The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2018

An entry that was particularly admired for the tenacity of her owner in restarting and completing what had initially been a failed project. The judges saw Genesia as the ultimate rebuild, starting out as a commercial tug at the end of her working life, and finishing as a capable expedition yacht. The extent of the work invested in this rebuild was truly remarkable.

Genesia was stripped of her original interior and machinery as well as substantial elements of her superstructure before being taken back to clean steel, at which point rebuilding commenced. While her new appearance remains commercial, this yacht has the rugged ‘go-anywhere’ look, together with the necessary equipment, for a yacht that has been created to tackle the challenges of long-distant cruising in both high and low latitudes. The judges also noted that her interior suitably reflects this use, being modern and eminently practical as well as comfortable.

The introduction of this new Support Vessel category reflects a change in the world of superyachts that is increasing in momentum. Modern yacht usage is more adventurous than in the past, with many vessels roaming the entire globe from ice cap to ice cap. At the same time there is an understandable reluctance among owners to build yachts of a size that could properly carry the range of support equipment, such as a helicopter and a larger number of specialist tenders that this modern usage demands, because it would limit their access to many charming ports and anchorages. The solution, it seems, is to restrict the size of a mother ship, while offloading all the necessary expedition equipment to a support vessel.

Three such vessels were nominated for this year’s Awards and, whilst examining the capabilities that each added to their mother ship, the judges’ attention soon focused on Game Changer. In their opinion, the ability of this vessel to provide excellent helicopter landing, support and hangar facilities, as well as the deck space to carry and launch four specialist tenders, three PWCs, four trail bikes, and a submarine, in addition to the provision of excellent crew areas and a hospital facility, made her the winner.

Three similarly sized blue-water cruising yachts competed in this class, two sloops and a ketch. Each was a beautifully constructed and highly practical example of their breed, and this served to stimulate a thorough discussion among the judges, whose opinions were finally reflected in the judging sheets.

Built from carbon fibre and displacing just 250 tonnes, Pink Gin's hull and rig were considered to be a triumph of structural engineering in that her fore and aft deflection is a mere 76mm, despite a 300-tonne rig loading imposed by her 68-metre high carbon mast. While contributing enormously to the practicality and functionality of the yacht, the two large hull openings – a guest’s boarding platform to port and a balcony in the master cabin forward – further added to the complexity of this engineering. Other notable technology was her ‘force feedback steering’ power-assisted system that operating over a wireless link, provides the helmsman with an accurate assessment of the yacht’s trim and balance.

Judges' Commendation: Ngoni

There was no doubt among the judges that Ngoni is a superb sailing yacht, having been designed and built to the very highest standards seen today. To recognise such perfection, they had no hesitation in awarding her a Judges’ Commendation.

Having thoroughly reviewed all the yachts in this class, the judges unanimously selected the 34.7 metre Letani, built by Feadship’s De Vries yard in Aalsmeer, as the winner. The owner’s outline brief was for a yacht that would give his family the capability to undertake local cruising as well as longer voyages, while preserving the ability to access shallow waters and small ports.

The judges were first attracted to Letani by the high quality of her build that was evident in all areas, from hull construction to her outfitting and detail of finish. Many other facets also received praise including her modern, masculine appearance, a well-considered general arrangement plan that meets the needs of guests and crew alike, and an efficient fuel burn throughout the yachts speed range. This was a yacht whose owner was highly involved in the design and construction, and this fact became particularly apparent in the interior where his desire for a floating home in which his family would be comfortable, led to an original layout with informal spaces, such as a ‘bistro’ dining area, a television ‘nook’, and children’s cabins laid out to optimise play areas.

MR. OH, a newly designed semi-custom yacht from Azimut-Benetti, filled the top spot and took home the Neptune for this next award. Today’s yacht owners are demanding the maximum from their yachts and the judges’ felt that this is what had been delivered, all wrapped in an attractive and novel package. As such, MR. OH offers amazingly large deck areas that include not one, but two beach clubs, a high-volume, timeless interior that incorporates a saloon, master suite and five guest cabins, as well as good crew quarters and a tender garage. Add to this a bright and light interior with flowing free-form furniture and elegantly curved surfaces, and it is clear that this two-deck vessel provides excellent value. Additionally, the judges found a high quality of construction throughout her guest, service and technical areas.

It was the 36 metre Delta One, built in The Netherlands by Mulder Shipyard, that topped the list of this displacement category. In the opinion of the judges, Delta One is a well-balanced yacht offering an attractive masculine profile and some agreeable, well-considered features that, in the past, have only been associated with much larger vessels.

Among these are an admirable beach club in the stern with easy access from the main deck aft, and a transverse garage sufficiently large to house a 6.25-metre Williams tender. The deck areas, spacious and purpose designed for the owner’s family use, include a large Jacuzzi tub as well as two shaded dining areas, while the interior is enlivened by huge windows that bring light and a real feeling of connection with the surroundings. Last, but not least, the judges were impressed by the yacht’s low figures for fuel consumption, particularly noting that while running at 10-knots the fuel burn was a meagre 73 litres-per-hour.

Judges’ Commendation: Soprano

The second yacht that attracted the admiration of the judges in this class was the 38.3 metre Soprano, built by Hakvoort Shipyard. The judges considered her to be a perfect modern interpretation of a classic motor yacht and awarded her a Commendation.

Built by Feadship at the De Vries shipyard in Makkum, this elegant 96.6 metre yacht, Faith was constructed for an extremely experienced owner who wanted a ‘true modern gentleman’s yacht, with timeless elegance and grace and a nautically inspired, contemporary-yet-cosy interior.’

The judges were excited by the stylishly flowing exterior lines and the extremely high quality of construction evident throughout the vessel, from her machinery spaces, through crew and technical areas, to the owner and guest quarters. In particular they admired the way that large windows connected guests with the surrounding seascapes, while the beach club – open on three sides to the sea, allowed unhindered access to the water. In fact, it could be said that four sides are open to the sea as a large portion of the deckhead is the curved glass bottom of the nine-metre swimming pool on the deck above.

There was little doubt among the judges that Aviva is not only extremely well built, but a very special yacht. From first sight, her flowing modern lines and attractive hull colour draws one’s attention but the thrill continues for those privileged to see her interior, which is perfectly customised to the needs of an owner who lives aboard full time. Flowing lines also dominate an agreeable general arrangement plan, but the most unexpected feature is the padel court (one third the size of an LTA court) that sits at the heart of her lower deck, a quite unique facility that is used every day by the owner, guests or crew. So many judges were enthusiastic about this yacht - a close runner-up in this class - that the award of a Neptune in the form of a Judges’ Special Award was proposed and readily accepted by the whole jury.

Having lived on or by the water for most of his life, Lang has not only owned several superyachts but also played a large role in the building of them. His passion for sailing combined with his passion for creating new spaces and places makes building yachts a very exciting endeavour for the Australian. With his Kokomo series – a 42 metre, a 52 metre, and a 58.4 metre, all of which are sailing yachts – Lang chose to use the same designers, builder and project manager over a period of 12 years, each version evolving along with his competitive sailing career and experience.

He has always innovated and pushed the boundaries, such as boldly building a 58.4 metre sloop with a 130-tonne lifting keel to commissioning the largest spinnaker in history, as well as being the first man to put 3DL sails on board a superyacht. Each of Lang’s yachts adhere to a sensible, efficient and clean design aesthetic and a philosophy which places a premium on the smart use of space. This approach not only translates to his yacht projects, but also through his land-based property development projects. In the past 10 years alone, he has developed over 240 projects that have embraced cutting-edge design and industry leading environmentally sustainable standards. Lang recently complemented his property portfolio with his first ever resort, Kokomo Private Island, Fiji. Taking full control over his projects, Lang takes pride in every development that his company embarks on to ensure the vision is delivered.

Not only a property magnate, Lang has always demonstrated great passion and care for philanthropy. The Australian Olympic sailing team and the youth sailing academy are just a few of the charities he supports. Additionally, when building his own superyachts, he has encouraged the implementation of apprenticeship programmes to teach the trades to the next generation of yacht builders. In 2015, Lang was awarded an Order of Australia Officer (AO) for his varied and continued philanthropic efforts.

The Sailing Yacht of the Year is chosen from those yachts that won the individual sailing yacht classes and this year the competition was between Ribelle and Pink Gin. In the eyes of the judges, both of these vessels represented the current peak of sailing yacht design and construction, and they encountered some difficulty in choosing between them.

In the end, it was Pink Gin that prevailed, mainly due to the advanced structural engineering employed by the designer, judel/vrolijk and her builder, Baltic Yachts in creating a 53.9 metre epoxy-carbon cored hull with two large shell doors capable of withstanding the considerable forces imposed by a carbon mast with a 69.5 metre air draft. Although not intended for racing, her owner requested excellent sailing performance combined with minimum angle of heel, and this translated to a displacement of just 250-tonnes - extremely light for a cruising vessel. Reflecting her main use as a high performance global cruising yacht, Pink Gin has ample sail area to perform well in the lightest of breezes as well as in brisker conditions, when she is able to achieve speeds of up to 20-knots. In the judges view, Pink Gin is a yacht incorporating highly advanced design and technology that perfectly reflects her owner’s wishes. As such, she is a worthy winner of the Sailing Yacht of the Year award.