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October 14, 2022 – Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
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Next weekend the Sint Maarten Yacht Club will be hosting the 2022 edition of the Caribbean Dinghy Championship, combined with the Caribbean Sailing Association Conference. A 3-day sailing regatta and a conference that reunites the Caribbean sailing world after two years of limited racing and online meetings.
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27 different teams from 4 countries will compete for individual results and the overall ‘Nations Cup’. The joining Caribbean Islands are bringing in their best sailors to compete in 6 different classes; RS Quest, RS Zest, Optimist, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and Laser Standard. In 2019 the last edition of the Caribbean Dinghy Championship was held in Antigua, who then took the win of the Nations Cup! Will they be able to win again? Antigua is sending a team of 7 of their best sailors to defend their title, but Team SXM with 10 of their sailors, Team Saint Martin with 10 sailors and a team from Saint Barth’s with 8 sailors are all ready to claim the Nations Cup as their own.
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“Team SXM is ready for the competition! To make sure our best sailors got selected, results of the last 3 dinghy races were combined as a qualifier, explains Sam Peeks, Racing Coach of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. I am happy to have a great team that is motivated to race. In the RS Quest Joris van den Eynde and Alex Speetjens will compete. In the RS Zest, where there is an age limit of 16 years old, Rio Stomp and Dax Henriquez are forming a team to sail this duo handed boat. In the Optimist we have Feline Oosterhof and Nathan Sheppard competing. In the laser 4.7 Emma Lennox and Jordan Pieterse will compete. The Laser Radial will be sailed by Justin Pieterse and the Laser Standard will be sailed by the SMYC commodore Frits Bus, Peeks continues”.
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Registration will take place on Thursday October 20th, at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. The first racing day will be Friday the 21st. “When the weather is good, we will race out in Simpson Bay where we will have steadier winds and a nice open area to sail. Our team is ready to facilitate and organize some high-class racing for the top of the Caribbean Sailors” says Paul Henriquez, Race Officer of the Caribbean Dinghy Championships.
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While the sailing is taking place, regatta organizers, yacht club managers, sailing program managers and measurers from around the Caribbean will participate in a 3-day conference organized by the Caribbean Sailing Association.
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There is a full agenda starting with the Annual General Meeting on Friday morning. The afternoon will continue with presentations on trends and developments in sailing, and youth programs during regattas. Saturday’s topics will be about safety standards, sailing development and foiling. In the evening a dinner will be hosted at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, bringing sailors and conference attendees together. The final day of the conference starts off with the Sailor’s Hour, an initiative that started 2 years ago when the conference was held online and then served as an informational session on what sailors could expect when travelling to the Caribbean to participate in sailing events. This year it will be to hear from the sailors who have been coming to the Caribbean, to share experiences and feedback and provide take aways for the regatta organizers to further improve on their events. As a closing event, the conference attendees and participants of the Caribbean Dinghy Championships will come together for lunch and the prize giving.
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For those who weren’t able to make arrangements to come to Sint Maarten, there is the option to join the conference digitally. For more information, or to sign up, visit www.caribbeansailingweek.com.
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“We are happy to have some great sponsors on board, they make it possible for us to organize this event. We would like to thank Budget Marine, The Scuba Shop, Port of St-Maarten, Domino’s, IGY Marinas and Zeebest Bakeshop. These sponsors support the SMYC to provide dinghies, gift certificates and some tasty food. States Saskia Revelman, Event & Sailing School Manager at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.
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About the Sint Maarten Yacht Club:
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Established in 1980 with the goal to promote sailing on the island of St Maarten. It organizes multiple sailing events throughout the year, with the St Maarten Heineken Regatta as its crown jewel. A youth sailing program stimulates local youngsters to become part of the sailing community, teaching them life skills like team work, perseverance and confidence. Always looking to further develop sailing on St Maarten, the Club is active in promoting the sport, as well as the beautiful destination it is located at. For more information visit www.smyc.com
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