The Sint Maarten Yacht Club Racing Team proudly returns home after a week of intensive practice and competition at the St Barth Yacht Club’s Mini Bucket Regatta. Adilyn Treadwell, Harper Treadwell, Axel van den Eyende, Oskar Versteegden, and Nathan Sheppard traveled to St. Barth to sail in the Opti Class, together with Massimo Lapierre and Rio Stomp who competed in the ILCA Class. Together with sailing coach Sam Peeks, the seven sailors of the racing team showcased their skills and determination at the 2024 Mini Bucket Regatta, which took place over the weekend of May 11-12.
The journey began on May 4th when the SMYC Racing Team departed for St Barth Yacht Club. They spent a week in intense practice, joining a clinic to improve their sailing skills. The training sessions, which lasted five days for the Optimists and two days for the ILCAs, were designed to prepare the young sailors for the competition of the Mini Bucket Regatta.
The first race day on Saturday, May 11th, saw the SMYC Racing Team spending about seven hours on the water. “Despite the challenging conditions and a limited number of races—only four out of the planned six—the racing team performed very well.” Said Sam Peeks, racing coach of the SMYC. “The strong winds tested the sailors’ skills, but the team’s preparation paid off with improvements compared to last year’s performance.” He continued.
On the final day of racing, the SMYC Racing Team continued to demonstrate their progress and determination. SMYC is very proud of the team’s dedication, hard work, and results. In the ILCA Class, Rio Stomp secured 3rd place in ILCA 6, and Massimo Lapierre achieved 6th place in ILCA 4. In the Optimist Class, Nathan Sheppard finished 5th, Harper Treadwell placed 11th and was the 1st girl, Oskar Versteegden came 12th and was the 2nd Benjamin, and Adilyn Treadwell secured 15th place and was the 4th Benjamin. Despite getting sick on the last day, Axel vanden Eynde finished 9th in the green fleet.
The SMYC Racing Team extends their gratitude to the St Barth Yacht Club for organizing the event and to Frits Bus for providing transportation and accommodation on his catamaran. Special thanks are also due to the team’s sponsors, Avis-Budget-SXM, and Bob Hilbert Sportswear for helping to make these trips possible.
The team’s next big event is the St. Maarten National Championships, sponsored by IWW, scheduled for June 15-16 at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. The team is eager to continue their training and build on the successes from the Mini Bucket Regatta.