Ibiza JoySail deemed a great success and already has dates set and boats confirmed for 2022

Ibiza JoySail Regatta 2021 © Nico Martimez / Martinez Studio

The first edition of the Ibiza JoySail regatta has been and gone and was voted an outstanding success all round. And at the conclusion of the hugely enjoyable, unique event the first ever winners, the spectacular Swan 115 Moat immediately became the first boat to register for the second edition of this new regatta which offers Maxi and Superyacht owners and crews the opportunity to enjoy some of the lesser known waters of Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

• The first winners, Moat, have confirmed they will return in 2022 to defend their title.
• The second Ibiza JoySail regatta will be held from 22 to 25 September 2022.

The Swan 115 Moat, which had just passed to new ownership before the Ibiza JoySail regatta, became the first champions. But they did not have it easy. The giant, well sailed Dubois 120 Bliss won the first race, around Formentera, Moat placing second and then the elegant, powerful Swan 115 won the race around the Bay of Ibiza. The Swan 115 Shamanna took third place on the podium and the winner of the Corinthian prize went to the Swan 80 Dark Horse, driven by its owner Morgan Jones.

The Regatta Committee led by Gaspar Morey and Pablo Ferrer set the fleet off at two minute intervals according to their ratings and the timings worked well.

By design it was the first time that a regatta for Superyacht and Maxi yachts has been held in the waters of The Pityusic Islands. And it proved a great and popular success. The proud new owner of Moat, Juan Ball, said "I have already reserved the dates for us all to participate at next year's Ibiza JoySail. Our idea is to come to Ibiza and do Porto Cervo and Saint-Tropez."

The Argentine owner said that "Ibiza is a very nice place, we are so very happy here. For us it has gone better than we expected because we were racing this boat for the first time. It was a nice surprise. It has been a very hard-fought and very interesting regatta. I came from a more family type of sailing boat, and so this is a new and very different story."

He highlighted the "the great organization of this event, we loved it and I hope they can maintain this level." And of the island of Ibiza he said "the place is fantastic, the vibe is of wonderful people; I'm even thinking of buying a house in Ibiza, so we're sure to be back. We are very much in love with the place."

The navigator of the Moat, Joan Vila, winner of the America's Cup and the Volvo Round the World Race said of Ibiza JoySail: "It is a great fun regatta, the courses are fantastic, it is fantastic That this type of regatta on the waters out of Palma and to and round Ibiza is very interesting. The area is so pretty for passage races and we love this environment. Many Superyachts are wintered at the STP yard in Palma, which makes everything much easier for them."

Shamanna's tactician, Marc Patiño who is a native of Mallorca explains "I have enjoyed this regatta a lot with the perfect organization and the beautiful locations. Ibiza JoySail gives this type of boat the opportunity to do longer races. This is an early example of what we can do here I think that in September next year there will be many more boats here".

He enjoys the idea of racing between the two islands, Mallorca and Ibiza.

"We are separated by only 70 miles, STP is an unbeatable place to prepare the boats for the Caribbean season and linking Mallorca and Ibiza is a great idea."

Ibiza JoySail 2022 will be from September 22 to 25. This was announced during the awards ceremony that took place in Marina Ibiza, the popular hub for this new regatta for Maxis and Superyachts.

The first edition of Ibiza JoySail was sponsored by the Consell d'Eivissa and enjoyed the support of the official suppliers such as Seguros Bilbao -insurer of the event-, Code Zero -official equipment-, ROTO -organizer of the welcome catering and dinner at the end of the regatta-, Exclusivas Miró -supplier of drinks from Ibiza and Formentera-, Heineken, Pernod Ricard -champagne for the winners- and Yacht Moving, who were collaborator in the transport of boats and race material to Palma and Ibiza.

Ibiza JoySail has also become part of the SYRA (Superyachts Racing Association) and the ORC, the regulatory body for the issue of certificates and official results.

And so the seeds have been sown for many future Ibiza JoySail events. This regatta has already earned a place on the international calendar as one of the most desirable regattas in the Mediterranean. Until next year...

For more information visit www.ibizajoysail.com.