Over 60 participants in the 8th Annual St. Maarten Regatta Beach Clean-Up

Over 60 participants in the 8th Annual St. Maarten Regatta Beach Clean-Up © SMYC

This weekend, the St. Maarten Regatta organized the 8th Annual Beach Clean-Up which took place at Kim Sha Beach. Over 60 children participated in the event, collecting over 430 kilos of garbage from the beach. The morning was filled with all kinds of activities from cleaning the beach, to a quiz from Nature Foundation about the environment and some nice beach games organized by LAB Sports.

This morning was kicked off with a challenge to pick up as much garbage as possible. During the challenge the participants were divided in teams of 5. They had 30 minutes to collect as much garbage as they could find. Nature Foundation provided all participants with reusable garbage bags and gloves to safely pick up the debris.

After the horn blasted for the end of the Clean-Up Challenge, a quiz about the environment was held.

Before the Clean-Up, Grace Hansen, from the Nature Foundation gave a short presentation about the importance of our beaches and the plastic problem. The quiz showed who of the participants had paid the most attention during the speech and answered all questions right. The winning kids received prizes donated by Intertoys.

After the Quiz, the prize-giving of the Beach Clean-Up took place. The winners of the Regatta Beach Clean-up, called KMAD (Kaj, Mathijs, Adriaan and Dax), were very excited about the Regatta Clean-Up and their group prize from Trisports.

After the prize-giving, LAB Sports hosted some sports activities to close off the morning in a fun way. Children could play dodge ball, jumping rope, parkour, and tug a war. Just before everybody was about to go home Domino's paid a surprise visit and provided all the hungry mouths with some freshly baked pizza.

During the event participants enjoyed the water, drinks and other prizes sponsored by Fiji Water, Divico, Dive Safaris and Timeless Spirits.

'I really enjoyed seeing everyone so excited about the Regatta Beach Clean Up. The children and volunteers were very enthusiastic, and made sure that a lot of garbage was picked up from the beach. It is extra important to keep the island clean, not only for the people but also for the animals of Sint Maarten. The Annual Beach Clean-Up is a way for the St. Maarten Regatta to give something back to the Island. I would like to thank the children, volunteers and sponsors who made the event to a great success. Thank you!' said Merel Abels, coordinator of this year's Beach Clean Up.

St. Maarten Regatta

Celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, this Regatta just keeps getting better. Four days of world-class racing with some of the world's most seasoned sailors, hailing from over 35 countries. This is truly a Regatta for everyone including professional teams sailing Maxis, Monohulls and Performance Multihulls to holiday-makers on chartered Bareboats to live-aboard families cruising the Caribbean. Crystal clear waters and cooling northeast trade winds give the pristine conditions for spectacular racing just off the coast of St. Maarten. This event is your bucket list must-do! Come and enjoy life in the Caribbean, come for some Serious Fun from March 5 - 8, 2020!

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