The World Superyacht Awards Ceremony rewards each year the most beautiful yacht designs of the past year. On Saturday 13 May, the yachting elite gathered in Florence to reward the best sailing and motor yachts launched in 2016. In the superyacht sailing category, two very different yachts were chosen - My Song, an extremely fast but particularly elegant racing cruising yacht that has already proven its ability to win in competitions, or the Sybaris, a very large ketch designed for comfortable cruising at the ends of the globe.
The choice was very tight, but at the time of the counting, it is finally the second, a world class sailboat, which obtained the most votes. Sybaris is a 70 m yacht built by Perini Navi for Bill Duker, a New York lawyer and entrepreneur. It is the largest yacht ever built in Italy and is among the top 6 tallest yachts in the world.
The judges were impressed by its ability to navigate, especially in light airs, when many yachts of this size use mechanical power. They also noted the exceptional comfort of the yacht and an optimal division of the interior volume, which perfectly meets the needs of the owner.
The judges particularly appreciated the sail plan, rigging and appendages, which were subjected to extensive tests and also allowed the hull shape to be optimised. The Sybaris has a 72 m high carbon mast and a 62 m foremast for a total of 3000 m2 of sails (the largest alone is 1092 m2). The Italian yard also drew on the experience of designer Philippe Briand to design the hull lines and sail plan.
Inside, the design and theme chosen are rather innovative, with elements reminiscent of the Jules Verne universe, large hull windows overlooking the sea, treasure chests or travel trunks, spaces reserved for dogs or alligator skin credenzas, suspended on each side of the saloon by titanium cables.
