FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heather Tackling

Cell-599-580-8181

heathertackling@yahoo.com

A star studded line up already in place for the 7th annual North Sails Regatta

Simpson Bay, St.Maarten-May 19, 2008. In exactly one month the Caribbean's most competitive sailors will meet in St.Maarten to once again challenge each other at the 7th annual North Sails Caribbean Keelboat Championships which will be held on June 21 & 22, 2008. Competitors from St.Lucia, USVI, Grenada, St.Maarten, Puerto Rico and as far away as Trinidad will all meet for registration on June 20th at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club at 6:00pm. A total of thirteen teams are already signed up. Racing will begin on Saturday the 21st and the championships will end with a prize giving ceremony on Sunday after racing has finished.

Chris Rosenberg has won this event for the last two years and is one of the most successful sailors out of the Virgin Islands. His team will be the strongest of contenders as he usually turns up with a fierce crew of competitors. Another sailor to watch out for will be Fraito Lugo out of Puerto Rico. He has won more Rolexes than he has crew, and is one of the top sailors out of the US territory. Although many in Puerto Rico are adamant that they have the best of everything including sailors, Fraito will have to buckle down and sail hard in order to live up to his hometowns expectations. Local sailors Frits Bus who came in second at last year's event, may just be the one to change history as in the 6 years of this event, no St. Maartener has ever won the islands most competitive event. In addition to this stellar line up, competitors from Grenada Robbie Yearwood and Mark Soloman will both be trying to better their standing from last year. Sailors from Trinidad Paul Amon and Donald Stollmeyer will both be on hand to give the rest of the fleet something to contend with. Several other sailors such as Emma Paul, Mike Green, Bernard Sillem and Robbie Ferron complete the group of sailors already signed up. This group of sailors represents the elite in Caribbean sailors and this Keelboat Championships will be one of the best competitions yet.

North Sails, the world's leading sailmakers, have been the title sponsor of the event since its inception. Lagoon Sailboat Rentals N.V. along with Tropical Sail Loft, St Maarten's North Sails Dealer, aim to make this event the Caribbean's leading one design regatta.

For the official Notice of Race visit www.tropicalsailloft.com or contact Cary Byerley at director@bigboatseries.com or by calling 599-588-2474.