The third edition of Ibiza Joysail drew to a close on Saturday after three days of racing around nearshore routes between the islands of Ibiza and Formentera.
A record number of participants were seen enjoying the competition at sea and accompanying on-land activities, which culminated in the victories of Moat in the Performance category, Dark Horse in Performance Cruising, Aurelius in World Cruising and Svea in J Class.
A wealth of world-renowned seafarers attended, including Svea's Bouwe Bekking and Paul Westlake, Peter Holmberg and Francesco de Angelis of Topaz, Will Oxley and Mark Sadler of Jasi, Guillermo Parada of Moat, Andy Beadsworth and Bill Tripp of Prevail, as well as Jesper Bank of All Smoke, to name just a few. Representing their homeland were Spanish sailors Pablo Arrarte, Nacho Postigo, Javier de la Plaza, Pachi Rivero and Sinbad Quiroga.
Despite very tricky conditions, including the anticyclone that hovered over the Mediterranean throughout the week, the Race Committee held a nearshore race every day with a total of three routes during the event.
Moat took the crown for the third consecutive year since the superyacht regatta's inaugural edition in 2021. The Swan 115 yacht can now claim to be one of the true superstars of the event, along with the Performance Cruising winner Dark Horse, who are the only two boats to have raced in all the editions of Ibiza JoySail.
Moat's owner and one of the regatta's leading ambassadors, Juan Ball, commented on his yacht's consecutive victories, saying: "We love this event that started out as a project just three years ago. We were invited to take part and ever since we've jumped at the chance of playing a part in the regatta."
Moat had an additional incentive for winning this year – competing with her sistership, Jasi. In Performance, the duel between the two was spectacular, with Moat winning overall after coming first in all three races and Jasi notching up three seconds.
Ball continued: "We've been matching wits with Jasi, which has been really productive for both parties."
All Smoke came third in Performance, beating Kiboko Tres on the last day, who ended up fourth overall but was crowned champion in the Corinthian Class.
Dark Horse was victorious in Performance Cruising, showcasing an incredible evolution in just three years to eventually take her first Ibiza JoySail victory. The American yacht Prevail followed whereas Shambho came third, with the latter also winning the Corinthian prize in her class.
Enjoying her Ibiza JoySail debut, Aurelius was a double champion both in her class and in the Corinthian class in World Cruising. Second place was taken by Scorpion of London, while tied for points in third place was Alarife 100, the only Spanish-born sailing yacht competing in her native waters.