5 March 2010: The first ever Around St. Maarten/St. Martin Multihull Regatta proved multihull sailors have been looking for an opportunity to race as it attracted an impressive 15 entries.

The event took place on Saturday, Feb. 27, in Philipsburg, Great Bay, which acted as the start and finish location.

>

The race saw trimarans, catamarans and a separate beach cat class. Racers traveled the island clockwise in light winds at 8-12 knots.

Nine beach cats entered to race which contributed to the overall outcome of registration. Beach cats, fast but fragile, consistently are not invited to compete because of related security issues, however, several safety boats were arranged to follow racers.

Paul Stoutenbeek’s Corsair 36 trimaran “Lagoonies Triumph” won the racing class while Kathryn Garlick's very speedy “Cool Cat” catamaran won cruising class.

Jeff Ledee from St. Barths won Beach Cats 2 on his Nacra F18, while St. Martin's Bernard Sillem with crew Joris vanden Eynde won Beach Cats 1 on a Prindle 19. Second in this class was Bas de Rooij on "Team de Rooij."

Organized by West Indies Events and race director Mirian Ebbers, the competition demonstrated potential to grow. The event was co-sponsored by Holland House Beach Hotel, SIXT Car Rental, Heineken Premium Light, Passaat Dat Charters, Island Water World, J&B Whiskey, Smirnoff Vodka, Piper Heidsieck Champagne, Island Water World, Smit & Dorlas Coffee and International Liquors & Tobacco Trading.

ABOUT MULTIHULLS MAGAZINE:
MULTIHULLS MAGAZINE has faithfully reported on multihull news for over 35 years. We are present in 105 countries and hold the title as the oldest and most widely read multihull publication in the catamaran/multihulls industry. By 2010 we plan to double production & coverage to our international readership.

- END -