New Norths 3Di main, staysail and A2 deployed as we round Formentera on Race Day 3

Had an unexpected result on our first outing racing against the locals here on the Costa Blanca - with a 2nd place trophy!

It was Race Day 1 in the Jorndanas Pitiusas Regatta hosted by Ibiza Club Nautico, and run over three days Friday / Saturday / Sunday 23/24/25th September.

The boat bottom was freshly rubbed back and repainted, we were fully loaded with a need to sleep a full 7 crew, but resplendent with our new Norths mainsail. Brilliant sail. Enjoyed a relaxed sail on the 70 miles over to the Balearics Thursday to enjoy an equally relaxed night out in the old toWn. I LOVE Ibiza town.....

It proved to be a pumpy weekend as all the clubs were having their final season parties. The island was full to busting.

Complete with obligatory headaches Friday, Race 1 was from Ibiza Town around the island anti-clockwise to finish in San Antonio on the north coast. Very very light winds were forecast and we watched dockside (with some surprise) as all our competitors offloaded all their 'surplus' kit. Fenders, anchors, cushions, storm sails, even a good deal of safety kit, were all emptied into what looked like custom made huge bags on the Club Nautico dockside.

Seems it's the norm here in these typical September / October light conditions. But wishing to risk a protest for not doing the right thing, we stayed fully loaded. Won't be doing that again!

Not our best start ever. With winds forward we weren't expecting much with our small IRC headsails, but with good crew work - and a bit of luck when the winds puffs up and went behind, we dragged our way back into the fleet and then to our surprise, scored that 2nd place in Division 2!

It was a great days sailing but under hot hot hot sun. When the winds veered it allowed us to deploy the Code 0, and with the winds eventually settling from the SSW but only coming in zephyrs it turned into a really tactical race where the tidal flow around the high cliffed corners of the course was often greater than the breeze. But the Code 0 was the winning sail both upwind and down. It actually proved better than the A2 kite even when running in sub 5 knot winds, retaining its shape and keeping us moving when many around were simply standing still.

So nice to have the crew up on the podium in San Antonio. Edo Volker (mainsheet), Sue (strings), Kevin Moss (trim), Eric Degerland and Chris Gibson (sharing foredeck / mast), and Teddy Chadd running around to fill in where needed. All did a great job working together for the first time. Both Chris and Teddy had flown in from the UK and I think found the sights and sounds of Ibiza Island in full party mode maybe a little different than say Lymington or Cherbourg........

With a crowded boat for sleeping and temperatures still mid 20's overnight, Sue and I had thoughtfully booked nearby hotel accomodation in both Ibiza and in Formentera. That was a really good move - but post this race it was all crew hunkered down together overnight in San Antonio.

Another good night out and early hours to our bunks. Can't recall the boat feeling crowded. Just maybe the G&Ts, vino, beers, then brandy had the right analgesic effect......

Race 2 was from San Antonio out west then down to finish at Savena, on Formentera. Despite the fresh headaches we got a better start offwind, but again light light light winds then saw me iffing and butting on what side to go to, just to make that first rounding four miles away upwind. Meant we ended up in the middle of the bay and in zero wind - whilst everyone else on the edges simply drifted away from us. Two hours later we finally got to that rounding point more or less dead set last boat in the whole fleet, but from there we sailed a blinder.

First ghosting downwind under Code 0 between the islets on Ibizas west coast, then hoisting the A2 when we found a narrow wind channel of 9 knot wind, it was gybe, gybe, and gybe again as we rapidly closed on the fleet. They call it the gap, a narrow channel between high cliffs on the lowest islet and Ibiza itself. With the Code 0 then deployed we found the .5 knot southerly current helped us create our own wind and catch up with the whole fleet, sitting stationary close by that gap. It was almost like we alone had a small electric engine running......awesome feeling as we slid past 40.7s, Grand Soleil 40s and an assortment of other larger boats.

Again our lack of local knowledge let us down after that super recovery. We chose to tack down the thumb line on the shifts to the finish off Savena on Formentera, whilst a lot of the others either went east to the Ibithan coast, or west and offshore. When the new wind started building and then savagely backed and filled in from the east, it gave boat groups on either side an advantage over us. We made 9th in our division........but better than a last place, eh?

Another pleasant night out at a dockside restaurant, another nice airconned hotel. For this Race 3 we were joined by Marian Volker to sail a course from Savena, around the bottom of Fomentera, and back north to Ibiza Town. As Teddy was flying home from Ibiza early the next day I was worried we might not finish on time, but the CN Ibiza race team assured me we would, so we glided under sub 5 knot winds into a great position on the start, and got away maybe 1st or 2nd. Soon rolled by bigger yachts with bigger sails (and unloaded,h probably lighter than we were) but we sailed well considering our lack of local knowledge. Good trim. Efficient gybing. The A2, the Code 0, the staysail, plus super hard working crew, saw us get make 6th place in that.

So at the prizegiving on Sunday at CN Ibiza we found we had achieved a 5th in Division 2 of 19 boats (every one of them bigger than we were) and 14th overall. Nothing to write home about, but fine by me. Newly formed crew. Small headsails. Heavy boat. Lack of local knowledge. I've got all the excuses I need.....😀

But seriously, we had lots of fun, and enjoyed the event.

The parties and the venues were awesome, as was the scenery as we slid (and at times parked) alongside the stunning cliffs off these Balearic Islands. Spanish sailors have been really welcoming, and good competitors on the race track, and pretty good party animals when they want to be.

Still can't get my head around them emptying off even safety gear, but it wasn't weight that let us down. It was some wrong decisions by me, and our lack of local knowledge.

So it's on on on for next year - where we can hopefully apply all we've learnt on this outing, and maybe do better next time. Fingers crossed.

Thanks everyone for this one. Great.