce of concentration it was a demonstration of sailing skill that allowed competitors to edge an advantage as the fleet went around the course in the tightest bunch you could imagine . "It's magic!" said a spectator next to me as he stood in awe as Mike Green seemed to anticipate two wind shifts ahead and slip ahead to a winning position whilst his closest competitors seemed to follow all the rules of race winning by tacking on headers and lifts .

RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2003

Championship Fleet

  Name Team Race 2 Race 4 Race 6 Race 8 Race 10 Race 12 TOTAL
1 Robbie Hirst Latitude 18 1 1 5 3 1 4 15
2 Mike Green Team St Lucia 2 3 1 1 5 3 15
3 Chris Rosenberg Rollin St Thomians 6 2 2 2 2 2 16
4 Karl James Budget Marine 4 6 3 4 4 1 22
5 Ted Kenneally Lady C 3 5 4 6 6 6 30
6 Chris Goedhart Rum Jumbie 7 4 6 7 3 5 32
7 Christian Deredec St Barth Libre 5 7 7 5 7 7 38


Silver Fleet
  Name Team Race 1 Race 3 Race 5 Race 7 Race 9 Race 11 TOTAL
1 Andrew Dove North Sails 2 2 3 3 3 3 16
2 Allan Rostant Team Trini 4 7 1 2 4 1 19
3 Bernard Sillem L'Ile Marine 1 1 5 6 7 2 22
4 Carlos Skov Cruzans 5 4 6 1 1 7 24
5 Karel van Haren Team Curacao 7 3 2 5 5 6 28
6 Luc Knol Sea Dogs 3 5 4 7 6 4 29
7 Francios Sebesi Marina Bas Du Fort 6 6 7 4 2 5 30


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2002
North Sails Regatta Winners


    1st Mike Green, St Lucia
    2nd Cor Van Aanholt, Curacoa
    3rd Luc Knol & Simon Manley, St Maarten

    Silver Fleet Winner Elco Sint, St Maarten


The first and highly successful North Sails Lagoon Regatta was held at the end of June 2002, following a weekend of qualifying rounds. The qualifying teams then joined such international sailors as John Foster, Cor van Aanholt and Mike Green, making 14 competing teams sailing in 7 identical Sunfast 20's, who battled it out with great racing in the North Sails Lagoon Regatta.
The Regatta was a huge success, and enjoyed thoroughly by all.

North Sails Regatta

 

North Sails Regatta, base

Caribbean Compass August 2002
North Sails Lagoon Regatta
A Positive Trend

by Robbie Ferron
The success of the first ever North Sails Lagoon Regatta was a confirmation that competitive Caribbean sailors want more one-design sailing.
Fourteen hot regional teams descended on Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Maarten, to race Jeanneau Sunfast 20s on June 29th and 30th. Teams from the USVI, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Curaçao joined eight local teams. All teams first raced in two seeded pools; those with top results then went to the championship pool and the rest to the consolation pool. The winning skippers were Mike Green from St. Lucia, followed by Cor van Aanholt of Curaçao and Simon Manley of St. Maarten. The consolation pool was won by Eelco Sint of St. Maarten, followed by John Foster of the USVI and Niels Lund of Trinidad. The caliber of racing skippers attracted to this event was high. Green and van Aanholt are Olympic sailors; Claude Theiler from Guadeloupe has won second place in the Hobie 16 Worlds; Chris Goedhart from St. Maarten has come second twice in the 120-boat Bareboat Class at that island's Heineken Regatta; John Foster came third in Racing Class II at this year's CORT series; and beach cat sailor Luc Knol St. Maarten has won his class at the Rolex regatta in St. Thomas.
Drawn like magnets to a resident fleet of identical, speedy boats, the visiting teams flew into St. Maarten and went straight to the welcome party without having to worry about handicap certificates, or whether all the crew had arrived with all the gear, or how long it would take for the boat to clear Customs, or whether dockage was arranged. There were no dinghies to consider and no last-minute repairs. The major concerns were getting the T-shirts colour-matched, having sufficient sunblock and keeping the entire crew of three persons reasonably sober and well-rested.
The Jeanneau Sunfast 20s are day sailors with typical mid-90's non-planing underbodies. The keel is a centreboard but not weighted; the ballast is in the hull itself (which sounds inefficient but actually works surprisingly well). Because the foils are fine they react very well indeed - the positive side of having the ballast in the hull. The centreboards make it possible to beach the boats, trailer them and get them into very shallow water.
Even though the boats, from the Lagoon Sailboat Rental fleet, were all equal they were still rotated between every race. There were seven boats on every start line, making positioning important but without making a second-row start entirely disastrous, especially in the lagoon's notoriously fluky winds. There were no dull moments as helmsmen quickly learnt the necessity of anticipating gusts and wind shifts. As usual, the good got lucky. Unusually, more people got to learn very fast. The fluky winds offered a good chance of taking a bad tack and losing places, but also good chances of gaining places on the very short (15- to 22-minute) up-and-down courses. The interest level was multiples higher than on a five-mile reach in open water!
Cor van Aanholt started off with all his four children on board. Some preferred jumping off the dock into the water thousands of times but the others became first-class foredeck crew as they poled out the jib on the downwind legs. Offspring also crewed with Claude Theiler, Chris Goedhart, Andrew Dove from Guadeloupe and Pedro Jonker from St. Maarten.
With Green firmly in the lead, the second position was still up for grabs at the start of the final race, with a three-way tie of Simon Manley, Cor van Aanholt and Claude Theiler. The final race put Cor into second place, Simon into third and Claude fourth. A great regatta is always a pleasure. The greater interest however is in developing regattas in which the participants can enjoy sailing without having to spend a fortune, ruin their family life and return home ready only for a real vacation. The idea of "simple sailing" is also the philosophy behind the IC24 class in St. Thomas and the SR Max in Trinidad.
This is a wonderfully healthy trend in Caribbean sailing that will be of great benefit to the sport. If the North Sails Lagoon Regatta becomes an annual event, it will not detract from premier events such as Antigua Sailing Week and St. Maarten's Heineken Regatta, where world-famous boats and expensive equipment are brought to Caribbean shores. Instead it will serve to upgrade the quality of our local sailing and help create a stronger cadre of sailing organizers and participants in the region.
Come and join us next time.



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