Eight nominations, eight winners, eight names of trendsetters of the modern yachting industry. The annual International Superyacht Society announced the award winners for the last year.
Of course some of the champions were to be expected. The winner in the Best Sail 36 m + nomination, the Maltese Falcon - covered by practically all yachting media the world over - is indeed an outstanding yacht. The Italian Perini Navi shipyard has brought the sailing yacht concept up to a radically new level, introducing a whole host of innovations with this project.
Every year there are Southern hemisphere shipyards among the winners, from Australia and New Zealand. This time Azzura Marine and Alloy Yachts presented their masterpieces, the Cambria II and the Como - two powered superyachts of totally different styles. But let's take a closer look at the winners a bit later, and see what competition they had to face first.
Any yacht nominated for International Superyacht Design Awards is worthy of attention by that very fact. Outstanding shipyards like Lurssen, Feadship, Royal Huisman, Royal Denship, Moonen, Baltic Yachts immediately make it clear that only the best make it to the finals. But there are no objective criteria to judge yachts, and one's personal tastes doesn't necessarily have to coincide with the opinion of the expert jury comprising leading yachting experts.
The gala evening in Fort Lauderdale, Florida brought together over 450 guests including designers, stylists, architects and builders, the best of whom left with International Superyacht Society awards.
Leadership Award went to Mr. George Nicholson of Camper & Nicholsons International.
Best Power 23 m-32 m ~ Cambria II
Azzura Yachts where the Cambria II was built is an Australian shipyard. The objective shared by the builders and the client - Mr John David - was to reflect the golden age of yachting while using advanced modern technologies. The yacht's retro style was inspired by John David's former pride and joy, the 1928 motor yacht the Cambria. The Cambria II's external design was created by naval architect Iain Murray of Azzura Yachts, interior by Thomas Hamel.
"We were supposed to build a yacht looking at which people would feel its history, not think it was just launched this year," says Thomas Hamel. And there's a grain of truth in his words: the interior is decorated with redwood, the yacht is exquisitely appointed, with carefully selected fabrics and carpets stressing the luxurious interior.
Maximum length 30.48 m
Width 6.98 m
Draft 1.86 m
Displacement 138,000 kg
Engine 1000 hp Caterpillar C18
Speed 19 knots
Range 1,893 miles / 14 knots
Fuel capacity 31,800 l
Fresh water capacity 4,600 l
Best Power 32 m-43 m - Bystander
One hundred percent explorer with unlimited range, the Bystander by the French JFA Shipyard was designed by Vripack Yachting Int'l Naval Architects. Success of the previous 122-foot Axantha encouraged the company to extend the Exploration Vessel line.
Maximum length 42.18 m
Width 9.15 m
Material steel (hull), aluminium (superstructure)
Range transatlantic
Classification Lloyds Register of Shipping - London UK
Architecture VRIPACK YACHTING INTERNATIONAL
Interior Dick Young Design
Main engines 2 x CATERPILLAR Type 3412E DI-TA
Best Power 43 m+ ~ Triple Seven
One of the subsidiaries of the huge ThyssenKrupp concern is called ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. For many decades it was building super- and megayachts which kept taking the top lines in yachting charts - like, for example, the Octopus or Al Salamah.
The Triple Seven was built at Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, launched in 2006. The length is 67.7 m.
Best Power Interior ~ Como
This yacht by the New Zealand maker Alloy Yachts was launched on November 12, 2006. And immediately became the company's milestone: firstly, it's the biggest motor yacht built at the shipyard. Secondly, it brought the company four awards from different yachting organisations, and thirdly, it's the fourth yacht built by the shipyard which has won more than one award. Having received the International Superyacht Society award, Tony Hambrook, managing director of Alloy Yachts, said: "Of course we're very happy to win recognition at this level yet again. We always try to give our clients the most outstanding quality one can possibly find anywhere in the world. And our awards is the proof we getting there."
Maximum length 41.00 m
Width 8.50 m
Draft 1.90 m
Shipyard Alloy Yachts
Naval architecture: Dubois Naval Architects Ltd.
Exterior: Dubois Naval Architects Ltd.
Interior:. Redman Whiteley Dixon Ltd
Hull and superstructure material aluminium
Classification: Lloyd's Register / MCA
Best Sail 23 m-36 m ~ Zurbagan
Winners in Sailing Yachts nominations come from Europe - like the Zurbagan by Chantier Naval Garcia. One could see it last autumn at the Cannes boat show. This racing cruiser with sales is an essence of the concept: excellent speed and high level of onboard comforts.
Maximum length 26.94 m
Width 6.60 m
Displacement 44 t
Draft 3,20/5,20 m
Engines: 2 x 75 hp
Architect G. Vaton
Designer Couedel-Hugon
Best Sail 36 m + and Best Sail Interior ~ Maltese Falcon
The two awards won by the Maltese Falcon are well-deserved indeed. This yacht has an interesting history going back to Germany of the middle of the last century. DynaRig was designed in the 1960s in Germany to the government order, as an automated rig handling system whose main purpose at the time was increasing fuel efficiency. Nowadays the Maltese Falcon owner Tom Perkins was terrified by the huge number of winches he'd have to have installed on his 88-metre yacht, so he listened to Gerry Dijkstra who was in charge of the yacht's naval architecture and exterior design. After a lot of careful work the world was presented with a radically different yacht. By the way, though the ship can make up to 19.5 knots on engine power, it's faster on sail - as befits a sailing yacht: at 28 knots the top speed was 20 knots. In two years of its life the yacht has won 10 awards. Charter price starts at €350,000.
Maximum length 88 m
Width 12.60 m
Maximum draft 11 m
Engines 2 х Deutz TBD 620
Top speed 19.5 knots
Range 4,000 miles
Konstantin Startsev
Photoreport
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