Slim Shakedown & Tribal Warm Up Heineken Regatta St. Maarten - 7th to 9th March Racing for the Gunboat Class at the Heineken Regatta looks set to start with a real blast with full trade wind conditions expected for the first day of racing. The Gunboat Class will take on the 32-mile Round St. Maarten Race and a high speed race is on the cards with close racing expected right through the fleet. All five competing Gunboats are moored together in Port de Plaisance, St. Maarten and the crews are readying their boats, taking every opportunity to practice. Coco de Mer, Elvis, Tiger Lily and Slim went for a shakedown today and there was a rousing send off from the St. Maarten Yacht Club, as the impressive line of Gunboats passed the clubhouse. With brilliant sunshine and wind speed touching 20 knots at times, the conditions were just perfect. The spectacular Gunboat fleet went through their paces in the beautiful Caribbean swell between St. Maarten and St. Barths. Slim is the latest Gunboat 66 and was sailing today, for the first time since retrofitting their daggerboards. Boat Captain, Travis McGary and First Mate, Ana Schor, seem to be delighted with the outcome. With all the cruising gear such as diving equipment and cruising sails off the boat, Slim is a lot lighter and it feels really good on the helm. smiled Travis. Slim is always a lively boat to sail, but with the addition of race crew and the new boards, the boat is really flying along. Today was the first real test, and we are delighted to see that our leeway has been dramatically decreased along with the drag. All of us have been looking forward to the regatta, and we will use the next two days to gel together as a crew. It has been fantastic to meet up with the other Gunboats as well, we are all good friends and this is the first time we have all been together in a year. Ballistic conditions fully fired up the Gunboat Class for the last practice day before racing begins at Heineken Regatta tomorrow. All five Gunboats were at full speed in feisty conditions including Gunboat 62, Tribe, which is crewed by family and friends, including Gunboat CEO Peter Johnstone and his daughter, India. Tribe was fully let off the leash today, reaching a speed of over 20 knots with the screecher up, sailing as fast as the wind. Todays practice was a lot of fun but it always is on Tribe, which is always a stress free environment. Pretty much all of us have sailed together before but it is always ideal to practice manoeuvres, especially in heavy conditions. commented Tribes Captain, Spike Abram. The Gunboat Vibe The Gunboat Vibe is as strong as ever, Port de Plaisance has become Gunboat Central, with all of the yachts gathered together, catching up with stories, tips and tricks since the last rendezvous. After a great day of pre-regatta warmups, the Gunboat crew enjoyed a few drinks on the docks and then headed to dinner at La Dolce Vita. A lively group of 50 enjoyed a beautiful meal and good times with friends, old and new. Peter Johnstone gave an impromptu toast, addressing the group: I wanted to say thank you for being here to participate in the regatta and to celebrate what Gunboat is all about, friends, family, and high performance sailing. After dinner the crowed thinned, everyone tucking in for a good nights rest. The Gunboat fleet is scheduled to kick off the Heineken Regatta 10:00am Friday, 7 March 2014 with the Round St. Maarten Race.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:06:25 +0000