The majestic J-classes puts on a show at the premiere of the Ibiza JoySail

The Svea is the leader after the first race in Ibizan waters.

Palma/Ibiza.- The J class makes a show at the premiere of the Ibiza JoySail 2023. Svea and Topaz were the first to get underway in the long-distance regatta that closes the Mediterranean season. Meanwhile, during the crossing from Palma to Ibiza there were no conditions to set a new record and the superyachts set a direct course to Ibiza to arrive late in the afternoon and be ready for the second part of the Ibiza JoySail in the waters of the Pitiusas.

Topaz skippered by Peter Holmberg and Svea skippered by owner and skipper Niklas Zenstrom set a true match race between two boats whose history dates back to the America's Cup of the 1930s - it was sailed from 1930 to 1937. It is a boat designed by the American architect Nathanael Herreshoff in 1903, 36 meters long and with a displacement of 170 tons.

This is the first time that the J Class has sailed in Ibiza in what is a preamble to the 2024 World Cup that this class will compete in Barcelona, as a prelude to the 37th America's Cup.

Nacho Postigo, regatta director and navigator of Topaz commented that "on the Palma and Ibiza crossing the Committee tried to give two starts off Tagomago and Santa Eulàlia but the wind dropped and it wasn't possible", as for the J Class: "We were able to hold a race with light winds, and a second (race) was started but it rolled and dropped a lot, so the Committee with good criteria canceled the race".

At 13:20 hours the Race Committee, chaired by Arianne Mainemare, gave the start with a light south-easterly breeze of between 5-6 knots, which meant that the boats sailed evenly matched in the early stages.

Topaz was the first to cross the start line, taking the lead, tacking to port and looking to the right, while Svea was forced to take the left course.

But as the first one-mile upwind leg progressed, Svea, with Bouwe Bekking on tactics, took the lead, and from then on they gained the advantage until the finish line, with an upwind leg and a final upwind leg winning in real time after 1 hour, 7 minutes and 57 seconds, while Topaz did so in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 13 seconds. In total 4 miles.

Svea was launched in January 2017. It is the largest J-Class ever built and was made from original designs drawn up by Swedish naval architect and shipbuilder, Tore Holm.

Simbad Quiroga, the only Spanish crew member on the Swedish boat commented on arriving at Marina Ibiza that "the Ibiza JoySail is serving as a great test for us ahead of the World Championship and where we can try more risky maneuvers in a more relaxed way".

The superyachts set off on Wednesday morning from STP Shipyard Palma bound for Marina Ibiza, but without the option of a record due to the calm that plagues this part of the Mediterranean, where the wind barely reached 3 knots, so the Race Committee, chaired by Gaspar Morey, decided that the fleet would make almost the entire crossing under motor power to reach Ibiza this afternoon.

This is why Juan Ball's Moat, which is also taking part in this Ibiza JoySail, will continue to hold the record of 7 hours, 5 minutes and 30 seconds for another year.

By tomorrow, Thursday, the entire J-Class and SuperYacht fleet will be racing all the races off the coast of Ibiza and Formentera.