20 Crews Embark on the Conquest of Ibiza JoySail 2024

The 2024 edition of Ibiza JoySail has reached its maximum capacity of participants with 20 crews, and official registrations for this unique and fun superyacht regatta, to be held at Marina Ibiza from September 19 to 22, are now closed.

This invitational regatta aims to create an exclusive atmosphere, ensuring that all teams can compete safely while enjoying everything Marina Ibiza offers both on land and water.

Established in 2021, the inaugural edition featured four superyacht teams, with 11 crews competing in 2022 and 13 in 2023. This record-breaking registration for 2024 includes a wide range of boats, from the prestigious 194-foot Frers Ketch “Maximus” launched last year, the 147-foot Dubois “Gitana,” to three new 67-foot Baltic Café Racers, attracted by the regatta's reputation, its alignment with their launch schedules, and the desire to compete in a beautiful setting.

There are six Southern Wind superyachts, including two SW96s, “Ammonite” and the latest “Liberty,” launched in the spring, as well as the SW108 Hybrid “Gelliceaux,” launched in autumn 2023 and winner of its class in Saint Barths in the spring. The SW 105 “Kiboko” competed in the 2023 Ibiza JoySail, while the SW-RP 90 “All Smoke” returns for the third time. The SW-RP 100 “Morgana” will participate for the first time in this popular "White Island" event.

Nautor’s Swan will be represented by regulars, the 115-foot “Moat,” undefeated in Ibiza JoySail, and the 80-foot “Dark Horse,” which won last year. Both have participated in all three editions of Ibiza JoySail so far. New participants include the recently renovated Swan 100 “L'Hippocampe,” whose owner and crew are competing together for the first time in a Mediterranean regatta, after having competed in the Heineken Saint Martin and the Saint Barths Bucket this spring.

Among the three debuting Baltic 68 Café Racers, “Ganesha,” “Pink Gin,” and “OpenSeason,” Alfredo Mella, captain of the newly launched “Ganesha,” comments: “The most important thing for us will be to be competitive. In Ibiza, we will compete with the three Baltic 68 CRs together, with different configurations (rudders and keels), so the regatta will be good for assessment.”

Juan Ball’s “Moat” returns to Ibiza after winning the Giorgio Armani regatta in Porto Cervo. The “Moat” captain, Diego Stefani, is enthusiastic: “Ibiza JoySail is characterized by good sailing on the water and fun on land. It’s a regatta where owners enjoy alongside the crew. It’s rare to find an event where owners can equally enjoy both the races and social events. I believe Ibiza JoySail is unique in that sense.”

He does not hide that the “Moat” team wants to continue their winning streak: “We hope to win again, especially since we have won the last editions. We expect the level to be higher than ever. There are always good races at Ibiza JoySail and the level keeps rising. We have sailed a lot on this boat with the same crew. It’s a big boat and perhaps not many regattas are like this, but we have managed to keep the same crew, and that makes a difference.”

Teams for whom Ibiza JoySail is a must-attend event include the YD 120 “Bliss,” the 99-foot Sport Yacht “Alarife Cien” designed by Frers, and the 111-foot Grand Classic “Aurelius” designed by Dykstra, which clearly enjoyed the Ibiza JoySail format as it returns for another year.

Among the newcomers eager to enjoy the exclusive combination of competition and social events on land that Ibiza JoySail offers is the new “Maximus,” whose attractive design, a true "wolf in sheep’s clothing," is causing quite a stir on the docks.

Lars Loftus, captain and helmsman, explains: “We like the format of the Ibiza JoySail regatta, it has a broad entry list and is a great opportunity to compete. We also like the possibility of breaking the record from Mallorca to Ibiza as a preliminary event. We go to all regattas with the same expectations: to sail safely, cleanly, and quickly, and we hope that will be enough to win.”

Another debutant is the Swan 100 “L'Hippocampe.” Arno Böhnert leads the project: “It’s a boat that has a dual season, in the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter. So far, it has participated in two regattas, the Heineken Saint Martin and the Saint Barths Bucket. We don’t aim to be among the first but to compete and have fun. We have a good combination of a professional crew, who form the core, and many friends of the owner. At all times we ensure that the owner, who steers, enjoys himself, as well as the guests and the crew. We have a fantastic young captain, Ella Holmes, only 22 years old, who is doing a magnificent job.”

“We are participating because we have never competed with this boat, but our goal is more to have fun and enjoy the experience. The regatta is at the end of the season, it’s a regatta designed for large boats like ours and the level is not excessively high. We hope for good weather and good wind,” comments Nicola Manca, captain of the SW 96 “Ammonite 2.”

Other familiar faces joining the fleet in Ibiza for the first time include “Nostromo,” the successful 100-foot Dubois, and “WinWin,” the Baltic 108 renovated in 2022-2023, which won its class in Saint Barths last year.

Kety Sierra from Ibiza JoySail summarizes: “It’s wonderful to see how, year after year, the Ibiza JoySail regatta is so well received by both regular and new teams. We put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into launching Ibiza JoySail because we strongly believed in the concept of a record to be broken between Mallorca and Ibiza, of incredible and enjoyable courses around Ibiza and Formentera, all complemented by a fun social program in the Ibiza style on land, tailored for demanding owners and teams. Therefore, seeing the joy in both the participants and our team is very gratifying.”