In competitive sailing, no event carries as much prestige and status as the America’s Cup - the pinnacle of regatta sailing. Ultra-high-tech yachts operated by teams from different nations and equipped with budgets in the hundreds of million dollars each are competing every four years. The winning country has to host the following event; which will be New Zealand in the year 2021.
American yachtsman Dennis Connor became a worldwide household name by winning the cup four times with his legendary race boats’ Stars and Stripes’.
Homeport to the legendary ‘Stars and Stripes’ is now Sint Maarten, where the yacht is part of a fleet of authentic 12-Metre America’s Cup racing boats, which form one of the Caribbean’s most exciting visitor attraction. The 12 Metre Regatta is an excursion that cruise ship passengers, island guests, and the local population have the opportunity to participate in, seven days a week. Guests are welcome to enjoy the exhilarating ride or jump into the action without prior sailing experience.
Recently, our popular contributor Sarina Alexander accepted the invitation to participate in a 12-Metre Regatta. Like most of the other crew members, she had zero prior sailing experience.
By Sarina Alexander
Ever dreamt of being part of the Heineken regatta? Or perhaps you’ve imagined yourself sailing on a famous boat like America’s Cup “Stars & Stripes 87”? What if I told you it was possible, right here in Sint Maarten!?
As the Honorary Videographer aboard the SV Canada II, I take it as my duty to report my experience upon one of the four sailing vessels at the 12-Metre Regatta in Point Blanche! (Why am I speaking like that?)
Do names like Stars and Stripes 86 (US-50) or true True North IV (KC-IV) ring a bell? If they don’t, it’s okay! Because the great thing about going on an excursion at 12-Metre is that you will be learning something new all through the journey. Maybe even discover a new muscle…
Along with a few adventurous people, ready to discover and be a part of history, we gathered around our high spirited briefer Daniel; in charge of letting us know what we got ourselves into. Animatedly and with much humor, he takes us back to 1851 when Queen Victoria extended invitations to the first international yachting competition, which would until this day, carry the name of its first winner: the Americas Cup.
Two captains are diligently handpicked by Daniel and given a team. Whether it is to trim the sails or grind the winches; we are each assigned to an active role for this hour-and-a-half to two-hour race. For those less able or willing, there are also more passive roles such as the timekeeper, the bartender, or the iceberg spotter. Unless you have a powerful imagination, less active than an iceberg spotter between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, you won’t find.
It is pleasantly surprising to see how much the strength of the wind can change your entire sailing experience, from the speed to the heeling of the sailboat.
You suddenly create a bond with people that were complete strangers just a couple minutes ago and all put in the work and energy towards the same goal: winning. To top it off, the professional crew members aboard skillfully make the experience that more enjoyable by creating the ambiance to match the dynamism of this century-old sailing competition.
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