Honouring the creative talents of the superyacht industry, the ShowBoats Design Awards are presented to the best designs seen in the superyacht launches of the previous year – in this case 2011. Architects, designers, stylists, craftsmen and innovators are all recognised.
Here we present the winners of golden Neptunes in categories concerning the exterior design and styling of yachts as well as naval architecture.
SHOOTING STAR
Exterior Design and Styling Award – Semi-displacement & Planing Motor Yachts
The judges deemed that the enjoyment of open air living ‘is taken to a new level by this winner’. Shooting Star‘s combination of high performance, weight control and overall elegance impressed the panel. The yacht was built to very strict weight limits, but Espen Øino used carbon fibre composites selectively to create a hull able to stand the speed required. The elegance and comfort referenced by the judges was achieved with a saloon that fully opens overhead, large windows and excellent deck areas.
Length: 38m
Builder: Danish Yachts
Exterior stylist: Espen Øino International
GALILEO G
Exterior Design and Styling Award – Displacement Motor Yachts 100ft-200ft
Following in the footsteps of her predecessor Exuma, who won this award last year, Galileo G wowed the judges. Fuel efficient despite her heavy ice-class hull – the owner requested that she be capable of navigating the Northwest Passage – _Galileo G _is elegant and streamlined. The jury, mainly comprised of design professionals, felt that this simplicity, combined with the relatively modest superstructure, represented a ‘successful departure from the usual appearance of superyachts’.
Length: 56m
Builder: Picchiotti Perini Navi
Exterior stylist: Vitruvius Yachts/ Philippe Briand
Following in the footsteps of her predecessor Exuma, who won this award last year, Galileo G wowed the judges. Fuel efficient despite her heavy ice-class hull – the owner requested that she be capable of navigating the Northwest Passage – Galileo G is elegant and streamlined. The jury, mainly comprised of design professionals, felt that this simplicity, combined with the relatively modest superstructure, represented a ‘successful departure from the usual appearance of superyachts’.
Length: 56m
Builder: Picchiotti Perini Navi
Exterior stylist: Vitruvius Yachts/ Philippe Briand
TANGO
Exterior Design and Styling Award – Displacement Motor Yachts 200ft+
By almost unanimous decision, the judges choose this yacht as one that stood out as a new, distinctive and attractive style. Described as ‘cleanly sleek and architectural in appearance,’ Tango’s 22-knot top speed is reflected in her exterior styling. Deck areas were specifically designed for individual purposes, and provide an ‘excellent flow for guests and crew alike’. The judges also admired the way that the yacht’s safety, mooring and anchoring equipment were camouflaged without adversely affecting their functionality.
Length: 78m
Builder: Feadship
Exterior stylist: Eidsgaard Design
VERTIGO
Exterior Design and Styling Award – Sailing Yachts
The judges in this category were not only impressed by Vertigo’s overall good looks, but also with the practicality of her design and appeal of her deck spaces, along with her innovative features. Among the latter was a feature that also won her attention in other categories, the ‘midarettes’ that open to the water through shell doors in the yacht’s midsections. These were judged ‘not only novel but most useful in their provision of a well located diving store and fitness room’. On top of their addition to the yacht’s interior and exterior design, the naval architects among the jury acknowledged the structural engineering difficulties of creating through-hull openings in a yacht of this size.
Length: 67m
Builder: Alloy Yachts
Exterior stylist: Philippe Briand
NUMPTIA
Naval Architecture Award – Motor Yachts
When deciding between designs that showcased excellence in developing a traditional shape or type, and those that were using modern technology to propel the game ahead, the judges eventually decided on the latter. Numptia‘s highly refined hull form exemplified this development, while the careful matching of the requisite machinery components to the design was the decisive factor in the judges’ eyes. The judges commented that ‘she is a clear example of what can be achieved with modern analytical techniques available to the naval architects of today’.
Length: 70m
Builder: Rossi Navi
Naval architect: Axis Group Yacht Design
SARISSA
Naval Architecture Award – Sailing Yachts
In a class where pure engineering constraints shape the naval architect’s work, the judges selected one of the more fully developed projects that transcended such problems. Sarissa is a complete and effective ‘package’ of engineering to compliment beautiful and well conceived design. The yacht’s design delivers ‘excellent performance’ from a modern hull-form, as well as a balance between the draft-displacement-sailplan requirements and a well considered deck layout.
Length: 43m
Builder: Vitters Shipyard
Naval architect: Tripp Design Naval Architecture