Sint Maarten Yacht Club — Massimo Lapierre won the Hoedemaker Dinghy Regatta Saturday. Clement Le Normand was second and Merlin Guerrier finished third in the ILCA Fleet.
The competition featured four races and was part of the St. Marten Yacht Club’s Grant Thornton Dinghy Season Championship.
There were also Optimist, Optimist Green, and RS Zest fleets.
J'Amari de Groote took first place in the younger sailors Optimist Green Fleet. Magnus Cross was second and Louisa Vanden Eynde placed third.
The start/finish line was set up near the Simpson Bay Causeway Bridge and racers had to navigate upwind and downwind through several anchored cruising sailboats.
In a somewhat shifting wind, getting a good start was a key for finding success, as was picking your lanes on the upwind legs. Showing lots of progress in this fourth race of the series, the racers’ skills were on full display and the competition was tight.
“Overall, the day went very well. It was beautiful out there with great conditions. I’m happy that we were able to get four races finished before noon,” said SMYC Race Officer and sailing coach Zoris Zweers.
The forecasted 13 to 17 knot southeasterly breeze allowed Race Officer Joris Zweers and his crew of volunteers to run four races before the noon.
Next up on the schedule is the Bus Dinghy Regatta on April 11, 2026. For more information and full results visit: https://smyc.com/dinghy-season-championship/
