The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2018

There were some excellent entries in this competitive class but, while the result was close, the judges were almost of one mind in selecting the winner as Seven Sins, the newest addition to the Sanlorenzo stable.

The owner declared an immediate love for the elegant, sculpted lines of this yacht when he first saw a model at a show and, like the judges, he was not disappointed when he first saw the vessel in reality. But elegance of line was not the only attribute that drew the judges’ attention. Huge outdoor spaces provide choices for relaxing and dining in both shade and sun, while the main deck aft is put to excellent use with a huge pool, whose innovative glass bottom transmits light to the superb beach club beneath. This lower deck area spans the yacht’s full-beam, opening to the sea on three sides, while the central floor lowers to allow the tender to enter through the stern. Adjacent are a sauna and hammam.

The judges also admired the yacht’s contemporary interior that, lit through huge windows, provides incredible exterior views. In the opinion of the judges, the way in which Sanlorenzo have packed so many modern and desirable features into a 52 metre package has created one of the best semi-custom vessels of this size in today’s marketplace.

The 73.4 metre Feadship Hasna claimed the highest position on the podium in this next category. With hull design by Feadship’s De Voogt Naval Architects, Hasna was built by Royal Van Lent in Feadship’s Kaag Island facility, while both exterior and interior design were undertaken by RWD, whose brief was to create a fully-featured family yacht.

The judges admired her exterior lines as well as the practical layout of her decks, which offer convivial seating, dining and relaxation areas as well as a large Jacuzzi on the sun deck and an 8-metre swimming pool on the main deck. Her interior is distinguished by well-proportioned public spaces, including a beach club and cinema, while good provision is also made for crew and service areas. The judges were particularly impressed with the high quality of the yacht’s construction and finish throughout, from the fairness of the hull and the perfection of the interior build right through to the technical installation.

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.

Built as a ‘sail-assisted motor yacht’, it seemed inappropriate to most judges that Sailing Yacht A should be judged in either the Motor or Sailing Yacht categories because of her attributes in both fields. The judges debated this yacht at great length before coming to the conclusion that a new Sail-Assisted Motor Yacht category should be established for this and any future occasion when such a yacht is entered, particularly as further examples of this hybrid seem likely as we move towards a more environmentally-friendly future.

This decision made her the sole competitor in this class and, as such, there is previous judging precedent to be followed. In the past, the presentation of a Neptune in classes had been decided by the judges on the basis of whether the yacht in question was of ‘sufficient merit’ to receive such an accolade. It was clear from the discussion that followed that this was a yacht that either found strong favour or disapproval but it was clearly acknowledged, particularly by those judges who had visited the yacht, that the technical and environmental aspects of the vessel were truly admirable, as was the scale and quality of her construction and high level of owner satisfaction. It was therefore decided that a Neptune would be appropriate recognition of her achievement.

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.

All three entries submitted for this year’s award plotted routes that all took them long distances while providing out-of-the-ordinary experiences, but one stood out as being truly educational and life changing. This was the Caribbean and Pacific cruise undertaken by the owners of the 61 metre CRN, Constance and their four young children, supported by two teachers, two nannies, a naturalist and 16 crew members. The four children were taken out of school for the eight-month long voyage, continuing their regular studies on board, while gaining memories that will always remain. Leaving from Florida, the cruise visited the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Galapagos, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and Tonga.

During this voyage they not only met and interacted with local children, but they individually discovered new lifetime hobbies in scuba diving, fishing, photography and nature, both on land and beneath the waves. Additionally, the eldest daughter compiled a charming log of their experiences that formed part of the submission for this enlightening cruise.

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.

The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2018 were announced at a glittering ceremony held at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in May 2018. Click through to see all the winners.

This year, eight motor yachts – the winners of each of the motor yacht classes – competed for the coveted title of Motor Yacht of the Year. When deciding this award, the difficulty of comparing such diverse yachts is always a hard task for the judges, but they are always aware that they are seeking the ‘very best of the best’ – a vessel that is truly extraordinary by any measure. As such, it was clear that Faith had to take the title.

Not only did her owner expect new standards in design and construction to create an aesthetically pleasing vessel, but also in novel glass technology. The nine-metre long and 2.5-metre deep swimming pool on the main deck aft, for example, has a 68mm curved glass bottom, constructed by laminating five layers of glass interspersed by a clear foil. More obviously, the cap rail is supported by glass to avoid the ‘fussy’ appearance of multiple stanchions. Many other features also attracted the judges’ eyes, including the three-metre high skylight dome in the master stateroom, and a wood-burning pizza oven on the top deck – a seemingly simple installation but one that required advanced design to clean soot and other particles from its smoke. A combination of elegance, style, and the highest quality of design and construction, this yacht is a worthy winner of this prized trophy.