St. Maarten, N.A. (March 10) – The sensational 28th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta finished in fine fashion last evening with the traditional prize-giving ceremony on Kim Sha Beach followed by musical entertainment by Grammy-winning recording artist Shaggy, who had an overflowing throng of thousands of sailors and islanders dancing by the sea.

As race organizers and the dozens of volunteers who helped make the regatta a tremendous success took a deep breath after the four-day marathon of sailing and parties, plans were already being set in motion for the 29th running of the annual event, which is scheduled for March 5-8, 2009.

Steering committee chairman and event co-founder Robbie Ferron, with assistance from a host of St. Maarten officials, handed out prizes to the top boats in the regatta’s 21 divisions, with special awards presented to the regatta’s outstanding performers. The CBBS Cups, presented to the high scorers in the Caribbean Big Boat Series, went to Sam Fleet’s Swan 601, Aquarius, in the Racing category and to Peter Harrison’s Farr 115, Sojana, in the Racing/Cruising class.