Ibiza JoySail set for Balearic sailing spectacle

Ibiza JoySail will start tomorrow, Thursday 19 September. The superyacht spectacle is now in its fourth year and is the key end-of-season event in the Mediterranean superyacht calendar, and the 2024 edition will be no exception.  Eighteen superyachts will gather at Marina Ibiza for a spectacular four-day coastal racing event. 

Given the increasing popularity of the event, which started with just four boats in 2020, an additional racing day has been added for this edition so that the yachts can take advantage of the superb racing conditions around the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Formentera, in particular.

The invitation-only event will see a wide range of superyachts, from two Y7 Y Yachts, Shambho, and most recent entry, Viento, two Baltic Yachts Café Racers, Open Season and  Pink Gin, to Gitana and Maximus at the bigger end of the fleet. 

Once again, the Ibiza JoySail Race Director is the renowned sailor, Nacho Postigo. Postigo is one of the most sought-after yachtsmen in the racing world and a true connoisseur of superyacht sailing, having competed on both the European (Saint-Tropez, Palma, Porto Cervo, etc.) and the Caribbean (St Barths Bucket, Caribbean 600, etc.) circuits. 

He comments: “We are very happy that so many owners have decided to bring their beautiful yachts to join us for Ibiza JoySail.  It is great to see such a wide range approaches across the fleet, with professional racing yachts to the ten yachts that will be fighting for the Corinthian Trophy.  The Corinthian class underlines the philosophy of Ibiza JoySail to ‘come as you are’ - yachts do not need to be converted from cruising to racing mode as the event is open all types of sailing.”

The 2024 edition also features a different format for the Perpetual Trophy, won for the fastest passage from Mallorca to Ibiza.  In previous editions, this has been held during the regatta itself, but for the 2024 Ibiza JoySail edition, Postigo and his team opened the opportunity for teams to be able to choose their own time window to race between the beautiful Balearic Islands at any point in a 30-day window before Ibiza JoySail racing starts. 

Maximus, the powerful 195ft German Frers built by Vitters in Holland, set the standard in early September, and created a new Ibiza JoySail record, completing the 48-nautical mile passage in 3hours and 31 minutes.  Gelliceaux also made a tilt at the record, and while they did not beat Maximus’ record, they did establish a new record in the 100-110ft category with a time of  4hours and 4minutes.   However, with the deadline for the record not set to close until midnight on 19 September Gelliceaux and several other entries, including  Moat, Liberty Squared, Aurelius and Nostromo have said that they might attempt the record, if a weather window allows.

The 18-strong fleet sees four elegant German Frers designed yachts, from Maximus, the biggest yacht to ever have competed in Ibiza JoySail, to the high-performance Moat and the ocean cruisers, Alarife and L’Hippocampe.

The 195ft Maximus does not compromise on either performance or cruising comfort – she even has a small grand piano in her main saloon.  It will be spectacular to see this ketch, with her 40-strong crew manoeuvring around the Ibiza JoySail racecourses.

Also featuring in this super-charged fleet are three Ed Dubois-designed World Cruisers. Bliss, Gitana and Nostromo are designed to independently cruise some of the world’s most remote regions.  All three yachts have a relatively high displacement to allow for the extensive fuel and water storage while cruising, however Dubois was careful to ensure that performance was also a major feature of these spectacular yachts.

Two Baltic Yachts’ Café Racers, Open Season and Pink Gin, designed by the Mallorcan naval architect Javier Jaudenes, have also joined the fleet.  Optimised for day cruising in the Mediterranean, they will, without doubt, ensure that the Performance Cruising Class is highly competitive. 

Hugo Ramón, the skipper of Open Season comments, “We will be racing with 14 crew onboard and hoping that in two to three years, the fleet of Café Racers will grow so that we can have our own class”. 

Ten yachts in the fleet will be racing as Corinthian entries, underlining the ethos of the event that it is open to all boats over 70’, and the desire of the organisation to welcome yachts to ‘come as they are’.

Alongside four days of competitive racing, which are run under Superyacht Racing Association rules, Ibiza JoySail is also well-known for its extensive social calendar and friendly atmosphere, which is fitting for the island that is so well-known for its party vibe!

Ibiza JoySail will be based at Marina Ibiza and run in collaboration with STP Shipyard Palma, one of the most luxurious marinas in the Mediterranean.  With berths for superyachts of up to 110m LOA, 24/7 security and a personalised concierge service, this five-star marina will provide the crews and their guests with the ultimate luxury experience for yachting, entertainment, shopping and dining.

While Ibiza JoySail held at Marina Ibiza, most of the fleet has been based at the STP Shipyard Palma, one of Europe’s leading refit and repair facilities.  The open shipyard management model makes it unique the sector and allows clients to select which companies they wish to work with so that they have complete control of any refit and repair process.

Led by Postigo, the racing itself is organised by an outstanding technical and onwater team from STP Shipyard Palma, Marina Ibiza, the Club Náutico de Ibiza and the Real Club Náutico de Palma.  The four days will feature coastal racing using the local topography as marks of the course and a maximum of four races will be held during the regatta.  The fleet will be divided into five classes World Cruising L, World Cruising XL, Performance, Performance Cruising M, Performance Cruising L.

Ibiza JoySail is being held from 19-22 September and will be based at Marina Ibiza, starting point for coastal racing around Ibiza and Formentera.