Jack Setton honoured with Legacy Award at the World Superyacht Awards 2025

Visionary yacht owner and French businessman Jack Setton has been named the recipient of this year’s prestigious Legacy Award at the World Superyacht Awards, held in Venice, Italy, on 2-3 May 2025.

Having owned more than 60 boats throughout his lifetime, Setton is recognised for his relentless pursuit of innovation and performance in the superyacht industry. While many yachts are built to dazzle with opulence, Setton’s fleet has long stood apart – lean, fast and uncompromisingly utilitarian, often challenging conventions and pushing the boundaries of what a yacht can be.

From the radical conversion of a 77.7-metre deep-sea tug into the adventure-ready Simson S (now Sea Ranger), to the design of the rugged 57-metre Senses, likened by Setton to a maritime Hummer, his creations are built with purpose and engineered for serious use. Among his more unconventional projects is Pink Shrimp, a 32-metre former shrimping vessel refitted with jet drive units and powered by twin Cummins 600hp diesels, capable of cruising at 40 knots with a range of over 400 nautical miles at speed.

Setton’s bold design philosophy also extends to sailing yachts. The 24-metre Pioneer (now Amaalta), designed by André Mauric, epitomises his appetite for innovation. The ultra-light displacement yacht was equipped with twin outboard engines instead of traditional inboards – a move that reduced drag, boosted manoeuvrability and allowed for speeds of up to 17 knots under power. Even his smaller projects, such as the 10-metre catamaran Freset, reflect an engineer’s precision fused with a sailor’s intuition.

Though he built a successful career in electronics, real estate and race car sales – notably selling Pioneer electronic devices – Setton’s lifelong passion has always been boats. His projects have repeatedly defied the norm and inspired the industry to embrace performance-led, purpose-driven design.

The Legacy Award celebrates individuals who have made a lasting impact on the superyacht world. In honouring Jack Setton, the industry pays tribute to a trailblazer whose yachts are bold declarations of what’s possible at sea.