Svea, victorius of the Ibiza JoySail in the class J, wins the Kohler Cup

The J Class, Svea, with its co-ship owner Niklas Zenström on the tiller. has been the winner of the highly valued Kohler cup, a competition reserved for boats of this category and that was awarded after the Ibiza JoySail.

The Svea was claimed winner of the Kohler Cup, with 3 points; in second place was Velsheda, tied with 6 points with Topaz, who finished in third position. With this victory, the Svea took over from the Ranger, winner of the last edition of the Kohler Cup.

Furthermore, during these four days, from Wednesday to Saturday, Svea and Topaz have faced three score sheets all of them with very low wind during the Ibiza JoySail. Svea, with its co-ownership Niklas Zennström at the helm, Bouwe Bekking as the tactician and Steve Hayles as sailor, won the three races.

The director of Svea, Tim Powell, commented that after finishing the Ibiza JoySail that “it was good to sail again with low winds, which were below 7 knots, s key factor to know how to manage these boats, that suppose a learning curve for us. We learnt more about the rig, maneuvers, how to turn the boat in these conditions, we definitely learnt many things. It is different when you manage a bout with 12 knots of wind. Also, “it has been a really good event, a well managed hospitality on land and an overall enjoyable regatta” and “as the last regatta of the year,it has been very fun and we have celebrated together a great end of season dinner”, he adds.

For his part, Paul Kelly, captain of Svea, showed himself enthusiastic with the island: “This is Ibiza, everybody wants to come”. About the Ibiza JoySail, Kelly commented that “this week the wind has not been in our favor, and we could not do anything towards it, but for the social side of this it has been fantastic. To have a place central for all these boats and sailors, to be able to have breakfast and have a beer together is amazing”.

About the possible return of the J Class the captain of the Svea commented that “two years from now is a lot of time to know where we are going to be, maybe we are in the Caribbean. But without doubt, we will talk about it and it is certain that it is an event that we would like to come back to”.

Tim Kröger, chief of the Topaz project, affirmed about the Ibiza JoySail: “The organization on the water was perfect, well executed. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of wind, but the team worked hard to find the best place to make the most of the wind. They made the right decisions at the right times and we were able to enjoy a great race”.

Kohler Cup

The Kohler Cup is a trophy that was created in memory of entrepreneur and philanthropist Terry Kohler, who bought North Sails from Lowell North when North retired in 1984. Terry was passionate about North Sails and helped North maintain its position as a technological leader in sailmaking. 

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he saw the enormous potential of adapting technology to sails. Under his leadership, North Sails introduced 3D sailmaking. He was its owner from 1984 until 2014, the year of his death.

Kolher's love of sailing extended to the wider sailing community. He was passionate about the sport, particularly women's sailing. He was particularly interested in women's racing, having worked with the last US women's Olympic team at London 2012.

Some of his greatest legacies have been the Sail Sheboygan Sailing Center and the Sailing Education Associate of Sheboygan (SEAS), non-profit organizations.