St. Maarten – The organizers of the Heineken regatta host a beach cleanup at Kimsha Beach this Saturday. The organization also announced the seventeenth edition of the Regatta art competition.
The beach cleanup will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and conclude around 12.30 p.m. “together with local kids the organization will clean one of the most polluted beaches of the island, which is also one of the regatta party locations,” the regatta said in a press statement.
Nature Foundation manager Tadzio Bervoets will give a presentation at the start of the cleanup about the effects of pollution on marine life. Participating kids will do their utmost, as the team that collects the most garbage will win a prize sponsored by Random wind. The day ends with sports activities led by Les brown’s LAB Sports Academy.
“With all these nice activities, the clean-up is a fun way for kids to get their community service hours. We will make sure all of the kids receive a participation certificate to make it official,” says organizer Fleur Visser. “I can’t wait to see how many kids will show up and the amount of garbage we will collect this Saturday.”
The next event on the agenda is the Regatta Art Competition. This event is open for children aged 4 to 18. Children will have to complete assignments which are divided per school group. Professional judges will judge the art after they have been handed in at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club or at both Van Dorp locations. There will be a first, second and third place winner for each assignment per school group. These winners will be rewarded with great prizes sponsored by local businesses. Packages with
the assignments were sent out digitally and will be handed out to all Dutch side schools by the end of this week. The packages can also be collected at both Van Dorp locations and at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club.
This year some of the assignments are: designing a burgee, a trophy, volunteer t-shirts and building a boat. “It is wonderful to see how creative these kids are and I would love to use their creativity for the regatta by using their designs for trophies, t-shirts and flyers.” Fleur Visser says.
Submissions for the art completion must be handed in before January 31, either at one of the two Van drop locations (in Simpson Bay and Madame Estate) or at the St. Maarten yacht club.
The prize giving ceremony is on February 7 at 3 p.m. at the yacht club.
To participate in the Regatta Art Competition or the beach cleanup, contact Fleur Visser by sending an email to regatta2@heinekenregatta.com or calling +1 721 588 61 22.
St. Maarten Heineken Regatta hosts cleanup at Kimsha Beach
