The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2018

Built by Feadship, Broadwater took home the Neptune for the refitted yachts category. During the refit the yard installed a completely new interior designed by Adam Voorhees, added a sixth stateroom, created a dining/living space aft of the bridge, installed an exterior gym and spa, and created a beach club in her stern. Technical aspects were also upgraded and modernised.

These included the AV system, the conversion of all areas to LED lighting, and the installation of updated navigation and safety systems throughout. In addition, the original ‘Flume Tank’ passive anti-roll system was removed, releasing internal volume that was reassigned to storage space. The yacht also received a full exterior repaint, changing her hull colour from white to blue, and a new set of tenders and water toys. The judges were impressed that this extensive work list had been carried out on Broadwater in just eight months, and admired both the quality of workmanship and the modern design of the new interior that rejuvenated a deserving yacht. They also commented that the change in hull colour served to hide windows and portlights giving the yacht a cleaner and more sophisticated appearance.

Judges’ Commendation: White Star

White Star has now been dramatically reborn and was considered eminently worthy of a Judges’ Commendation.

This yacht was not only judged to be extremely well designed and constructed, but was considered to be a yacht that could ably fulfill the specific superyacht racing and fast cruising roles that her highly experienced owners had requested. The judges admired many aspects of this dual-role yacht, but her well-planned general arrangement plan, equitably divided between the aft crew area and forward guest area with no noticeable intrusion from technical aspects such as her lifting centerboard, and her futuristic glass-topped saloon that fills the yacht with light, were the prime examples.

Following in close succession were the excellent quality of her construction and her admirably modern style of interior decoration while, last, but in no way least, the judges noted her excellent sailing qualities that were ably demonstrated by her class victory in the Rolex Cup last September.

Judges' Commendation: Svea

During the judges’ discussions on this class, it became clear that Svea, built to the J-Class Rule, one of the most elegant yacht in this year’s awards, while her racing performance in her class has also been outstanding. It was, therefore, unanimously agreed that Judges’ Commendation should be awarded.

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 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.

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.