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Events & Holidays
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
 The St. Maarten/St. Martin Heineken Regatta
scheduled for March 3, 4 & 5 is now included as an event of the 2006 US-IRC Gulf Stream Series. St Maarten’s
26th annual Heineken Regatta joins the BVI Regatta as the only two Caribbean events in the series that begins in
Florida with Ft. Lauderdale to Key West on January 11th and concludes with the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary
in Hamilton Bermuda June 23rd. For entry details go to http://www.heinekenregatta.com/,
Entry information for the Gulf Stream Series is at http://www.regatta-manager.com/
or http://www.us-irc.org/.
The Heineken Regatta and the BVI Regatta are both part of the Caribbean Big Boat Series for boats over 60 feet.
According to Marion One sailor who enjoys the St Maarten Heineken Regatta, and the Caribbean Big Boat series too,
is American Robbie Haines. Robbie has been to St Maarten before with a couple of Roy Disney’s Pyewackets, but for
2006 he is coming back with Randal Pittman’s Ed Dubois-designed 90 foot, canting keel hot shot, Genuine Risk.
They’ll be lining up against Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory and Tom Hill’s Titan 12 - two swing keels against the
conventional appendage attached to Titan. Lately Russell Coutts has been steering Morning Glory, so perhaps he’ll
be sailing in the Heineken Regatta and the BVI Regatta, too.
Carnival
Two carnivals are held on the island each year - the one on the
French side takes place during Lent, keeping the tradition of the French Creole Mas, while the other, the largest
of the two, is celebrated on the Dutch side over a period of 17 days and nights with its main parade scheduled
to coincide with the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, Beatrix.
Costumes and dancers jam and jump their way along the streets of St. Maarten's capitol - Philipsburg- to the beat
of calypso, soca and other island rhythms. If you are watching this 4-mile long parade of color and glitz, you
will surely succomb to the party spirit of Carnival.
The finale for carnival is the burning of King Momo, a straw figure who is the manifested spirit of carnival. Legend
has it that by burning King Momo, the villages sins and bad luck are burned away, leaving the island pure and filled
with hope for good things to come.
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2006
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January
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New Years
Day (Holiday) |
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February
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March
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Good
Friday (Holiday - Stores Closed ) |
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April
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Easter
Monday ( Holiday ) |
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Carnival Holiday (Holiday) |
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May
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Labor
Day (Holiday) |
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June
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July
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August
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September
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October
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November
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St. Maartens
Day (Holiday Stores Closed) |
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December
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Christmas
(Holiday - Stores Closed) |
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Boxing Day (Holiday) |
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St. Maarten At A Glance
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St. Maarten at a Glance
Language: Dutch
is the official language. Papiamento (a mixture of Portuguese, African, Spanish, Dutch and English) is the commonly
used lingua franca. English and Spanish are also widely spoken.
Government: Part
of the Netherlands Antilles; dependency of the Netherlands since 1630. The Netherlands Antilles consist of Curaçao,
Bonaire, St Maarten, St Eustatius and Saba. The capitall of the island group is Willemstad, Curaçao.
Capital: Philipsburg
Area: 34 sq km (16
sq miles).
Climate: St Maarten
is hot and humid most of the time, prevailing tradewind keep it comfortableTemperatures in the first half of the
year usually hang around a balmy 28°C (83°F). It is driest between February and April, with most rain falling
between August and November. The hurricane season for the region is June to November with most activity occuring
in August and September. On average only five hurricanes a year blow through the Eastern Caribbean, and severe
ones hit even less frequently.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC
-4
Electricity: Electrical
appliances run 110 volts (60 Hz), after the American standard.
Currency: Netherlands
Antilles Guilder (Florin)
Driving: All foreign
driver's licenses are valid for driving on the island. Motorists drive on the right-hand side of the street, and
the roadways have been designed by the government to be easily accessible to physically disabled visitors.
Car Rentals: Rental
agencies are located at both airports and at the major hotels. Motorcycles and mopeds are also available for hire.
Cars are delivered to any hotel, but cannot be picked up at Princess Juliana International Airport in order to
protect the livelihood of island taxi drivers.
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