The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2019

Converted yachts: Dream

Length: 106.5m

Original builder: Halic Shipyard

Refit yard: Olympic Yacht Services

Refit naval architect: Olympic Yacht Services

Refit exterior design: Studio Vafiadis/Olympic Yacht Services

Refit interior design: Ciarmoli Queda Studio

This ambitious project, which converted an aging 93-metre cruise ship into a 106.5-metre dream yacht for an owner with world cruising in mind, presented a significant challenge to the owner’s team, who acted as the builders, the project managers and also as naval architects and engineers. But as the Judges discovered from the documentation and the reports of colleagues who had visited the yacht, the task was completed in a highly successful manner.

At the outset, the hull was stripped to bare steel, the complete superstructure and surplus metal works were removed, and the interior gutted and sandblasted. The 320 tonnes of steel that was removed was replaced with 550 tonnes of new fabrications, including the new superstructure and 112 electrically-operated sliding windows each weighing 500kg. New stabilisers and other heavy engine room equipment were installed before the vessel was faired, painted and relaunched. Following her launch, new pipework was installed, she was rewired, and her new interior, all floating on rubber mounts to minimise noise transmission, was inserted. All these works were compliant with SOLAS 36 Passenger requirements.

The Judges concluded that this was an extraordinary conversion that not only changed the whole exterior profile of the vessel, improving it beyond recognition, but also gave her a completely new interior, which has a refreshingly understated and modern appearance that abounds in luxury. This, they felt, was a conversion for which the owner should be justifiably proud.

Sailing Yachts 30m to 59.9m: Vijonara

Length: 42.2m

Builder: Pendennis

Naval architect: Hoek Design

Exterior design: Hoek Design

Interior design: Owner/Hoek Design/Hermès

Admiration for Modern Classics – yachts that borrow their outward appearance from the ‘Golden Age of Yachting’, but are otherwise completely modern in their comfort, performance and technology – remains widespread, and Vijonara, a Truly Classic 127 designed by Andre Hoek, was considered by the Judges to be a near perfect example of her breed.

Not only was she built to the very highest standards, with the quality of her craftsmanship – especially her woodwork – being rated as outstanding by the Judges who visited her, but her polar diagrams also revealed that she possesses extremely good performance under sail, particularly in lighter breezes. The Judges considered that the twin-cockpit deck layout, with a private aft cockpit linked to the master cabin and the helm station located forward, adjacent to the guest cockpit, worked extremely well by providing privacy for the owner and a sense of safety while being at the heart of the sailing action for the guests. But perhaps the most important factor in choosing her as the winner was found inside, where her welcoming accommodation areas are all beautifully paneled in wood and trimmed with fine leather supplied and crafted by Hermès. As such, Vijonara exuded the charm and character, as well as a sense of luxurious comfort that one might expect in a great classic yacht.

Semi-Displacement or Planing Motor Yachts 40m and Above:Utopia IV

Length: 63m

Builder: Rossinavi

Naval architect: Arrabito Naval Architects

Exterior design: Enrico Gobbi – Team For Design

Interior design: Enrico Gobbi – Team For Design

This class contained an enviable selection of six large and fast semi-displacement vessels, some of them very fast indeed. All featured MTU main engines of roughly comparable power, with half the class favouring twin engine installations, while one entry opted for triple units, and the two largest and fastest yachts squeezed in four engines. Needless to say, the Judges scrutinised the power, performance and economy figures very closely, but every other aspect was also examined, from exterior styling to the general arrangement plans, mechanical installation, and the quality of construction for the hull, deck areas and interior furniture. When the secret ballot was counted it became clear that one yacht had almost unanimously attracted the Judges’ interest.

This was the 63-metre, Utopia IV from Rossinavi. She was, by a small margin, the fastest yacht in the class thanks to her four MTUs that deliver a total of 7,756kW to four Kamewa waterjets, but despite their immaculate installation and accessibility, this was by no means the determining factor in the Judges’ eyes while making their decision. They were also impressed by her sleek and modern lines, her understated interior design and the well-conceived general arrangement plan in which almost every facility found on a displacement yacht of this size – from superb beach club to large tender garage, spacious deck areas and excellent crew quarters – was incorporated. If owners of displacement yachts are tempted to commission such a thrilling vessel, they should be aware that at her 33-knot top speed she consumes just over 2,000-litres of fuel per hour.

Displacement Motor Yachts Below 299GT:Mimi La Sardine

Length: 33.5m

Builder: Cantiere delle Marche

Naval architect: Cantiere delle Marche/Hydro Tec

Exterior design: Nauta Design

Interior design: Nauta Design

After the photographs were screened and the Judges had discussed the yachts in this class, it was becoming clear that one yacht stood out from the crowd. That impression was confirmed by the secret ballot in which the Judges almost unanimously selected the explorer yacht Mimi La Sardine as the winner.

Not only does she possess the attractively rugged exterior lines of an explorer, but her 5,000nm range, seaworthiness and long autonomy means that she also had the other necessary attributes of this type. Other features that the Judges particularly liked were her very distinctive interior, and a quality of build that was beyond reproach.

In particular, it was considered that the yacht’s general arrangement clearly allocated onboard activities to suitable areas, with the bridge deck being used as a ‘dining deck’ rather than a second saloon. Incorporating a beach club may be too much to ask in a yacht of this size but this design has, nevertheless, created such an area with a wide flight of stairs descending from the main deck aft to the bathing platform. These two areas are divided by a removable rail, rather than the fixed bulwark found on most yachts, so that there is a sense of connectivity and easy communication between them. The Judges also admired the ‘beach house’ style of the whole yacht that successfully makes use of a wide range of organic materials and unfinished wood to create an immediate ‘holiday atmosphere’ that at the same time is also sophisticated and luxurious. This, the Judges concluded, is a great family yacht where everyone will feel at ease.

Displacement Motor Yachts Between 300GT and 499GT - 30m to 47.9m:Viatoris

Length: 40m

Builder: Conrad Shipyard

Naval architect: Diana Yacht Design

Exterior design: Reymond Langton Design

Interior design: Conrad Shipyard

This class was made up of five very significant yachts with overall lengths falling between 40m and 47.9m, all of which were most enviable in their appearance and quality of construction. After hearing the views of Judges who had visited individual yachts, attention was turned to the detail of their general arrangement plans, traffic flow, and other technical issues.

A yacht that seemed to attract praise in all these areas was Viatoris, a 40-metre built in Poland by Conrad Shipyard, with naval architecture by Diana Yacht Design and exterior design by Reymond Langton. Following the secret ballot, this yacht was subsequently confirmed as the winner. The Judges had predominantly admired her lines, which were considered to be both timeless and elegant, while her interior layout was praised for its ideal distribution of the yacht’s volume between guest, crew, public and technical spaces.

Viatoris is not a yacht for those who yearn for speed as, powered by a pair of economical Caterpillar 500kW diesels, she has a cruising speed of 12-knots, but the benefits she reaps from this are a huge range of 11,100 nautical miles at her economical delivery speed of 8-knots and, aided by excellent sound insulation, also a supremely quiet interior. The Judges also noted that her four ideally positioned fold-down balconies and adjacent sliding doors create a very airy interior, while her abundance of large windows and portlights provide excellent intimacy with the surrounding scenery and seascapes. The owner requested a yacht in which he could ‘feel at home and not like a guest in a hotel’ and the Judges felt that this long range ocean traveller has successfully provided this – and more.

Displacement Motor Yachts Between 300GT and 499GT - 40m and Above:Cecilia

Length: 49.6m

Builder: Wider

Naval architect: Wider/Sydac

Exterior design: Wider/Fulvio De Simoni

Interior design: Wider/ideaeITALIA

This class contained five yachts built by notable shipyards. Each yacht certainly displayed some enviable attributes, but the voting revealed the winner to be the Wider 165, Cecilia.

This, the Judges considered, was a yacht that points the way to the future with one of her most significant aspects being a propulsion system in which diesel generators drive electric-powered motors fitted to azipods located at the stern of the vessel. While many yachts in the past have employed this propulsion system, few have taken full advantage of its flexibility by positioning the engine room in the bows, thus releasing the prime midships area of the lower deck for accommodation – a purpose for which it is ideally suited. This layout also means that the crew quarters, which are spacious for a yacht of this size, have also been moved further aft where motion is less pronounced.

The system also allows for fuel economy as her pair of 535kW gensets, which supply house load as well as propulsive power, are a third of the output of those found aboard Cecilia’s competitors, leading to both economy and extremely low noise levels. But it was not just her technical aspects that impressed the Judges, who also admired the float-in tender dock at the stern that carries a significant tender as well as a submarine in its own independent bay. When these are launched and the twin side doors opened, this area becomes a most desirable beach club. This was seen by the Judges as a yacht that was rightly rewarded for her advanced, forward-looking design.

Sailing Yacht of the Year:Black Pearl

Length: 106.7m

Builder: Oceanco

Naval architect: Dykstra Naval Architects/Oceanco

Exterior design: Ken Freivokh/Nuvolari Lenard

Interior design: Gerard P Villate/Nuvolari Lenard/Ken Freivokh Design

The title of Sailing Yacht of the Year is awarded to the yacht that is considered by the Judges to be the most notable of the two class winners in this year’s sailing yacht categories. These winners were the 42.24-metre sloop Vijonara, built in Falmouth, UK by Pendennis Yachts and Black Pearl, the 106.7-metre, three-masted, Dynarig schooner built by Oceanco in Alblasserdam, the Netherlands.

Selecting the winner is not a matter of merely choosing the yacht that won its class by the greatest margin, as the Judges are required to consider how each of these vessels might have advanced the design, construction and appearance of future generations of sailing yachts, whilst also taking into consideration all the other elements that led to their selection as class winners. During discussions, it was clear that although the Judges admired Vijonara as a beautiful and well-built yacht, she could not be given the same credit as Black Pearl for her technological advances, so it was Black Pearl that was selected as the Sailing Yacht of the Year. Perhaps the most notable aspect of this vessel was her capacity to provide all the space, facilities and luxury of a modern motor yacht, yet have the low fuel consumption and, hence, reduced environmental impact of a sailing yacht. The fact that Black Pearl, a yacht of 2,550 tonnes displacement, might cross the Atlantic without using any diesel fuel was central to the Judges’ reasoning. As such, she provides an example to current and future owners of large yachts that it is possible to own such a vessel and, at the same time, also be environmentally responsible. This, the Judges felt, is a message worth broadcasting.

Motor Yacht of the Year:DAR

Length: 90m

Builder: Oceanco

Naval architect: Azure/Oceanco

Exterior design: Luiz de Basto

Interior design: Nuvolari Lenard

In selecting the winner of the Motor Yacht of the Year title, the Judges were faced with the task of choosing a single yacht from amongst the eight individual winners of the Semi-Displacement and Displacement Motor Yacht classes. Determining the winner of this highly coveted title is not just a simple matter of choosing the largest yacht, or the yacht that won its class by the greatest margin, as Judges are also required to consider how each of these vessels might have advanced the design, construction and appearance of future generations of yachts. Making this decision was neither easy nor quick. After a lengthy debate the final choice, made by secret ballot, revealed that DAR was the winner by a good margin.

With inspiration for her exterior lines drawn from nature – her build name was Project Shark – she has an attractive profile and excellent deck spaces, including a superb beach club and an enviable owner’s deck incorporating a private pool and lounging area. Her interior reveals spacious facilities for the owner on his private deck, and pleasing public areas and guest staterooms, all well-proportioned and interestingly decorated. The crew are also well provided for, with high-quality recreational and mess facilities, while their cabins are equally well appointed. On a technical level the installation of the huge areas of darkened glass on the superstructure, and the flush-mounted doors that penetrate it, called for totally novel application and fixing techniques. Lastly, this massive project was delivered to her owners on time and budget and they enjoyed their first season’s cruising as planned.

Read more

World Superyacht Awards 2024
World Superyacht Awards 2024
World Superyacht Awards 2024

Sponsored listings