A report-location amount of contributors competed in the fifth operating of the annual Caribbean Multihull Obstacle Race and Rally on February 3-5 at Simpson Bay, St Maarten.
The Racing:
Principal race officer Rein Korteknie desired perfect Caribbean trade-wind conditions to pull off what amounted to a Triple Crown of offshore contests, the CMC Trifecta of issue-to-stage races for the CSA 1 class, and the temperature gods absolutely cooperated.
Seeking at the forecast, he made a decision to run the shortest race of the three on the windiest working day, and scheduled the CMC 27 Mile Around Island Circle Race sponsored by Amstel Vivid for the finale. With that day recognized, he then despatched the fleet on the Around Saba Dash sponsored by the St. Maarten Vacationer Bureau on working day 1 and the Caribbean 60 Mile Multihull Sprint, a energy reach all over St. Barth’s sponsored by FKG Rigging, on working day two.
All 3 races were received in dominating vogue by Greg Slyngstad’s 53-foot Fujin, making its third overall look in the CMC, which in so accomplishing also captured the CSA 1 course.
The 50 {18875d16fb0f706a77d6d07e16021550e0abfa6771e72d372d5d32476b7d07ec}-dozen entrants in the division included two intriguing CMC newcomers, the Gunboat 60, Cui Bono, and the traditional Lock Crowhter-intended trimaran Oceans Tribute, which sailed all the way from New Zealand to sail in the CMC. Neither, having said that, could improved the sequence that was sailed by an additional CMC veteran, Anthony McVeigh’s well-sailed catamaran 2 2 Tango, which positioned next in CSA 1.
The growing Diam 24 class of just one-style and design 24-foot trimarans continued to mature, as evidenced by Pierre Altier of Cry Toddler earning the title of Most Worthy Performer for the regatta, an award presented to the boat that registers the most convincing victory in the event’s most competitive course. The two Slyngstad and Altier also took property new Swiss dive watches from Oris, repeat sponsor of the CMC.
“The Diam 24 fleet was extremely fascinating, I’m hoping for extra Diam 24s in the long run,” claimed CMC director of advertising Steve Burzon, a member of the event’s original founders and steering committee. “We still want to get some much more higher-level race boats to come beat Fujin!
“My strategy is to pursue these competitors by continuing to show up at boat reveals like Cannes and the U.S. Sailboat Exhibit in Annapolis, Maryland. I’m quite bullish on the racing part of the occasion.”
The Rally:
With a dozen boats in the fleet in what was the CMC’s inaugural operating of its new Rally for cruising catamarans and trimarans, the whole CMC entry record topped 30 boats for the 1st time. And the Rally, which was run in a few legs with right away stops in Anse Marcel and Anguilla, proved to be a big hit for organizers and individuals alike.
Balance Catamarans, a brand name of superior-efficiency cruising cats from South Africa, led the way with a fifty percent-dozen entries, which Burzon sees as a blueprint for potential advancement in the Rally fleet.
“The offer with Balance was outstanding, and it’s some thing we want to give to other models heading forward,” he explained. “They acquired unbelievable parties, are living music, dancing, photographs, organized video games and sailing, all for the cost of their entry. I actually want to get other models like HH Catamarans, Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot and many others concerned. They bring the boats and their clients, we put on the occasion. My strategy is to organize the Rally for as many cruising sailors and even bareboat charterers as feasible.”
The Sponsors:
“We welcomed again our repeating sponsors like Oris Swiss Watches, Fope Fantastic Italian Jewellery, Ballerina Jewelers, as perfectly as the firms that sponsored our CMC Trifecta and many some others,” described Burzon. “But I have to say the backing of the St. Maarten Vacationer Board really built the variance. They gave us a large amount of help.
“They mentioned to use their dollars for promoting, which is just what we did. It permitted us to endorse St. Maarten as the epicenter for multihull sailing, which is exactly what we are. There is a extensive heritage of good multihull sailing right here on the island, and the CMC exists to honor that background and continue to construct on it.”
The Foreseeable future:
Now ensconced on the Caribbean racing calendar as the leading party for multihulls all over the islands, with five many years of results behind them, the CMC organizing crew and sponsors are poised to choose that good basis and carry on to present ground breaking and interesting racing and cruising in the several years in advance. The following edition is scheduled on February 2-4, 2024.
Specifics: https://caribbeanmultihullchallenge.com/
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