The new Café Racer concept comes to the Ibiza JoySail

The SuperYacht regatta will be held from the 19th to the 22nd in Marina Ibiza, and already has a dozen entries who want to enjoy the mix of fun and competition in the waters of Ibiza and Formentera.

The fourth edition of Ibiza JoySail, the end-of-season regatta for Mediterranean Superyachts that was born in 2021, already has more than a dozen entries.

The incessant interest, with almost half a year to go until the regatta, has led organizers STP Shipyard Palma and Marina Ibiza to estimate that between 15 and 20 Superyachts will enjoy the unique combination of pleasure and competition in the spectacular waters of Ibiza and Formentera, as well as a relaxed and friendly onshore atmosphere.

At the beginning of April, 11 boats have already been confirmed with many skippers, owners and crews who want to enjoy this year's 2024 edition of the Ibiza JoySail, a regatta that will be extended to four days, from the 19th to the 22nd of September in Marina Ibiza.

In fact, three of last year's division winners have already confirmed their return this September: Performance division winners 'Moat' (Swan 115); Performance Cruising division winners 'Dark Horse' (Swan 80); and World Cruising division winners 'Aurelius' (Dykstra 111).

And among the newcomers are three representatives of the new 'Café Racer' concept from the Baltic Yachts shipyard: 'Open Season', 'Ganesha' and 'Pink Gin Verde'. Baltic's 'Café Racer' is a design by Spaniard Javier Jáudenes.

"I am really impressed and excited by the number of entries we already have, considering it's only April. Usually we see crews and owners taking their time to decide exactly what they want to do for the season. For us that means that most of the entries for the Ibiza JoySail will come in May and June. So, from that observation, it is reasonable to think that we will see between 15 and 20 boats this year," says Nacho Postigo, Race Director of the Ibiza JoySail. 

"The other issue we were concerned about was that some might head straight to the America's Cup in Barcelona where there is a Superyacht event, but we have a good entry so far and the evidence is that crews want to do both races - Ibiza JoySail has a unique and different appeal, so you can understand that idea!".

Postigo is also excited about the participation, for the first time, of the new Café Racers, who have chosen to compete in Ibiza JoySail. "They may not be big Superyachts, but the systems and the look and feel are very 'Superyacht'. He adds that "Ibiza JoySail has a very "family and friends" philosophy. 

The choice to go for the Corinthian award in each division of the regatta proves popular, the main attraction being that here all boats compete in their usual division, but choose to adhere to the key Corinthian rules which allow only four professional crew in addition to the boat's permanent crew. They are allowed to use only one furling headsail in addition to a Code 0 sail and a spinnaker for downwind.

Postigo concludes that "the spirit of the Corinthian Trophies is very clear: the boat sails in the same configuration as it would cruise the day before or the day after the event, meaning they are likely to simply leave their tender and bimini at the dock and those are the only changes; it's easy, stress-free for the crew: no need to put the boat in 'race' mode making lots of time-consuming and energy-consuming changes.