The Boot Düsseldorf, which will be held in Germany from 20 to 28 January 2017, will be an opportunity to get to know the yacht entitled "European Yacht of The Year 2018". This year, there is a small change in the organisation as there are only 15 boats nominated compared to 25 in previous years, with 3 boats per category, as opposed to 5 in the past.
A selection made from the 70 new products listed in 2017 at a conference held in Milan and tests carried out during European trade fairs. A first series of tests took place in mid-September in La Rochelle, where the Marina was transformed for the 4 e consecutive times in the home port of the European Yacht of the Year. Then a second test session took place in mid-October in Barcelona, where the jury met in Port Ginesta.
The results will be revealed on the opening night of the German trade fair on 20 January 2018. 1 yacht per category will win the prestigious title of "European Yacht of the Year 2018" and all the winners will be on display in the Boot Düsseldorf Sailing Halls.
What criteria are evaluated?
To choose the European Sailboat of the Year 2018, the jury focused on several criteria:
- Performance
- Confort
- Quality of construction
- Value for money
- Design
- Technical features that make the difference
Why 15 boats against 25 in the past years?
In order to be able to determine which European yacht of the year will be, 12 international magazines, influential in the sailing world, are testing the latest news. All the boats must be tested by one journalist at a time, accompanied by the yard's teams (so that they do not influence each other). But these tests take time, as it is necessary to be able to test different sailing conditions, different sails, but also to check the interiors and the many details. Indeed, tides, weather, logistics, etc. have to be taken into account and some tests were carried out in a hurry.
This is why the jury has decided to reduce the selection by category to 3 boats. The categories do not change and remain at 5.
