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::ST. MAARTEN
HEINEKEN REGATTA 2008::
March 6-10, 2008
With the sun shining and the city bustling with regatta fever, I
attended the exciting
28th Heineken Regatta
in the lovely and warm
St. Maarten.
Welcome to my travel log with its fusion of stories about individuals,
places to shop and restaurants
- and of course, the regatta!
The
stories of
individuals include the people that attend the regatta and the locals that enjoy the
nightly parties featuring local talent as well as the headlining talent. This year, the musical headliners which were
of particular interest to me
was soca queen,
Alison Hinds and Mister Lover Lover Shaggy, who created quite a buzz by his presence on the island.
St. Maarten is the smallest Island in the world to be shared by two
sovereign governments-namely the Dutch and
French. Both Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin have maintained a
peaceful coexistence for over 350 years, the longest of any two
bordering nations, with euro, dollar and
Netherlands Antilles guilder accepted as currency.
Another unique factor on the island is
that the shopping is completely duty-free!
I stayed on the Dutch side at the
Wyndham Sapphire Beach Club and Resort
in Cupecoy Bay which is at one of the furthermost tips of the island.
It is the perfect location for its independent couple travellers -
meaning you have a full suite, including kitchen, Jacuzzi on your
private outdoor deck, little grocery store accessible and it is a
definite plus to rent a car, as I spent a small fortune on taxis to get
around the island. You can take the girl out of the city but you
can't take the city out of the girl!
[CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE]
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::MARCH 4, 2008::
Canadian content
in the regatta!! While I was in St. Maarten I came to learn that
a work colleague from Toronto was also not only attending the regatta
but in the regatta - what a small world!
Caroline Burns
and her husband
Mike
sailed on the boat
Grand Illusion.
Here’s what she had to say about participating in this year’s exciting
regatta:
“My husband, Mike, and seven sailing buddies participated in the
2005 Heineken Regatta and enjoyed it so much they entered again this
year. We chartered a 50' Beneteau, named
Grand Illusion, and entered the
Open Class. While some on board were a little overwhelmed, I
enjoyed the rush of the wind and power of the waves as we practiced
tacking and jibing.
The second and third days of the race were calmer so all 10 of us
boarded the Grand Illusion to experience racing. It was exciting
and an adrenaline rush at the start as 12 boats in our class all waited
for the sound of the horn to start the race. Even though most of
the crew weren't 'qualified' sailors we competed well and had enough of
a competitive edge to place 6th overall. The weather was fantastic
for each day of racing and the on shore entertainment was outstanding!
And then there were the restaurants and shopping! We will
definitely go back!”
[photogallery/photo00013546/real.htm]
Ed Furry
sat beside me on the
plane and he was one of the crew for the boat
Storm, classified as Spinnaker 3 in the regatta. (Ed
owns and operates Sail 22 (www.sail22.com)).
Turns out that
Ed also managed the acclaimed Morning Light,
a 52’ race boat whose legacy will be captured in a
full-length documentary film, produced by Roy E. Disney's
Pacific High Productions in
association with
Disney Studios.
The
target release date is in 2008. In July, a young crew will sail the
Morning Light in the Transpacific Yacht Race, a biennial
2,225-nautical-mile sail from Los Angeles to Honolulu. 15 crew members
were selected from more than 500 applicants after intensive tryouts in
Long Beach, Calif., last summer. They are training in Hawaii. Crew
members will range in age from 18 to 23 at the time of the race,
the youngest ever in the Transpacific Yacht Race.
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My sacred first stop on my first night was to get some of the best
ribs and fish on the island, from Johnny Under
the Tree! He cooks with his huge grills under the trees
where many travel to and wait their turn to get their ribs, chicken,
mahi mahi. Unbelievable as usual. As usual, the people in
St. Maarten extended a courteous and friendly hand to the many many
tourists from all over the world - most in town for the regatta.
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::MARCH 6, 2008:: I spent this day in Philipsburg
exploring the popular boardwalk, shops, restaurants and meeting up with
one of Canada's most-published travel writers,
Melanie Reffes, one of the islands most notable writers and
publishers, Lasana Sekou,
House of Nehesi Publishers, and his colleague, Arsene
Reiph, at the trendy and fab
Holland House
hotel. Check out an article on Lasana's life, inspirations and his
latest poetry book by Melanie Reffes
HERE.
Meanwhile the regatta
held the Budget Marine Commodores Cup followed by the welcoming Party at
Port de Plaisance.
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::MARCH 7, 2008::
Over the years the regatta has grown out
to be the biggest regatta in the Caribbean. This year I wanted to
experience aspects of the island that I had not yet explored.
One of these days was at the beach of Grand
Case
on the French side of the island. A sweet and fun couple, Bill and
Ellen Roeger from Philly, let me accompany them to the French side this
day to discover the unpopulated and beautiful and beach. With it's
white sand and crystal blue water, it is spotted with little shops that
serve you food and drinks just steps away from your beach chair, which
include Creole Rock Cafe
(ask for Fabiola) and Lolos
(great ribs for only US$6!). While enjoying the day, the boats
from the regatta breezed by in the high winds and gave us a beautiful
spectacle to observe.
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Later that day, there was a press conference at the
Sonesta Maho Beach Club and Casino
featuring the artists performing during the four days of the regatta.
Attending the press conference were
El A Kru,
Antigua’s most popular exports with five International Soca Award
nominations in 2007. Representing St. Maarten was Jacob of
Intwine,
named so because of their cultural roots and different musical
influences. Grammy award winning, Jamaican American
Shaggy,
on the cusp of the release of Intoxication, has once again found
that perfect balance of slick and streetwise. To date, Shaggy has sold
over 20 million albums worldwide.
He spoke this day on going indie and breaking away from his former
major label and their inconsistencies and commitment to his career.
Shaggy stated that music industry execs "don't understand the culture of
dancehall or reggae and our music has suffered. I urge the media and
all people to support our music."
Born in Barbados,
Alison Hinds,
the Queen of Soca, is known for her uplifting music known for its
infectious rhythms and spirited spicy lyrics that inspires jubilant
audience participation. Alison spoke on the challenges of being a woman
in the music industry, specifically in her genre of soca. She said one
of the secrets of her success is that "when I perform, I really enjoy
what I do." Alison's concert was held on International Women's Day and
her message for women in the industry was to "beware of invisible eyes"
meaning that people are watching women closely and to represent yourself
well at all times.
All artists were very gracious with their time, answering questions and
posing for pictures.
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::MARCH 8, 2008::
More exploring of the famed Philipsburg with its local
vendors and many shops catering to the vacationer who likes good
duty-free deals. Lots of shopping available, though not much in
the way of variety. Jewellers abound with the most bling you could
ever hope to see. One of those was
Grand Jewelers
on Front Street - ask for
Sunny. And the most amazing
home-made ice cream ever at Vanille et Chocolat.
Have a seat in their funky parlour, indulge in their delicious delights,
right on the boardwalk.
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The regatta had most classes race from Simpson Bay to Marigot followed
by the prize-giving ceremony and party at Waterfront in Marigot
featuring
Alison Hinds.
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::MARCH 9, 2008::
Closing day of the regatta - which means all the hype of this
entire regatta is leading to this. This night is the final musical
showcase featuring
Shaggy. Given the many traffic constraints of the island,
especially during the regatta, I set up shop for the evening early at
The Wharf, owned by
Elvis Bennett of Trinidad. The place was hopping all night with good food,
good people and general excitement as the final concert was being held
across the street at Kim Sha Beach.
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The entire show was hosted by
Gee Money
and
Empress,
two well-loved radio personalities on the island.
Gee Money and Empress host the Closing
Night festivities
[photogallery/photo00031446/real.htm]
Youth Waves was one of the opening acts for Shaggy and what an exciting show
they gave! They even managed to keep all the Shaggy fans
entertained for their full show. Highly energetic and talented
group for sure with their unique
blend of Reggae,
Zouk, Soca, Calypso and R&B.
Youth Waves, Opening Act
[photogallery/photo00007342/real.htm]
Shaggy fans were not disappointed when he hit the stage with a host of
other artists performing alongside to fully compliment the mega talent
of the Grammy-award winning
Big Yard recording
artist. His band was killer and drove the fans into a frenzy while
they were grinding to the beats on the beach of Kim Sha. An
outdoor concert with all these talented artists and the rest of the
world just faded away ... except for those that stood beside the 7'
speakers! Tons of fun, tons of people, tons of great music and
tons of traffic!
Classic Shaggy and his full band
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::MARCH 10-12, 2008::
I spent my last two days in St. Maarten in my beloved Philipsburg at the
very cost-effective
Seaview Beach
Hotel
- right on the beach. “Seaview Beach Hotel, was opened with two
floors and eleven rooms as the island's first modern hotel in 1948.”
(Excerpt from
National Symbols of St. Martin - A Primer by
Lasana M. Sekou). While this hotel is not as
'plumb' as other hotels on the island, the price is right at the
starting price of US$100/night, which includes WiFi for $9/day, direct
access to the beach and the many restaurants and shops in Philipsburg!
Lest we forget the results of all the toil and drama that unfolded
during the regatta, here
are the closing press releases from the regatta with exciting plans for
2009!
With the 2008 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta on the
Books, Organizers Look Ahead to the 29th Running of the Great Celebration of
Caribbean Sailing and Partying
Source: Heineken Regatta
St. Maarten, N.A. (March 10) – The sensational 28th edition of the
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
finished in fine fashion last evening with the traditional prize-giving
ceremony on Kim Sha Beach followed by
 musical
entertainment by Grammy-winning recording artist
Shaggy,
who had an overflowing throng of thousands of sailors and islanders dancing
by the sea.
The Fleet is In: TP 52 Panthera, SeaCart 30 True Look,
and a Pair of J/Boats Among Big Winners at 28th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
Source: St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
St. Maarten, N.A. (March 9, 2008) – The 28th edition of the St. Maarten
Heineken Regatta wrapped up today, in similar fashion to the way it began:
With clear skies and a steady breeze offering ideal conditions for a
record-setting fleet of competitors. And after the series’ final race, a
point-to-point contest from Marigot, on the island’s French side, to
Philipsburg on the Dutch side, an impressive array of winners emerged.
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::SPECIAL THANKS::
Melanie Reffes -
Canadian travel writer, who kept me laughing and made a great travel
companion.Lasana Sekou
- one of St. Maarten's brightest star authors, who was so generous with
his time and taught me so much about the island's history and promise.
Bill and Ellen Roeger
- for 'adopting' me and for the great company - especially for the
guided tour of Grand Case. Bea
Hootsman and Titia
Reijntjes - for looking after the details and inviting me
back for the regatta coverage.
William Bell - St. Maarten Tourism,
for taking some time to drop in unexpectedly and make sure that both
Melanie and I were taken care of.
Elvis Bennett - Proprietor of The Wharf, for hosting
Melanie and myself for dinner on the busiest concert night on the
island. And to all those that helped to contribute to
this piece ... and for the wonderful people of St. Maarten! [photogallery/photo00026316/real.htm]
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADIAN TWIST::
