30 August, 2023, Aruba
To all partners, sponsors, volunteers and participants: Thank you for your collaboration and Contribution!
Thank you one and all for helping to make the 13th Aruba International Regatta, such a wonderful and sustainable success.
Your donations, knowledge sharing, dedication and support were invaluable and the Regatta would not be possible without the contributions, energy, enthusiasm and hard work of all involved.
Your donations, time, assistance on land and on the water were invaluable and your service as participants, race committee members, officials, medical team, event coordinators, safety officers, media officers, sales coordinator, system builders, cleaners, food and beverage people, stage builders, sound techs, and registration team made the event run seamlessly.
The regatta would not be possible without the sponsorship, collaboration and contributions of our sponsors and partners and the dedication of over 50 volunteers.
The Regatta kicked-off with a presentation on Marine Conservation and Sustainable Recreation at the University of Aruba to share more on the current state of the marine environment and Marine Park Aruba, and together dove deep into awareness issues about the Ecosystem and Habitat Conservation, Species Conservation, and different human impact affecting the state of the marine environment.
The reception in the University Garden was warm, but fun and it was great to meet everybody again.
This year, 75 sailors sailed more than 40 races over 2 days in different classes consisting of 14 miniatuurboats (3 from Bonaire), 9 youth sailors in Optimists, SailQubes and F-11, 9 Sunfishes, 2 Beachcats, 3 open cruisers, 3 multihulls, 3 racing yachts.
The races were held 2 locations: In front of the Surfside beach and around the waters and beach in front of the Governor's house
Weather conditions were more challenging than usual due to the intense heat 10 knot winds. Sunday the wind picked up to a perfect breeze.
Each race was a duel of strategy and ability, trying to outwit their opponent in a game of chess on the water.
The race results were posted immediately thanks to our portal system which integrates all our regatta data.
There were no protests and thanks to the direct exchange and sportive attitude of participants the minor issues that occurred were handled satisfactorily on the spot
There were no accidents just a one material incidents. Thanks to the safety boats and their capable crews we were able to provide adequate rescue coverage.
The prizes consisted of 27 beautiful trophies made of recycled plastic for all classes. The Ernie Kervel trophy this year went to Richard van der Wal (Sunfish class), again.
This year the 3 parties and happy hours were new to all and a lot of fun. Thanks to DJ Verploeg and the band Originalz we had the perfect vibe during our event.
Also new this year was the food provided by Trampolin pa Trabao who fed us with the most delicious meals during the sailing days. Their service and food quality is truly great and we will see them again next year.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Jackie Bingham, who too the lead in organizing the event this year, we had a very well stocked bar and together with Morris Hoveling, who designed the cashless system we used this year, our customers we seamlessly provided with their beverages.
The Aruba Regatta Foundation’s Vision is to create a platform to introduce as many people as possible to Sailing
and connect People to Nature and Sustainable Water Sport Experiences.
We focus especially on the young Sailor community to grow a next generation of sailors on Aruba.
We believe that sport has a major role to play in ensuring a sustainable future for our current and future generations.
Being connected to nature helps us become aware of our relationship, as human beings, with nature.
Sailing is a wonderful way to connect with nature, developing our young sailors and sailing community in general as stewards for respectful behavior towards nature.
Thank you again for helping with this spectacular and sustainable event.
The results speak the Aruba International Regatta's motto:
’SPORTS, PEOPLE & NATURE ON THE SAME TEAM’.
Rik van der Vaart
President
Aruba Regatta Foundation