Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments 2024 Leaderboard

Ibiza JoySail 2023 Day 1

by Ibiza JoySail 28 Sep 2023 04:46 AEST 27-30 September 2023
Ibiza JoySail Day 1: Svea and Topaz in action in the first J-Class race © Sailing Energy

The J Class took centre stage on the opening day of Ibiza JoySail 2023. Svea and Topaz were the first to stretch their legs in the superyacht race that closes the Mediterranean season.

However, the conditions during the Palma-Ibiza crossing weren't favourable for a new record to be set and the yachts took a direct course to Ibiza to arrive in the late afternoon, all set for day two of Ibiza JoySail off the coast of Ibiza and Formentera.

Topaz, skippered by Peter Holmberg, and Svea, co-owned and skippered by Niklas Zennström, fought a true match race between two boats that trace their history back to the America's Cup of the 1930s. The J Class is a yacht first designed in 1903 by the American naval architect Nathanael Herreshoff, with an LOA of 36 metres and a displacement of 170 tons.

This is the first time that the J Class have sailed in Ibiza in what is a preamble to the 2024 World Championships in Barcelona, being held just before the 37th America's Cup.

Nacho Postigo, race director and navigator on Topaz, commented that "on the Palma-Ibiza crossing, the Committee tried to give two starting signals just by the islet of Tagomago and the town of Santa Eulàlia, but the wind dropped and it wasn't going to be". As for the J Class, he explained that "we were able to race with gentle winds, and a second race was started but the wind veered and really dropped, so the Committee rightly decided to cancel the race".

At 13:20, the Race Committee — chaired by Arianne Mainemare — gave the starting signal in a gentle southeast breeze of 5-6 knots, making the yachts sail on an equal footing in the early stages.

Topaz was the first to cross the starting line and take the lead, looking for port tack, while Svea was forced to take the left course of the racecourse.

As the first one-mile close-haul got closer, Svea — with Bouwe Bekking as tactician — snatched the lead, and from there made further headway right until the end, with a run and a final close-haul, winning in real time after 1 hour, 7 minutes and 57 seconds, while Topaz finished in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 13 seconds. A total of 4 miles.

Svea was launched in January 2017. She's the largest J Class ever built and was made from original designs penned by Swedish naval architect and shipbuilder, Tore Holm.

Sinbad Quiroga, the only Spanish crewmember on the Swedish boat, commented upon reaching Marina Ibiza that "Ibiza JoySail is a great trial for the World Championships and the perfect place where we can try out more daring manoeuvres with less pressure".

The superyachts set sail on Wednesday morning from STP Shipyard Palma bound for Marina Ibiza, but with no record option due to the calms that plague this part of the Med, with the wind barely reaching three knots. As a result, the Race Committee chaired by Gaspar Morey decided that the fleet would motor almost the entire crossing to reach Ibiza this afternoon.

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

Tomorrow, Thursday, the entire fleet of J Class and superyachts will be competing in all the events off the coast of Ibiza and Formentera.

Related Articles

ULTIM® Class presents its race programme
Ambitious sporting programme for the next four seasons Synonymous with excellence and innovation in the world of ocean racing, the ULTIM® Class presents an ambitious sport programme for the next four seasons, alternating single-handed, double-handed and crewed races. Posted today at 7:49 am
Hannah Mills OBE to share carbon footprint success
At World Sailing Sustainability Session Great Britain's most successful female Olympic sailor and strategist for Emirates GBR SailGP Team, Hannah Mills OBE, will headline as guest speaker at World Sailing's upcoming Sustainability Session on renewable energy in the sport. Posted on 8 May
iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games day 3
Intense competition on Lake Garda: 30 course races today, 5 for each fleet Racing intensified on Day 3 of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior International Games on Lake Garda, as more stable conditions finally allowed a full program of racing. Posted on 8 May
Transat Paprec Day 19 - hours from the finish
The first boats are expected to arrive in the middle or late part of the night in Saint Barthélemy In less than 24 hours, we'll know the winner, the podium, and the full rankings of this incredible Transat Paprec. As they battle through a windless zone that's capturing everyone's attention, the competitors know that anything is still possible. Posted on 8 May
Stop Guessing, Start Winning
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Fast Rig Settings You know the boats that kept finishing ahead of you last season? They're not faster. They're just better at repeating what works. Posted on 8 May
SW108 Kiboko 4 wins Sailing Superyacht of the Year
At the 20th edition of the Boat International World Superyacht Awards Southern Wind Australia and New Zealand is thrilled to announce that the SW108 Kiboko 4has been awarded both the "Sailing Yacht" category win and the prestigious title of "Sailing Yacht of the Year" at the Boat International World Superyacht Awards. Posted on 8 May
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic Lite Jacket
Will it become your new favourite jacket? We all have that one favourite jacket, which no matter what the weather or where you're going, it's the one you pick out above everything else. The new Dynamic Lite Jacket from Henri-Lloyd is set to become the new fave jacket. Posted on 8 May
Tshcüss 2 eyes Transatlantic Race line honors
The competitors will cover a distance of approximately 3,000 miles Many people find comfort in the familiar. Not Christian Zugel, who spent his youth in landlocked southern Germany, but discovered, late in life, a passion for blue-water ocean racing. Posted on 8 May
2025 44Cup Porto Cervo Preview
Back up to 11 teams for the first time since 2016 With the RC44 fleet now safely returned from the Caribbean, competition on the 44Cup resumes again next week with the second event of the 2025 season taking place in the Italian sailing mecca of Porto Cervo. Posted on 8 May
World Foiling Congress 2025
Foiling industry aligns on certification framework After a successful debut in 2024, the World Foiling Congress returns to Genova on May 20th as the global reference event for the foiling industry — a full day dedicated to insight, exchange, and strategic vision for the future of waterborne mobility. Posted on 8 May
Selden 2020 - FOOTERJeanneau Sun Odyssey 350Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTER