As the Caribbean Multihull Challenge (CMC) kicks off a sixth year, race organizers have a one-word mission statement: soul.
“At the beginning, we wanted to start a regatta just for multihulls. Catamarans are welcome at other regattas, but they’re not really designed for that. The starting lines need to be longer, the course needs to be set differently,” says Steve Burzon, the race’s director of marketing and operations. “We’re all about building a second strong regatta for Sint Maarten [in addition to the Heineken], and we’re well on our way. We went from 12 boats in 2019 to this year, 37 boats participating this year.”
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To give the event a unique identity and some of that aforementioned soul, the race has made some updates to the programming. Last year organizers added the rally component to make the challenge cruiser- and charterer-friendly. The fleet spent three days in three destinations strung together with some excellent sailing conditions. On the heels of that success, this year debuts a new schedule with an additional day on the water and a new sustainability partnership with the charter company TradeWinds, aimed to give back to the island that makes all of this possible.
In time to have a maiden voyage in the CMC, TradeWinds has launched Aurora, the new Fontaine Pajot 59-foot TWe6 Smart Electric, which will be joining their charter fleet. The company aims to have a 100% sustainably fueled fleet by 2036.
“TradeWinds is a company that provides luxury vacations on the water, but it’s purpose-driven, value-driven. We try to do well, but we also try to do good,” says TradeWinds Vice President Ricardo Flores. “We are firsthand witnesses of what impact our marine vessels have on the delicate marine ecosystem. So we decided to be a part of the solution, not the problem. We started looking for other pioneers, like Fountaine Pajot. And now that reality is here. Today we are announcing Aurora, our first hydrogen-powered pleasure yacht.”
This new yacht doesn’t just use cleaner power, though. It also forces the company to reconsider its itineraries, since the yacht needs to spend more time sailing and less time motoring.
“You can’t just point the boat straight upwind and expect to be there by lunch,” says TradeWinds President, Neil Parsons. “We made the value-driven choice to move to sustainable boats, but that changes how we approach our whole charter. Hopefully what we’re doing here will encourage our guests to keep thinking about that when they’re back home.”
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To cap off the pre-event festivities, the CMC awarded its first ever Environmental Hero prize to Delhon Hewitt, an avid sailor and Sint Maarten chief ranger.
”There was no job that he couldn’t do, wouldn’t do, and didn’t do well,” says Burzon about his first time meeting Hewitt, who is described as a dedicated and tireless advocate for the island’s natural environment. The award, which comes with prize money, aims to encourage the efforts of other residents and celebrate the essential work being done to keep the island healthy.
And all that’s before the sailing even gets started.
For more on the CMC, visit caribbeanmultihullchallenge.com