Europe's Yacht of the Year 2020: Award-winning - these are Europe's Yachts of the Year 2020!
Jochen Rieker
· 18.01.2020
Every year, around 50 new sailing boats are launched in Europe. 16 of them were nominated for the "European Yacht of the Year 2020" award. Only five of them can boast the title.
The selection was made by a panel of experts from the twelve leading sailing magazines in Europe. Their editors-in-chief and test chiefs met in Port Ginesta, not far from Barcelona, Spain, in October to test all the candidates for a week under various conditions - from strong to light winds, in swells of a good two metres and in smooth water. The yachts travelled a total of more than 2500 nautical miles.
All decisions are made by the majority of the jury; a nationality clause prevents the jurors from favouring candidates from their own country. The selection for the respective Yacht of the Year reflects what is happening on the market as a whole, where the current trend is towards ever larger, individually furnished yachts equipped with numerous extras on the one hand; on the other hand, sporty yachts are more present than they have been for a long time.
The overwhelming dominance of French candidates is astonishing. Since 2004, French shipyards have won the "European Yacht of the Year" title 31 times. By comparison, Germany and Italy, the next two countries of origin, have only won 16 titles in the same period.
European Yacht of the Year in the Family Cruiser category: Oceanis 30.1
Beneteau's smallest cruising yacht repeated the success of its big sister, the Oceanis 46.1, from the previous year. The model, built by Group subsidiary Delphia Yachts in Poland, offers a surprising amount of cosiness and comfort despite its compact exterior dimensions, according to the jury. The sailing characteristics of theOceanis 30.1 and its build quality were convincing. A handy and affordable entry-level model for four sailors.
European Yacht of the Year in the Luxury Yachts category: Amel 60
The 19-metre yacht from France came out on top against very strong competition. Her very spacious centre cockpit, almost completely covered by a deckhouse, offers maximum protection from wind and weather, but also a casual chill-out zone. Below deck, theAmel 60 with its very high-quality and stylistically successful interior with three spacious double cabins and a bright, well-structured saloon, which is not inferior to a five-star hotel.
European Yacht of the Year in the Performance Cruiser category: X 4.0
The winner of the performance-orientated cruising yachts was theX 4.0 the coveted prize. The boat from Denmark combines all the virtues with which the renowned X-Yachts shipyard has grown up. It offers plenty of easily accessible, easily controllable power - in addition to a very dignified and cosy interior. A rarely successful synthesis of power and comfort.
European Yacht of the Year in the Race Yachts category: Dehler 30 od
When nominating the current candidates, it became clear that the range of fast racing yachts that can also be operated by small crews is greater than ever. To do justice to this, the jury created a new, separate category. In this group, theDehler 30 od from Greifswald won the title. The brand has a long tradition of racers and is building on its old successes with a boat optimised for single or double-handed operation. The Dehler 30 od is very light, has a very consistent design and is currently the most attractive model of its kind.
The Dehler and Hanseyachts crew attended the award ceremony in departmental strength. CEO Jens Gerhardt had invited all employees involved in the three-year development to join him on stage, including Kalle Dehler, whose last project was the one-design racer, the constructor and designer from Judel/Vrolijk and the crew from Speedsailing in Rostock, who acted as consultants - a moment that emphasised the complexity of the company.
Winner of the Innovation Award at Europe's Yacht of the Year 2020: ClubSwan 36
With the Innovation Award, the expert jury honoured theClubSwan 36the latest model from the luxury brand Nautor. The Finns have unveiled a radically modern racing machine, currently the most exciting boat in series production. It has all the ingredients of high-tech yacht building - from the extreme hull lines to a carbon wing in the centre of the boat, which can be brought into position by pulling a line and generates buoyancy under water. The faster the speed, the greater the hydrodynamic effect.
The ClubSwan 36 becomes "lighter" with increasing speed - and therefore even faster. It feels like a flying carpet. The most astonishing thing is that the ClubSwan delivers its impressive performance values without any guile or nervousness. It is equally fast and gentle.
Because his yacht lost out to the Dehler 30 due to the very high price of almost 500,000 euros for the regatta boats, company patriarch Leonardo Ferragamo had already left the hall in the Congress Centre East of the trade fair - his tension was too great, his disappointment too deep. But his employees persuaded him to turn round when it became clear that the ClubSwan had been chosen as the innovation winner. In the end, the shipyard owner stood beaming next to Vice President Enrico Chieffi, CEO Giovanni Pomati and designer Juan Kouyoumdjian.
Read short tests of the winning boats and the nominees in the big report in YACHT 4/2020, available to subscribers from 24 January and in stores from 29 January!
