Revealed: The 24 winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2016

The winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2016 were announced at a gala dinner at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Please click through to see all winners.

All three Voyager’s Award finalists submitted reports of enviable cruises, attracting the judges’ admiration. However, the judges unanimously leaned towards one in which the owner’s enthusiasm and commitment shone through.

This was the near 11,000-mile cruise of Latitude, submitted by her owner, Anil Thadani. Starting in Fort Lauderdale, Latitude headed up the US East Coast to Maine, Newfoundland and Battle Harbour, Canada, then crossed the Labrador Sea to Greenland before taking the legendary Northwest Passage around the top of Canada to Alaska and the Pacific Ocean.

For Thadani, a self-confessed polar bear enthusiast, seeing 19 of these magnificent creatures was a voyage highlight, along with a visit to Franklin’s base, Northern Lights sightings and encounters with musk oxen, walruses and whales. There were worrying close-calls with ice as well. This adventurous expedition, interestingly described and illustrated by excellent photography, is a worthy winner of the 2016 Voyager’s Award.

LOA: 44.98m

Builder:  Timmerman

Naval Architect/Exterior designer: Vripack

Interior designer: Bannenberg & Rowell

Among the superyachts judged to be the best of the Refitted Yachts, the judges’ secret ballot revealed the winner as the classic 53-metre Feadship, Mirage (ex-Elizabeth F).

A refit under her previous ownership in 2007 had only partially updated the yacht, so the untouched areas seriously mismatched the new work, and the new owner was keen to address this, as well as other technical issues. The subsequent refit was cleverly carried out over three winters, thus allowing the owner to still make use of the yacht during the summer months, and the entirety of the work was completed in early 2015.

During these refit periods in STP in Palma, Spain all aspects and areas of the yacht were redecorated or restored while a new gymnasium and spa pool were installed as well. The quality and scope of the work exceeded the owner’s expectations and now Mirage is not only used for his family holidays, and as a crew ship while racing his sailboat, but she is also proving to be a successful charter yacht.

LOA: 53m

Original Builder:  Feadship

Refit Yard: STP Palma

Refit Naval Architect:  De Voogt Naval Architects

Refit Exterior/Interior Design:  Design Unlimited

Yachts entered for the Refit/Rebuild/Conversion category are divided into sub-categories by the judges after they have read the yachts’ detailed submissions. The secret ballot revealed that Malahne had won the Rebuild category by a significant margin.

Originally built by Camper & Nicholsons in 1937, this yacht had been ravaged by ill-considered modifications during a refit in the 1980s, and her new owner requested that she be restored as close to her original appearance as possible. The team that undertook this work over a 24-month period at Pendennis Shipyard were responsible for a highly professional and detailed restoration that fully met the owner’s brief and also brought her to LY2 standards.

During the course of the refit, the team displayed a high level of understanding of her era, just one example of which is that her entire hull plating was replaced in its original joggled and riveted form below the waterline. She now has a new lease on life, offering modern yacht comforts set within the aura of a classic.

LOA: 50.3m

Original Builder:  Camper & Nicholsons

Refit Yard:  Pendennis Shipyard Refit

Naval Architect: Pendennis & BMT Nigel Gee

Refit Exterior Design: G.L.Watson & Co.

Refit Interior Design: Oliver Laws/crew areas by G.L.Watson & Co.

It is unusual that the jury grant an award for low-cost work, but it was agreed that the team that carried out the rebuild of Kanaloa, a 48-metre CRN motor yacht built in 1996, should be recognised. Significant defects were found in this yacht after a recent change of ownership, despite these not being discovered in a pre-purchase survey. Following a later Lloyds survey, the issues were found to be so costly to address in a shipyard that the owner was at the point of scrapping the yacht.

Yet miraculously, she was saved from this almost certain fate by the intervention of her captain, who suggested that the yacht could be saved at less than 50 per cent of the cost quoted if a large proportion of the work was carried out by the crew and independent sub-contractors working with a project manager from Hill Robinson. The owner agreed, and the structural and other work required to bring her back into classification was undertaken at Compositeworks during a 14-month period.

Among many other issues addressed, more than 30 per cent of the hull plating was replaced by Compositeworks, the main engines were returned to zero hours, and the remainder of the drive train was also dismantled and rebuilt. These tasks also required the removal and replacement of a large element of the yacht’s interior joinery and a great deal of other work. The rebuild was completed with a full repaint in time for the 2015 Monaco Yacht Show.

In the judges’ view, this was a commendable achievement by all concerned.

LOA: 48m

Original Builder:  CRN Shipyard

Refit Yard: Composite Works

Refit Naval Architect: N/A

Refit Exterior/Interior Design: N/A

The old saying that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ is certainly true of the winner of this five-strong class of sailing yachts – but it was not the overriding factor, as all aspects of each entrant were considered in detail before the results of the secret ballot were analysed.

The winner, Atalante, a 38.8-metre sloop designed by Andre Hoek Naval Architects and built to impeccable standards by Claasen Shipyards in The Netherlands, is certainly a delight for the eyes, with supremely elegant lines and glistening brightwork. But the judges also applauded the well-developed deckplan that, among other notable items, positions the wheel in the aft cockpit adjacent to a navigation station with direct access to the owner’s cabin.

As well as offering convenience when under sail, this entire area becomes a private cockpit when the yacht is at anchor. Atalante is also an excellent performer on the water and embodies a good internal layout with superb guest and crew spaces and a well laid out engine room.

LOA: 38.8m

Builder:  Claasen Shipyards

Naval Architect:  Hoek Design Naval Architects

Exterior/Interior Design: Hoek Design Naval Architects

The runner-up in the secret ballot for this class had been designed and built to quite different parameters than the winner, and the judges felt strongly that it was necessary to acknowledge the design achievement that led to her stunning appearance and excellent on-the-water performance.

Nikata is a 35-metre racer/cruiser designed by Judel/Vrolijk, styled by Nauta Design and built by Baltic Yachts. Her racy looks are apparent from first glance, so it is unsurprising that she hit an impressive speed of 24.8-knots during her first crossing of the Atlantic and won her class in her first RORC Caribbean 600 in which she finished seventh overall.

Precisely built entirely from carbon pre-preg laminate with a Corecell foam core, this 88-tonne vessel is equipped with high-speed winches and an easy-trim jib system, but she does not lack creature comforts that include a 200-bottle wine cellar, six fridges, two freezers and a spectacular sound system, as well as an opening transom that converts to a bathing platform.

LOA: 35m

Builder:  Baltic Yachts

Naval Architect: Judel/Vrolijk & Co

Exterior Design: Nauta Design

Interior Design: Nauta Design

While only three yachts competed in this class, each represented a quite different aspect of the sailing superyacht spectrum extremely well - so the judges were presented with yet another difficult choice. After an interesting discussion, the secret ballot decided the winner to be Unfurled, a 46-metre sloop from the boards of German Frèrs that was constructed by Vitters Shipyard, marking the first collaboration between the builder and designer.

This yacht was not only judged to be extremely well designed and built, but it was considered to be a yacht that could ably fulfil the more specific racing and luxurious cruising roles of the other competitors as well as those of the ‘cruising and occasional racing’ function that her owner had requested. At the same time, Unfurled employed the latest technological advances such as retractable propulsion pods, a sophisticated carbon rig and roller furling system as well as downwind sails stored on special drums under the foredeck that allow easy deployment.

LOA: 46m

Builder:  Vitters Shipyard

Naval Architect: Frèrs Naval Architecture & Engineering

Exterior Design: Frèrs Naval Architecture & Engineering

Interior Design: Stirling & Co

During the judges’ discussions on this class, it became clear that Topaz, built to the J-Class Rule, was highly admired by all the jury, who agreed that this yacht was the most elegant in this year’s Awards. Not only were the exterior lines beautiful, but her superb interior, designed in Art Deco fashion to replicate the period in which this class was first introduced, made excellent use of the limited interior volume offered by these yachts.

Topaz also incorporates the latest technology, being equipped with an extremely compact hybrid power and propulsion system that allows it to be propelled electrically from its 80kW battery pack or the 50kW genset as well as its 325kW main engine. J-Class yachts are also huge consumers of power to drive the winches, especially when racing, and the sophisticated system aboard Topaz will deliver 250kW of hydraulic power to allow the simultaneous use of necessary equipment.

LOA: 42.6m

Builder:  Holland Jachtbouw

Naval Architect:  Hoek Design Naval Architects

Exterior Design: Hoek Design Naval Architects

Interior Design: Hoek Design Naval Architects

The judges found this a a highly competitive class with all its entrants originating from experienced yards with long experience in building yachts of this size and specification. After projecting the images and hearing from those judges who had personal experience of the entrants, there was a long discussion during which the merits of each yacht were debated before the secret ballot decided the winner.

As was expected the result was close, but it was Antheya III, a newly designed 35-metre semi-custom yacht from UK builder Princess, that filled the top spot. This vessel, developed in conjunction with her owner, had attracted high scores for every judging criteria. The judges particularly admired her exterior design, which incorporated a variety of functional areas in which to relax and dine, as well as her contemporary yet ageless interior. Additionally, the judges found a high quality of construction and excellent technical, service and crew areas. A well balanced yacht indeed.

Length: 35.2m

Builder:  Princess Yachts International

Naval Architect: Olesinski

Exterior Design: Olesinski/Princess Design Studio

Interior Design: Princess Design Studio

Modern lines, bright and tranquil interior spaces, and modest, semi-displacement performance attracted the judges attention to the 40.1-metre all-aluminium Palumbo Divine, and when combined with the optimised seakeeping and fuel economy derived from a diesel-electric propulsion package, this yacht proved to be a winner.

Among many design features admired by the judges were the fold-down bulwarks that form lovely side balconies – their glazed elements providing increased visibility from the interior when folded – these are positioned opposite floor-to-ceiling sliding doors in order to unite the saloon with the world outside. On a technical level, the yacht’s hybrid propulsion, which provides for excellent fuel economy, also allows the yacht to cruise extremely quietly at eight knots, running on fixed-RPM generators with low emissions.

During navigation under the main engines the same electric motor is used as a generator, allowing the gensets to be turned off.

Length: 40.1m

Builder: Palumbo Group

Naval Architect: Palumbo Group/Hydrotec

Exterior Design: Palumbo Group/Hydrotec

Interior Design: Palumbo Group/Hot Lab Studio