Revealed: The 24 winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2016

Among the superyachts judged to be the best of the Refitted Yachts, the judges’ secret ballot revealed the winner as the classic 53-metre Feadship, Mirage (ex-Elizabeth F).

A refit under her previous ownership in 2007 had only partially updated the yacht, so the untouched areas seriously mismatched the new work, and the new owner was keen to address this, as well as other technical issues. The subsequent refit was cleverly carried out over three winters, thus allowing the owner to still make use of the yacht during the summer months, and the entirety of the work was completed in early 2015.

During these refit periods in STP in Palma, Spain all aspects and areas of the yacht were redecorated or restored while a new gymnasium and spa pool were installed as well. The quality and scope of the work exceeded the owner’s expectations and now Mirage is not only used for his family holidays, and as a crew ship while racing his sailboat, but she is also proving to be a successful charter yacht.

LOA: 53m

Original Builder:  Feadship

Refit Yard: STP Palma

Refit Naval Architect:  De Voogt Naval Architects

Refit Exterior/Interior Design:  Design Unlimited

The old saying that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ is certainly true of the winner of this five-strong class of sailing yachts – but it was not the overriding factor, as all aspects of each entrant were considered in detail before the results of the secret ballot were analysed.

The winner, Atalante, a 38.8-metre sloop designed by Andre Hoek Naval Architects and built to impeccable standards by Claasen Shipyards in The Netherlands, is certainly a delight for the eyes, with supremely elegant lines and glistening brightwork. But the judges also applauded the well-developed deckplan that, among other notable items, positions the wheel in the aft cockpit adjacent to a navigation station with direct access to the owner’s cabin.

As well as offering convenience when under sail, this entire area becomes a private cockpit when the yacht is at anchor. Atalante is also an excellent performer on the water and embodies a good internal layout with superb guest and crew spaces and a well laid out engine room.

LOA: 38.8m

Builder:  Claasen Shipyards

Naval Architect:  Hoek Design Naval Architects

Exterior/Interior Design: Hoek Design Naval Architects

The runner-up in the secret ballot for this class had been designed and built to quite different parameters than the winner, and the judges felt strongly that it was necessary to acknowledge the design achievement that led to her stunning appearance and excellent on-the-water performance.

Nikata is a 35-metre racer/cruiser designed by Judel/Vrolijk, styled by Nauta Design and built by Baltic Yachts. Her racy looks are apparent from first glance, so it is unsurprising that she hit an impressive speed of 24.8-knots during her first crossing of the Atlantic and won her class in her first RORC Caribbean 600 in which she finished seventh overall.

Precisely built entirely from carbon pre-preg laminate with a Corecell foam core, this 88-tonne vessel is equipped with high-speed winches and an easy-trim jib system, but she does not lack creature comforts that include a 200-bottle wine cellar, six fridges, two freezers and a spectacular sound system, as well as an opening transom that converts to a bathing platform.

LOA: 35m

Builder:  Baltic Yachts

Naval Architect: Judel/Vrolijk & Co

Exterior Design: Nauta Design

Interior Design: Nauta Design

While only three yachts competed in this class, each represented a quite different aspect of the sailing superyacht spectrum extremely well - so the judges were presented with yet another difficult choice. After an interesting discussion, the secret ballot decided the winner to be Unfurled, a 46-metre sloop from the boards of German Frèrs that was constructed by Vitters Shipyard, marking the first collaboration between the builder and designer.

This yacht was not only judged to be extremely well designed and built, but it was considered to be a yacht that could ably fulfil the more specific racing and luxurious cruising roles of the other competitors as well as those of the ‘cruising and occasional racing’ function that her owner had requested. At the same time, Unfurled employed the latest technological advances such as retractable propulsion pods, a sophisticated carbon rig and roller furling system as well as downwind sails stored on special drums under the foredeck that allow easy deployment.

LOA: 46m

Builder:  Vitters Shipyard

Naval Architect: Frèrs Naval Architecture & Engineering

Exterior Design: Frèrs Naval Architecture & Engineering

Interior Design: Stirling & Co

The judges found this a a highly competitive class with all its entrants originating from experienced yards with long experience in building yachts of this size and specification. After projecting the images and hearing from those judges who had personal experience of the entrants, there was a long discussion during which the merits of each yacht were debated before the secret ballot decided the winner.

As was expected the result was close, but it was Antheya III, a newly designed 35-metre semi-custom yacht from UK builder Princess, that filled the top spot. This vessel, developed in conjunction with her owner, had attracted high scores for every judging criteria. The judges particularly admired her exterior design, which incorporated a variety of functional areas in which to relax and dine, as well as her contemporary yet ageless interior. Additionally, the judges found a high quality of construction and excellent technical, service and crew areas. A well balanced yacht indeed.

Length: 35.2m

Builder:  Princess Yachts International

Naval Architect: Olesinski

Exterior Design: Olesinski/Princess Design Studio

Interior Design: Princess Design Studio

Having reviewed all the yachts in this class in some detail, the judges selected the 42.3-metre Mondomarine Serenity, with exterior design by Luca Vallebona and SFL Design, as the winner.

Well-built, and displaying modern yet extremely harmonious exterior lines that perfectly match her interior, the judges considered this to be a well-balanced motor yacht whose interior layout offers the owner the privacy that he requested in his brief. In order to achieve this, the designers created an unusual general arrangement that assigns both the interior and exterior areas of the complete upper deck for the owner’s use, linking this to the forward part of the main deck where the owner’s bathroom is located.

Despite the relatively modest size of the yacht, guests enjoy four spacious cabins on the lower deck and a main-deck lounge with wide openings to balconies on either side. The crew are provided with generous accommodations on the lower deck as well as a crew mess on the main deck, which is adjacent to the galley.

Length: 42.3m

Builder:  Mondomarine

Naval Architect: Mondomarine

Exterior Design: Luca Vallebona/SFL Design

Interior Design: Fatema Almaidan/SFL Design

It is unusual for World Superyacht Award judges to give a specific Commendation prizes for interior design as, being created to the specific taste of her owner, this aspect of a yacht does not contribute to the overall marks awarded by individual judges.

In the case of Rüya, however, the judges were so enthusiastic about the interior design created by Sam Sorgiovanni, which combines the rich tones of the Australian Outback and other uniquely Australian textures, that they unanimously decided to break with tradition and award a Judges’ Special Commendation. In particular, the judges were impressed with the modern, highly sophisticated atmosphere that was created by the use of architecturally clean lines together with the harmonius colours, textures and timbers that are found throughout, which thoroughly complement the yacht’s open and bright atmosphere.

Length: 41.3m

Builder:  Alia Yachts

Naval Architect: Van Oossanen Naval Architects

Exterior Design: Sorgiovanni Designs

Interior Design: Sorgiovanni Designs

Many modern yachts are labelled as ‘explorers’ merely on the basis of their commercial appearance and the stowage position of their tenders, but few actually fulfil all the necessities of a true explorer, especially exceptional seaworthiness, long range and lengthy autonomy.

The judges felt that the new steel-hulled Sanlorenzo 460Exp Moka was an exception to this general rule, combining all these functions with high internal volume and a layout that provides excellent comfort for owner and guests, while reducing environmental impact sufficiently to receive RINA’s Green Plus Gold designation.

On top of this, Sanlorenzo have created a purposeful and attractive yacht, ideally suited to her owner’s long-range cruising plans, with good safety features as well as the ability to carry a wide range of watercraft and provide impressive lifestyle amenities, such as a swimming pool with current generator.

Length: 42.2m

Builder:  Sanlorenzo

Naval Architect: Sanlorenzo

Exterior Design:  Francesco Paszkowski Design

Interior Design: Sanlorenzo

While the finalists in this class were all within a couple of metres LOA, they were, perhaps, the most diverse of any of the motor yacht classes up for accolades as they displayed a particularly wide range of hull construction materials. These included all-steel, all-aluminium, steel and aluminium, steel and wood, and GRP and aluminium, as well as both solid and cored GRP.

But despite this diversity the judges soon homed in to Sibelle, a 49.9-metre Heesen motor yacht with avant garde exterior lines from Omega Architects. Her Fast Displacement Hull Form, designed by Van Oossanen Naval Architects, is claimed to provide good fuel economy as well as a higher top speed than can be achieved by traditional displacement hulls, while the pair of spray rails that wrap the bow have eased the issue of spray in plumb-bowed yachts.

In the judges’ eyes, these facts, combined with high-quality construction throughout and well-reasoned deck and interior areas, made Sibelle a worthy winner.

Length: 49.9m

Builder:  Heesen Yachts

Naval Architect: Van Oossanen Naval Architects

Exterior Design: AB Studio/ Omega Architects

Interior Design: AB Studio/Omega Architects

With every yacht in this class having received top marks from at least one judge, it was a tough job to choose exactly which of the worthy entries should receive the Neptune. While it was recognised that each of the yachts displayed some extremely good attributes, the secret ballot resulted in a win for 11.11 – its unusual name derived from the date of birth of the owner’s child.

At its heart, 11.11 is very much intended as a family yacht. Despite being near completion when purchased, the owner was able to put his distinct stamp on this vessel thanks to the cooperation and flexibility of the yacht’s builder, Benetti. The eight judges who had viewed the yacht felt that 11.11 was the best product ever to come from this yard. This high opinion helped sway opinion and was a deciding factor in choosing this as the winner, along with her elegant and modern lines, excellent machinery spaces, high level of amenities for her owner and his guests, excellent crew and service areas, and glamorous, Art Deco-inspired interior.

Length: 63m

Builder:  Benetti

Naval Architect: Benetti

Exterior Design: Benetti

Interior Design:  Owners' private design team