Earlier this month the winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2024 were announced at a glittering ceremony held in Venice. The winners come from some of the most renowned shipyards, naval architects and designers in the world and recognise outstanding achievement in yacht building across a range of categories from Motor Yacht of the Year to the Voyager’s and Legacy Award.
We brought you details of the full list of nominees last month and now we are delighted to reveal the winners in the Big Four Awards:
Motor Yacht of the Year
Winner: M/Y ALCHEMY | Rossinavi | Philippe Briand | Enrico Gobbi
2023 | 66m (216’6”) | 12 guests
The Motor Yacht of the Year is awarded by the judges for the best yacht across all the motor yacht categories. As her name suggests luxury yacht ALCHEMY is a magical creation born from the combined skills of her design team and discerning owner. Her crowning glory, specifically noted by the judges is her suspended glass staircase which opens up the main salon in a sculptural form plus her overall layout which includes outstanding storage and crew areas.
Sailing Yacht of the Year
Luxury sailing yacht SARISSA
Winner: S/Y SARISSA| Royal Huisman | Malcolm McKeon Yacht Design | Liaigre
2022 | 59.7m (196′) | 10 guests
The Sailing Yacht of the Year winner came from the 40m and above category and was considered by the judges to be the most notable from both categories. Sailing yacht SARISSA was built with performance sailing in mind, and it was her groundbreaking propulsion system and state-of-the-art sails and rig plus exquisite interior which appealed to the judges.
Refitted Yacht
Winner: M/Y CORINTHIA VII | Lurssen | Tim Heywood | Bizzozero Cassina Architects
2023 | 97m (318ft) | 12 guests
Superyacht CARINTHIA VII stood out in this category because of her ambitious refit, updating her from a private yacht to commercial in a mere 10 months, while remaining true to the original design. As well as her technical and structural upgrades to meet commercial code requirements, charter-friendly amenities were introduced including a swimming pool and gym.
Rebuilt Yacht
Superyacht H3 – © Photos Guillaume Plisson
Winner: M/Y H3 | OceanCo | Lateral Naval Architects | Reymond Langton Design
2000/2023 | 105.0m (344’6″) | 32 guests
What makes a rebuild rather than a refit? If a significant amount metal has been replaced and the interior and technical areas have seen major alterations, the yacht is considered in the rebuild class. Superyacht H3 saw a multi-faceted alteration which clearly stood out from the other nominees and was so extreme, the team at Oceano considered her to be akin to a new build. She was extended by 10 metres, with two metres added to the forward deck in addition to an eight-metre stern extension. Oceanco estimates that rebuilding H3 saved a year and a considerable amount of carbon, compared to starting a new build this length from scratch.
Legacy Award: Paola Trifiro
Paola has been a committed member of the World Superyacht Awards judging panel and given her time and energy to the awards since 2012. As her fellow judges attested: “Paola has built and sailed a number of spectacular superyachts and is well known and respected in the industry. She is a great personality, and through her long-term work as a judge, she has supported the industry in many ways. She is an icon, instantly recognisable and highly knowledgeable.”
The ceremony celebrated Paola Trifirò’s remarkable life in the yachting industry with the presentation of a well-deserved Legacy Award.
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The CharterWorld team have been delighted to get to know the nominees and winners to understand the direction of travel for outstanding superyacht design and building – and of course to welcome some of the winners to the charter market.
