Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) — Seven Diam 24 teams took to the waters of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin on May 9 for the always exciting Karibuni Grand Prix.
Hosted in partnership between the Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC), Saint Martin Voile Pour Tous (SMVT), and Karibuni Restaurant on Pinel Island, the Grand Prix was the last scored event on the Diam 24 Caribbean fleet yearly calendar. With an easterly breeze in the 15 to 20 knot range, the racing got underway with a short windward-leeward course from Simpson Bay to Philipsburg and back, which got all the racers warmed up for the main event—the race to Orient Bay and Pinel Island.
From Simpson Bay, a clockwise route to the finish in Orient Bay was chosen by the race committee this year and competitors seemed to welcome the challenge. The downwind start was timed perfectly by the skippers and crews, and all seven teams barreled through the start line with gennakers up and the spray flying.
“I always love watching the Diams start, and today was no exception,” remarked Race Officer Andy Cross from SMYC. “It was tight and fast going across the line, and then they quickly disappeared over the horizon after leaving Simpson Bay.”
Once clear of the south side of Sint Maarten, the fleet worked its way up the Saint Martin shoreline, passing Marigot, Friar’s Bay, Grand Case, and Anse Marcel. From there it was a sprint over the top and then a reach around Ile Tintamarre before a downwind finish in Orient Bay.
In the end, it was team AS MDA in third place with 5 points on the day, team KiC Krehbiel In Caribbean took second place with 4 points, and in first place with 3 points was team SBH-BMW.
With the racing done, the teams spared no time getting to Pinel Island and Karibuni Restaurant for the party, prize giving, and dinner. Fifty competitors, families, and friends enjoyed the wonderful hospitality at Karibuni, and the food and drinks were a highlight. “This was one of my favorite events of the year,” said one racer after dinner. Indeed!
A big thank you goes out to Karibuni Restaurant for making this regatta possible, to all of the volunteers who helped, and to Private Yacht Charters SXM for generously supplying the finish boat in Orient Bay. Full race results can be found at smyc.com/karibuni.
The next event for the Diam 24 fleet will be the Anguilla Regatta on May 22-24, 2026.
