World’s best superyachts are named in Boat International’s World Superyacht Awards 2020

MOTOR YACHT OF THE YEAR – PI (254ft/77.3m): Pi blew the judges away. It’s ‘bordering on perfection with its harmonious Zen minimalism’, they said, and has ‘remarkable build quality, superb design and innovation’. Built by Feadship and estimated to cost £120million, it was declared that the yacht’s incorporation of floor-to-ceiling windows without mullions to create the owners’ dream of a main saloon that is ‘truly at one with the exterior’, was ‘exceptional design’. Boat International said that the icing on the cake was ‘the detail and harmony of every interior element and Feadship’s perfect quality of construction’. It also scooped the award for best displacement motor yacht between 1,500GT (gross tonnage) and 1,999GT

SAILING YACHT OF THE YEAR – CANOVA (142ft/43.3m): This vessel was built by Baltic Yachts and designed by Bruce Farr as a fast cruising yacht. The judges said they admired her ‘high quality of build, attractive lines, excellent layout’, and were ‘blown away by the yacht’s innovative technology’. They were also impressed by the ‘calm practicality of her interior design’ by Milan-based Lucio Micheletti

VOYAGER’S AWARD – DOROTHEA III (147ft/44.8m): Starting in Fort Lauderdale in January 2018, this Cheoy Lee motor yacht designed by Ron Holland, owned by Steven and Dorothea Green and captained by John Crupi, completed a 34,965-mile voyage taking in the North and South Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Boat International explained that the voyage was ‘particularly notable not only for its huge range but also for acts of philanthropy that raised $28,000 (£21,000) for humanitarian causes along the way’

REFITTED YACHTS – OASIS (195ft/59.4m): According to Boat International, this ‘legendary vessel’ was refitted by Italian studio FM Architettura d’Interni to make it useful for three generations of its owners’ family. The main focus of the redesign was creating flexible living areas in preparation for the yacht’s first summer season. This included, the publication said, a redecorated sundeck, master cabin and the yacht’s public saloons to make them suitable for contemporary lifestyles

REBUILT YACHTS – VAGRANT (131ft/40m): Rebuilt by the Royal Huisman shipyard over a 22-month period, this vessel was first designed by Nathanael G Herreshoff and launched in 1913. According to Boat International, it was completely stripped out, with her interior and deck woodwork carefully taken apart for preservation. The hull was sandblasted, thin plates replaced and all her rivets welded in place to avoid potential future leakage. All engine room equipment, wiring and piping was completely replaced at the Dutch yard, while her woodwork was repaired and restored where possible. The detailed work undertaken to preserve this magnificent yacht, said the publication, will allow her to sail for another 100 years

REBUILT YACHTS JUDGES’ COMMENDATION – MAGNA GRECIA (209ft/63.8m): After Magna Grecia’s launch in 1986 the German-built yacht enjoyed many years of intensive private and charter use, before a new owner decided that she should undergo an exhaustive 36-month period of redesign and rebuilding. Following computer seakeeping simulations, the yacht was lengthened by 5.3m (17.3ft) to incorporate a tender garage, while other metalworks included structural strengthening amidships, and the construction of a removable helipad for use during heli-skiing. At the same time, the entire interior was rearranged and reconstructed. The owner wanted wide exterior deck spaces, a cinema room and a private studio for his own use. This studio can be converted into an extra guest cabin if needed. The sundeck was reworked too, with a new hardtop, pool and bar. The judges said ‘it was a huge project that revitalised the yacht to modern functional and decorative standards – well worthy of a Judges’ Commendation’

SUPPORT VESSELS – HODOR (216ft/66m): This support boat is built on a catamaran platform and has a top speed of 22.5 knots. According to Boat International, this means she can outrun her mothership, ‘making her able to prepare tenders and toys for immediate use when the mothership arrives and, on departure, pack up, overtake, and repeat the process’. Hodor can carry five tenders, the largest of which is 17-metres (55ft) long, and a whole host of toys, including nine jet skis, four quadbikes, two all-terrain vehicles, two trail motorcycles, two Laser dinghies and a Hobie Cat. In addition, there is also a submarine that is housed in a garage on the main deck

SEMI DISPLACEMENT OR PLANNING MOTOR YACHTS BELOW 500GT (30m/98ft to 34.9m/114ft) – IV DREAMS (107ft/32.8m): A well-balanced blend of good design, quality build and desirable facilities is how Boat International described this ship. It is the first of a new series from Custom Line, a member of the Ferretti Group, and it impressed the judges with its ‘modern exterior styling, whose flowing lines incorporated large outdoor areas on the sundeck and foredeck’. IV Dreams has four ensuite cabins – two doubles and two twins – each equipped with a Pullman berth, providing ‘high-quality accommodation for guests’. Additionally, the judges were impressed by the beach club that doubles as a tender garage and the well-designed crew quarters

SEMI DISPLACEMENT OR PLANNING MOTOR YACHTS BELOW 500GT (35m/114ft AND ABOVE) – MANGUSTA GRANSPORT 45 (148ft/45.3m): This yacht provides ‘excellent seagoing comfort and an extremely long range of 4,850 nautical miles’, according to Boat International. The judges were impressed with its extensive deck areas for making good use of every square metre, while the beach club stern, with its three openings to the sea, was seen as ‘most desirable’. Large windows in the main saloon, some opening to the side decks, made for another light and airy space, with good connectivity to the surrounding seascape, the publication noted

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BELOW 499GT (30m/98ft to 39.9m/130ft) – THE BEAST (129ft/39.5m): The grey camouflage paintwork of this vessel suggests a small warship, perhaps a patrol boat, but this disguise was just one element of the owner’s detailed specification. Despite its ‘forbidding, military exterior style’, The Beast boasts deck spaces tailored for leisurely outdoor living, while concealing a luxurious fully featured interior, according to Boat International. As an enthusiastic sport fisherman, the owner’s key requirement called for the ability to carry, and safely launch, a 13-metre, 19-tonne sport fishing vessel. The judges were also impressed with the launching system for the sport fishing boat, with a ‘safe two-point lift provided by a pair of large knuckle-cranes’

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BELOW 499GT (40m/131ft AND ABOVE) – BINTADOR (163ft/49.9m): This yacht was recognised by the judges for her ‘modern exterior styling, practical layout of [the] decks and interior and the manner in which its interior volume was equitably shared between guest and crew areas’. Bintador’s fuel economy also impressed the judges – a result of a refined hull shape and her being fitted with two 895kW diesels ‘that are significantly smaller than those of her competitors’. However, it is noted by Boat International that despite this, she is able to reach 18 knots – a higher speed than her competitors by a clear two knots – because of her 300kW electric motors

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BETWEEN 500GT AND 999GT – NAJIBA (190ft/58m): Built at Feadship in Holland, with naval architecture and styling from Philippe Briand and his Vitruvius Yachts brand, Najiba’s numbers are ‘phenomenal’ for a 58-metre yacht, said Boat International. Her top speed of 17 knots and her economical fuel burn at 12 knots ‘demonstrated an extremely efficient hull design’, the publication added. Najiba’s interior layout was considered fresh and innovative by the judges, particularly the yacht’s main entrance from the stern platform that rises up a central stairway from a reception area to the main deck aft. From here, arriving guests pass directly into the main saloon, a room that provides their first introduction to the ‘much-admired work’ of the yacht’s Paris-based interior designer, Studio Liaigre

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BETWEEN 1,000GT AND 1,499FT – METIS (207ft/63m): The novel interior layout of this ship was designed to suit the exact needs of her owner while meeting all of the modern design trends, including interiors with such good external visibility that they are at one with the surrounding seascapes, according to Boat International. The beach club also achieves this connection, with its comfortable lounge and bar opening directly to the sea through three huge fold-down hull openings – a design unhindered by any need to store tenders in the same area, the publication added. The tenders are kept in a garage on the main deck between the helipad above and crew quarters beneath

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BETWEEN 2,000GT AND 4,999FT – LADY S (305ft/93m): Lady S, built by Feadship, features ‘elegant exterior design’ by Michael Leach and interiors by Reymond Langton. The judges admired the yacht’s ‘practical features, luxurious furniture and innovative layout’, as well as features such as fire-pits on two levels and the largest sliding glass doors seen on any yacht. Moving to the interior, the judges were also impressed by the light that flooded through huge windows into the elegant living areas and her many special features, including a large gym on the bridge deck with expansive 180-degree views and a stunning beach club, as well as the only Dolby 3D Imax cinema ever installed on a superyacht

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS BETWEEN 2,000GT AND 4,999FT JUDGES’ COMMENDATION – MADSUMMER (311ft/95m): Madsummer’s ‘gorgeously elegant classical exterior’ by Harrison Eidsgaard and ‘a vivaciously colourful interior’ by Laura Sessa drew the judges’ attention. Design-wise, a noteworthy feature, said Boat International, is the 2.5-metre diameter skylight that links four decks together. From the ‘well-equipped’ spa on the lower deck, a guest can look up through the skylight, through the seating area on the main deck, through the fire-pit on the upper deck and all the way to the owner’s private terrace. If the owner has the awning open, the guest down below in the spa can see the sky. There is even a berth for a seaplane on the sundeck. ‘This is far from an ordinary yacht,’ said the judges

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS 5,000GT AND ABOVE – FLYING FOX (446ft/136m): This yacht contains a ‘beautiful, neutrally toned interior featuring dining tables for 22, a plant-filled double-height saloon, a winter garden observation saloon, and a world-beating spa and water sports centre set over two decks incorporating the first cryo-sauna seen on a yacht’, said Boat International. The judges considered her to be an exceptional vessel, not only in technical achievement, ‘but also for her owner and guest facilities, interior layout and extremely high quality of construction’

DISPLACEMENT MOTOR YACHTS 5,000GT AND ABOVE JUDGES’ COMMENDATION – PRESSURE DROP (224ft/68.2m): Pressure Drop, an expedition and research vessel, undertook a 47,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation during which manned dives were successfully made to the deepest points of the world’s five oceans. The Five Deeps Expedition was led by Victor Vescovo, an American private equity investor turned adventurer, who had already scaled the highest peak on all seven continents and reached the North and South Poles. For his latest challenge he acquired Pressure Drop, a former spy ship for the US Navy, and approached Triton Submarines, who created the 12.5-tonne Limiting Factor submersible. Described by outside sources as the most ambitious marine exploration of this century, this was a truly remarkable journey and in view of its ‘extraordinary ambition’, not to mention its record-breaking achievements, the judges unanimously agreed that it was well worthy of a Judges’ Commendation