The finalists for the 2012 World Superyacht Awards have now been selected from an extensive list of nominations by Boat International's expert team of editors, and this outstanding selection of yachts will now be scrutinised by the panel of judges at their meeting near Milan on 29 and 30 March, when decisions will be made about which yachts will receive a prized Neptune trophy at the gala evening in Istanbul on 5 May this year.
This year’s finalists are an eclectic mix of sail and motor yachts delivered in 2011, each an incredible feat of superyacht design and construction steered by the vision of their passionate owners.
If you are of the opinion that size really does matter, you’ll be rooting for Pendennis’ 44.2 metre Hemisphere, the world’s largest sailing catamaran, as well as the mammoth 124 metre motor yacht Serene, which currently sits at number eight in our Register of the world’s 200 largest yachts.
Many of the shortlisted yachts, including the first Limited Editions Amels 212 Imagine, Rossi Navi's 70 metre Numptia, Heesen’s 50 metre semi-custom build Satori, as well as its incomparable 55 metre Quinta Essentia, and the super-stylish 38 metre Shooting Star by Danish Yachts were on show in Monaco, providing the perfect opportunity for the World Superyacht Awards judges to inspect the yachts in fine detail and measure up the challengers for these prestigious prizes. And in the coming weeks before the judge's meeting, judges will be visiting yachts that have not yet been seen by at least one member of the judging panel.
Other notable inclusions are the all-American 58.22 metre Carpe Diem by Trinity Yachts, Newcastle Shipyard's 54.9m motor yacht Harbour Island (its biggest launch to date) and Nobiskrug’s 73.5 metre Sapphire, which featured in our Top 10 superyachts delivered in 2011, alongside other finalists Air, Talisman C and Tango.
Appropriately, a large contingent of Turkish-built superyachts make up this year’s shortlist including Cizgi Yacht’s 42 metre long-range cruiser E&E, Tansu Yachts's Bartender (ex-Nomade), Cobra Yachting's 46 metre sailing yacht Infinity, the 56 metre super schooner Regina, as well as two Proteksan-built motor yachts, the 60.2 metre Yogi and 54.4 metre Turquoise.
The calibre of the competition suggests that the judges’ task is certainly not an enviable one.