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July 2026 issue

I once tried to write a feature about trickle-down technology from the military into superyachting. The general I approached for quotes told me that, in fact, it was often the other way around: governments have budgets, and there is some R&D that they simply can’t afford. In contrast, if a big-boat owner wants to develop something genuinely new, they can keep funding the work as long as they have the will and the required depth of pocket. That’s why the World Superyacht Awards is such a spectacular event – the boats that win the awards are not just the coolest yachts launched that year; they are some of the most brilliant pieces of technology and design, full stop. It’s bigger than boats.

This May, the ceremony was held once again beneath the towering columns of the Arsenale in Venice, where Galileo once worked as a consultant to Venetian shipbuilders. Today’s finest boatbuilders and yacht designers gathered en masse in the same halls, albeit with considerably more jewellery, to celebrate the work of their colleagues and counterparts (but mostly to see if their own boat won). So which yachts scooped the Neptune trophies? You can find the winners here and more highlights from the awards here.

Our cover boat, Simena, may have appeared more familiar to those old Venetian boatbuilders than the designs under contention at the World Superyacht Awards (inspired, as she is, by clippers). But this classically-styled ketch is modern under the skin and features a stunning contemporary interior by Design Unlimited. The story of her creation, a first true step into superyachting for her Turkish yard, is an example of the courage and ingenuity that make this industry so inspiring. Cheers to her creators, to the World Superyacht Awards winners and to the enduring spirit of Galileo.

Caroline White
Editor

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