Interview to Javier ‘Bubi’ Sanso, Captain of Windrose of Amsterdam
Ibiza JoySail Regatta
Back in Palma from their most recent cruises for refit, Windrose of Amsterdam and Hyperion are the latest and biggest entries for September’s Ibiza JoySail regatta and both skippers are looking forward to experiencing this different event on Balearic waters which promises exciting sailing with 14 boats already registered and growing.
Captain of Frers designed 155ft (47,4m) Hyperion, Nico Jacklein, is looking forward to some good racing with Bubi Sanso and the crew of Windrose of Amsterdam.
“We are looking forward to a few days fast sailing and hopefully a few other 40m plus boats will join to improve the racing aspect for Hyperion. But we are confident the event will grow with time.”
Javier ‘Bubi’ Sanso
Palma, Mallorca born and bred Javier ‘Bubi’ Sanso for the last five years has been the skipper of the modern classic, the 2002 built 46,32m (151ft 11in) Schooner Windrose of Amsterdam is glad another big boat is taking part in the race.
“It will be spectacular to see such large yachts with all the sails set and sailing”.
Javier is one of Spain’s best known solo ocean racers, he has competed in the Vendée Globe twice, once in 2000-2001 on Old Spice and in the 2012-13 race when he competed on Acciona. He raced round the world two handed in 2007 on the Barcelona World Race with Pachi Rivero and completed the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre three times, finishing on the IMOCA podium twice.
Based out of his native Palma, Windrose of Amsterdam has travelled to some of the most remote cruising grounds in the world including Antarctica.
Bubi tell us about your extended cruises?
Well we went Palma to Antarctica, to Patagonia and the Patagonian Fjords to Easter Island Polynesia to Fiji all the southern islands to Solomon to Malaysia to Maldives, the Red Sea and back to Palma. It was an incredible voyage. Antarctica was pretty special. The Patagonian Fjords are incredible, Tierra del Fuego, all that area is so unknown, so uncertain and so wild that it is incredible it is next level.
The owner wanted to go to some special places, some places he did not even know we could get to. He asked and we got there, it was great to explore. It was great experience seeing all the glaciers. We were in that area for nine months and we never saw another boat. It is nice.
So why Ibiza JoySail and why Ibiza?
We were in Tahiti last year. We came back to Spain to Palma in 2020 and then did a refit and planned to go the Pacific again and the COVID started and so we went anyway and did not go round Cape Horn but through the Panama Canal and then we did Costa Rica and the Galapagos and it was a matter of we wanted to Tahiti and then go to Chile but the COVID started really bad in 2021.
We waited and waited and waited in Costa Rica on the Pacific but everything was closed. Nothing was open. We waited until they opened Tahiti in June last year and then came back to Palma in April this year.
We arrived and started a refit and so, since we are here at home we might as well do Ibiza JoySail. It looks a nice regatta, nice atmosphere, good fun and good ambience, so why not?
You have a special relationship with the islands of Ibiza and Formentera?
I have been going to Ibiza my whole life since I was small, long before it became famous and cool and trendy. Now in the last 15-20 years it has become famous and popular but parents lived there in the ‘hippy’ years in the 1950s and 1960s by parents lived there. Then they moved here to the ‘big island’ I know Formentera and Ibiza really very well.
Where are your favourite spots?
Actually I like the north side and the east side of Ibiza very much. I like the beginning of the season and the end of the season, May and end of September, October and after is my favourite time. In the middle season it is not so much what I like, too many people. The Ibiza JoySail is perfectly timed.
I love Es Vedrà and Cala Comte, off season. On the west side there are rocks I know where there is really good snorkelling is spots I know, I was shown by the locals a long time ago. In saying so there are places to escape to, even in August, that no-one knows.
Cala Jondal, Cala Bassa are all really nice when it is quiet and the good thing about Ibiza is you can choose, wild and quiet or relaxing, good restaurants, Ibiza has everything. If Ibiza did not exist, it would have to be invented!
Formentera, my favourite spot is Es Caló, I love it. I have been to Formentera so many times we use it as a waypoint to and from Gibraltar. I have not travelled by road on the island so much, but I know it all by sea. I know so many places to eat and swim, especially off season.
It will be a nice kind of culture shock!
We have not raced for five years as we mostly like to go to new and interesting places, where we usually are the only boat there. So, Ibiza JoySail seems like a really nice event, a nice way to finish the season, a nice vibe for the crew and so on. It won’t be hard racing just relaxed racing, beautiful boats and it will be nice for people to see our boat and see it racing.
And would you ever go back to the Vendée Globe, it is unfinished business…
If somebody called me back to do the Vendée Globe I would jump. I am a little older but physically I am in good shape and experience counts a lot.
From September 22-25, 2022
Ibiza JoySail
Read more from The Islander – Regatta News
