European Yacht of the Year Awards 2014
On the opening night of the Düsseldorf boat show, four top sailing yachts were honoured by the magazine editors of Europe in the European Yacht of the Year Awards.
Beneteau, Dehler, Saphire, and Contest were the big winners on the evening of the first day at the Düsseldorf boat show (BOOT Düsseldorf) when several hundred industry executives gathered to learn the winners of the European Yacht of the Year. (On the same evening, the Powerboat of the Year Awards were also distributed; see “European Power Boat of the Year Awards 2014”.) The “Flagship Night” event, hosted by German publisher Delius Klasing as well as BOOT Düsseldorf, also included presentation of the Seamaster award for outstanding achievement in the sport of sailing.
From among 20 nominated models, European Yacht of the Year awards were handed out to winners in four categories - family cruiser, performance cruiser, luxury cruiser and special yachts. During 2013, the boats were tested and debated extensively by the editors of 11 European magazines in Southampton, England, and Porto Venere, Italy.
The Beneteau Oceanis 38.
In the category of Family Cruisers the nod was given to the Beneteau Oceanis 38, which is offered in three different configurations, as a daysailer, weekender and cruising boat. Good sailing performance and innovative interior styling with plenty of natural light admitted to the interior favored the Oceanis over the other candidates. The other nominees were the Allures 39.9, Bavaria Cruiser 37, Dufour 410 Grand’Large, Winner 900.
Top for performance, the Dehler 38.
Another 38-footer was the top-boat in the Performance category: The Dehler 38 impressed the judges with strong performance and good all-round capabilities. The other nominees were the Elan 400, Pogo 30, Premier 45, and XP-33.
The Swiss-built Saphire 27.
The win in the Special Yachts category went to the Swiss-built Saphire 27, which excelled in a variety of conditions and showed its potential as a one-design racer, daysailer, and touring boat. The boat can be launched from the trailer, and the mast can be stepped without mechanical aids. The other nominees were the Django 6.70, Essence 33, Malango 8.88, and Sailart 22.
Contest 42CS: top luxury cruiser.
It was a tight race for the title in the luxury cruiser category, and the winner was the Contest 42 CS. The jury’s verdict: This Dutch-built design won for its clean lines, good performance, and a luxury feel fit for 60-footer in as package that is manageable by a small crew. Other nominees were the Gunfleet 58, Hallberg-Rassy 55, ICE 62, and Mylius 18E35.
Due to a scarcity of new multihull models, that category was omitted for this year.
Seamaster Award
Following in the footsteps of French multihull legend Loick Peyron, Australian Jimmy Spithill was name the winner of the Seamaster Award, a new prize that is handed to sailors for outstanding achievements. Down 1-8, Spithill led Oracle Team USA to a dramatic comeback 9-8 win in last year’s America’s Cup over Team New Zealand. At age 20 Spithill made history in 2000 as the youngest skipper of an AC boat with the Young Australia campaign and became the youngest helmsman to ever win the America’s Cup with Oracle Team USA in 2010.
