So, while the Dutch superyacht shipyard Feadship won big with Lady S (the only yacht that has a Dolby 3D IMAX cinema onboard) and the elegant Pi, accepted two Neptune awards for winning her individual class as well as the highly coveted prize of Motor Yacht of the Year, the winners were revealed at a special virtual event last week.
But the virtual ceremony hardly lacked glamor. In fact, the virtual awards ceremony enjoyed a global audience and included special video messages from His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and Sir Ben Ainslie.
But since all of the Feadships that were nominated won awards, the dutch yard started celebrating when their 190-foot-long Najiba was named best Displacement Motoryacht Between 500GT and 999GT. Designed by Philippe Briand who partnered with Feadship De Voogt Naval Architects on the naval architecture, the judges loved that Najiba has a top speed of 17 knots. “Najiba’s phenomenal performance surpassed her rivals for the award,” said the WSA panel, “with a fuel burn at her 12-knot cruising speed of just 137 liters/hour – around half that of her competitors despite her greater beam, clearly demonstrating an efficient hull design.”
The judges were equally impressed by Najiba’s “clean, harmonious exterior lines,” and Claudio Cicconetti’s “fresh and innovative” interior layout and the interior design by Studio Liaigre.
The next prize for Feadship was for their 253-foot-long Pi in the Displacement Motoryachts Between 1,500GT and 1,999GT category. It was a “unanimous winner.” The judges stated that her “remarkable build quality is combined with superb design and innovation. Pi is a yacht that borders on perfection with her harmonious minimalism seen in the interior by Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design and exterior by Jamsen.”
They also admired how Feadship surmounted many obstacles, “the best example of which is the 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.” The icing on the cake for the panel of experienced owners was “the detail and harmony of every interior element and Feadship’s perfect quality of construction.”
The third major award to go to Feadship was in the Displacement Motoryachts Between 2,000GT and 4,999GT class, with the 305-foot-long Lady S named “the clear winner.” This superb motoryacht is the result of Feadship and the highly involved owners partnering with Michael Leach Design and Reymond Langton Design. The judges applauded “the elegance and harmony of the exterior lines and the innovative layout that features fire-pits on two levels, the largest sliding glass doors seen on any yacht, and a fully-certified helipad deck.”
In the interior the judges “admired the huge windows and cool elegance of the owner and guest areas and were fascinated by the boat’s many special features. These included a large gym on the bridge deck with expansive 180-degree views and a stunning beach club, and of course, the only Dolby 3D IMAX cinema ever installed on a superyacht.” Lady S, the panel concluded, “is a very special yacht.”
With all the categories announced, the global audience waited expectantly to discover which boat would win the highly coveted title of Motoryacht of the Year. The judges acknowledged the difficulty of comparing such diverse yachts as they sought “the very best of the best” but ultimately chose the Feadship Pi for her “harmonious exterior lines, the sophistication of her Zen-like interior, and the extreme connectivity between interior and exterior brought about by her floor-to-ceiling glazing on the main deck and large lower deck port lights.” Nothing how hard this must have been to engineer technically, they highlighted the “overall perfection of her construction and a degree of excellence that made Pi a worthy winner of this prestigious title.”
Other standout winners included support vessel Hodor which carries five tenders, nine jet skis and four quadbikes, two all-terrain vehicles and two trail motorcycles, and two Laser dinghies and a Hobie Cat.
Flying Fox, the largest nominated yacht at 136m, was also a winner with numerous features including 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 center set over two decks incorporating the first cryo-sauna seen on a yacht.
Fuente: www.forbes.com/