Bliss, the well sailed, well travelled Dubois designed YD 120 leads the inaugural Ibiza JoySail regatta after the first day of competition, a 40 nautical miles passage round the beautiful island of Formentera, a hidden jewel of the Balearic islands which has rarely featured on a Superyacht or Maxi yacht race course.
Full of anticipation the Ibiza JoySail fleet headed out from Marina Ibiza ready to take on the first official day of coastal racing at this exciting new sailing event.
The mythical Es Vedra island off the South West tip of the island of Ibiza served as the perfect backdrop at the startline, as the fleet prepared to race around Formentera, the course unfolding all the best of Autumn colours that the stunning coastline has to offer.
Dark Horse were the first to answer the start gun, followed by Bliss, and the Swan 115 pair Shamanna and Moat sent off at two-minute intervals by the Race Committee. With the breeze picking up, it was the newly acquired Moat on their first race outing together, that set the pace for the day, with the crew’s tactician opting for a more inland option from the start.
At Barbaria lighthouse, which stands at the southernmost point of the Balearic Island and Formentera, it was Moat still leading the charge. Shamanna were on the hunt and after executing a quick sail change at the corner, they were able to bring the boat back up to 12 knots to close the gap once again. Onlookers watched in awe at the natural viewpoint, as the fleet rounded the lighthouse one after the other, Shamanna and Moat locked close together.
While Dark Horse fell out of touch with the front group, all was certainly not lost as the crew enjoyed every moment of sailing in this little, lesser known corner of paradise, taking in the beautiful turquoise waters and the dramatic and imposing cliff faces of the area.
On a boat which raced successfully in many international regattas as Highland Fling 15, Moat’s new crewproved an equally great combination. The new owners and the team have taken well to the boat, with the crew sailing her past Isla Espalmador and Isla Espardell and across the finish line to take line honours ahead of Shamanna.
But it was Bliss that took handicap honours having sailed an excellent race. The Dubois designed YD 120 now currently leads the Ibiza JoySail regatta ahead of the second day of racing tomorrow.
For now the coastal adventures turn to onshore celebrations as the fleet get together in Ibiza to celebrate the days racing.
The YD 120, Bliss currently leads the Ibiza JoySail regatta after an excellent first day of racing in Ibiza. The 40 nautical mile race around Formentera saw the Swan 115, Moat cross the finish line first to take line hours after over three hours racing, before Bliss stole the win after taking into account compensated time, with the Swan 115, Shamanna in third.
After not being able to validate the crossing between Mallorca and Ibiza last Thursday due to the lack of wind, on this first day through the Pitiüsas islands the wind did accompany, blowing from the southwest of about 11 knots of intensity, with which the Race Committee decided to do the coastal this same Friday.
The mythical Vedra island acted as the perfect backdrop at the startline, as Dark Horse got under starting orders first. With Bliss, Shamanna and Moat starting thereafter in two-minute intervals, the race was on as the breeze picked up to around 11 knots.
Moat that set the pace for the day, with the crew’s tactician opting for a more inland route to start. At Barbaria lighthouse, which stands at the southernmost point of the Balearic Island and Formentera, they were leading the charge.
It was Shamanna on the hunt in second and after executing a quick sail change at the corner, they were able to bring the boat back up to 12 knots to close the gap once again. Onlookers watched in awe at the viewpoint, as the rest of the fleet rounded the lighthouse and showcased true sailing class.
While Dark Horse fell out of touch with the front group, all was certainly not lost as the crew embraced every moment of sailing in paradise, taking in the beautiful turquoise waters and the dramatic and unspoilt cliff faces of the area.
Having raced successfully in many international regattas, Moat proved her class once again. The new owners have taken well to the boat, with the crew sailing her past Isla Espalmador and Isla Espardell and across the finish line to take line honours.
But it was Bliss that took handicap honours having sailed an excellent race. The Dubois designed YD 120 now currently leads the Ibiza JoySail regatta ahead of the second day of racing tomorrow.
For now, offshore adventures turn into onshore celebrations as the fleet get together in Ibiza to celebrate the days racing before getting ready for more close racing over the weekend.
