"This was the best event in the last 30 years!", Michael Schmidt (Y Boats) enthused. "Schmidt's" impression: "The organisation was excellent both on the water and on land. Everything was just right here. The Race Committee always made the right decisions and we really enjoyed the evening events." Like Schmidt, the crews and owners were full of praise for the professional race management and the entertaining social events on land.
"Hyperion" wins with a clean slate in the "World Cruising" classification
The four-day regatta for maxis and superyachts began with a challenging feeder race from Mallorca to Ibiza. The fleet sailed from regatta co-organiser STP Palma to the beautiful Marina Ibiza. This was followed by three days of coastal courses against the backdrop of the beautiful south coast of the Balearic island. The final and decisive 18-mile race took the magnificent field around the island of Espardell to the north of Formentera in 18 to 20 knots of true wind at high speed, offering a challenging navigational task.
The largest yacht in the Ibiza JoySail regatta remained in winning mood: the crew on the 155-foot-long Frers "Hyperion" kept their clean slate in the final as well, taking their fourth win in a row and confidently winning the "World Cruising" rating ahead of the Dykstra "Windrose of Amsterdam", the YD120 "Bliss" and "Champagne Hippy". "It has been an incredible week here in Ibiza and already in Palma," said Hyperion crew member Bertrand Demole, "I would like to thank the organisation for this great event. We are happy to be here and will definitely be back."
"Moat" owner Ball: "We are over the moon with the result, the boat and the team"
However, the crew defended the overall series title on the Swan 115 "Moat", which had already won at the premiere. Owner Juan Ball said: "We are delighted with this result. Of course we always want to win, although that's not the only reason we're here. But we always do our best. The conditions were different this year. We had a lot more to do with the wind on the final day. But we are over the moon - with the result, the boat and the team." The team secured second place on the SW-RP 90 "All Smoke" ahead of the Swan 80 "Sapma", which had won the opening offshore race.
The "Sapma" also won the prize for the best boat in the "Corinthian Spirit" rating in which the Hamburg Y9 90 "Bella II" from Y Yachts sailed to third place. In the Overall ranking Bella II" came fourth. Owner Dr Peter Jäsch said: "This was a fantastic and excellently organised regatta, which we enjoyed from the very first moment. The race management did a very good job, and we really enjoyed the last day in particular with a lot of wind. We'll definitely be back next year."
At the awards ceremony in the heart of Ibiza's marina, the "Moat" was also honoured with the trophy for the best swan in the Ibiza JoySail regatta. "Bella II" received the trophy for the best Y-yacht of the regatta.
Nacho Postigo: "The windy conditions on Sunday were the icing on the cake"
Event director Nacho Postigo was happy at the end of the second edition of the Ibiza JoySail Regatta: "Overall, we tried to offer a great combination of fun on land and good racing on the water. People seem to be very happy with both, which is of course the aim of the regatta. Everyone has given us feedback on what we can improve next year. We will take that into account. The great thing about sailing here is that the wind picked up every day as the day went on. The windy conditions on Sunday were the icing on the cake. So it was a great combination."
Postigo added that next year's event will take place on the last weekend of September and the organisers are expecting another significant increase in the number of participants. He said: "We are in talks with the J-Class for next year. They are very interested in taking part. That would be great! In addition, most of the crews that were here this year have said they would like to come back, so we can expect 18 to 20 boats. If we can achieve that, I would be very, very happy."
The J-Class is considering participating in the Ibiza JoySail 2023
Stuart Childerly, Secretary of the J-Class Association, visited the Ibiza JoySail and was visibly impressed: "It was a fantastic visit, with beautiful weather, sunny and with a good breeze at the end of September. I saw the whole set-up of the Ibiza JoySail Regatta. You can see that they really go out of their way to make sure that the competitors and the boats have everything they need. It's a great event that has everything to offer. It's a beautiful town with a lively little harbour with great facilities here in the marina. I think the organisers are doing a great job promoting their event." Ibiza JoySail 2023 will take place from 28 September to 1 October. Click here for the Homepage the organiser.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
