Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) — Dinghy racers were treated to a light southerly wind on Simpson Bay Lagoon for the Soons Dinghy Regatta, held on Saturday, October 18, from 9:30am to 1:00pm. With clear skies and just enough breeze to get racers around the course, the action was quite close and four races were able to be completed.
Part of SMYC’s Grant Thornton Dinghy Season Championship, the competition was tightly contested in the ILCA, Optimist, and Optimist Green fleets. Also, one RS Quest came out to enjoy some racing as well.
In the ILCA Fleet, Clement Le Norman took the overall win by just one point to earn 1st place, Massimo Lapierre came in 2nd place, and Merlin Guerrier claimed 3rd place respectively.
The younger sailors in the Optimist Fleet delivered their own share of excitement. Porter Cross sailed consistently well and came in 1st place, while Nathan Sheppard secured 2nd place, and Adam Gumbs fought hard to take 3rd place. In the end, all three sailors were only separated by one point a piece—9, 10 and 11.
The racing action was also close in the Optimist Green Fleet, with J’Amari de Groote coming in 1st place, followed by Louisa Vanden Eynde in 2nd place, and Magnus Cross in 3rd place. Each sailor demonstrated not only talent but true determination in every tack and jibe.
“Overall, the day went well and I’m happy that we were able to get four races finished in the light wind,” said SMYC racing coach Sam Peeks. “I’m proud of how the kids sailed and handled the breeze.”
The 2025 Soons Dinghy Regatta was a resounding success, and we look forward to more events in the future. Next up is the Sint Maarten Optimist Championship November 27-30, 2025. For more information and full results visit: https://smyc.com/dinghy-season-championship/