Liteboat is proud to announce that our rowing sailboat Lite XP has been named as European Yacht of The Year 2019 (Special Yacht category) by a committee of journalists from 12 European countries. It was a great competition, we would like to thank all the organizers and all the people present at the ceremony. This award makes us want to continue to offer you innovative boats manufactured with the greatest care. Thank you all!
What is the European Yacht of the Year Trophy?
Awarded for the first time in 2004 through the German nautical magazine “Yacht”, this award quickly became a reference in the nautical world. Indeed, this trophy is now one of the most important and influential titles in the world. Every year, it rewards the best European sailing boats.
How are the nominated boats chosen?
5 different categories :
The 19 nominated sailboats are divided into five distinct categories:
Family-Cruiser:
The Family-Cruiser category rewards yachts designed for long-distance offshore cruises. The concerned boats can also be used to sail with family or friends on holiday trips.
Performance-Cruiser :
As the title indicates, Performance-Cruisers are competitive boats for fast sailing, they must also be equipped with all the necessary comfort for a holiday sailing.
Luxury-Cruiser:
Unlike the previous category, Luxury-Cruiser yachts are not dedicated to performance. Designers focus on appearance and offer comfortable and very luxurious equipment. These boats are, in most cases, larger and offered at higher prices than the other categories, but are very well prepared to sail the oceans of the world.
Multihulls:
From its name, this generic term includes both catamarans (two-hull yachts) and trimarans (three hulls), both of these boats offer a very large living space on board and a speed generally higher than comparable monohulls.
Special Yachts :
The LiteXp has distinguished itself in this category, which includes sailing yachts that are simply unique. The Special Yachts category focuses on innovation. Sailboats differ in yacht design, revolutionary hull construction, features or innovative technologies.
The first five months of the year are reserved for the selection of the most promising boats. All the data necessary for the comparison are then collected: technical data, sail plans, etc.
In June, the choice is finalized and the tests planned. It often takes place before or after the major Autumn boat shows (all the nominees are present), in northern or southern Europe.
Finally, an international jury composed of 12 nautical journalists meets four times during the year. The purpose of this meeting is to test all the nominated boats at sea for several consecutive days. Since the launch of this prestigious award, 40,000 miles (64,000 km) have been covered to test all the boats.
How does the election work?
The winners (only one per category, or 5 winners) are announced at the opening night of the Boot Düsseldorf, the world’s largest and most important boat show. It brings together nearly 2,000 exhibitors and 1,800 boats, bringing together all the players in the nautical industry.
