The best yachts of 2026, the European Yacht of the Year winners, were announced this evening, Saturday 17 January 2026. The awards have become the ideal way to kickstart the world’s largest indoor boatshow, with a flagship opening ceremony comprising the European Yacht of the Year awards held at boot Düsseldorf.

There is currently a bumper collection of interesting new yachts, 21 of which we shortlisted and trialled during the autumn to find the best yachts of 2026 for the European Yacht of the Year awards.

This is particularly positive given the post-Covid slump and murmurings of marine economic downturns. As we can see from the following collection of new production yachts, the reaction to that in design and build terms is overwhelmingly positive. The result is that we ended up with one of the largest shortlists of EYOTY potentials in nearly a quarter of a century of doing these European Yacht of the Year awards.

Every new production yacht is considered before we shortlist the most interesting and deserving models for testing. Each nominee is then tested by all 12 jury members, each an authority on boat testing from leading sailing titles across Europe. Out of the 21 nominees shortlisted and tested, five European Yacht of the Year award winners and one special mention were announced.

We will feature a full breakdown and review of all yachts in Yachting World March.

Best Family Cruising yacht 2026

Nominees: Beneteau Oceanis 52; Dufour 48; Excess 13; Fountaine Pajot 41; Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 415; Lagoon 38; Leopard 46

Winner: Excess 13

This is the Excess we’ve been waiting for since the brand launched, the one that fulfils its promise. And that starts with the Lombard design, which is more responsive than past models, but includes the yard’s attention to weight, structure and stiffness, which ensures it not only sails well but has a good motion through waves.

The Excess 13 is rewarding to sail, even through big waves, all while offering more space than others in its category. It successfully blends performance with voluminous accommodation, making it attractive for manageable family cruising.

For a full report, see our February 2026 issue.

Jury comments

“Fulfils the brand promise better than any other model of the young French yard so far: good sailing characteristics and minimalist design with a high comfort factor,” Roland Regnemer, AUT.

“Finally, a cruising catamaran that brings some true excitement to an otherwise rather uninspired part of the market that measures progress in square meters of living and deck space rather than sail area… an obvious winner,” Jochen Rieker, GER.

Best Bluewater Cruiser 2026

Nominees: Boreal 56, Kraken 58, Pure 42, Stem 50

This is an exciting category of nominees and a true sign of the cruising times. These yachts are built to go further with more speed and comfort as more sailors look to explore the increasingly rare remote parts of our planet. It comprises three aluminium cruisers from three different nations showing different if modern design nous, and one glassfibre production yacht that is built robustly enough to rival a metal boat.

Winner: Pure 42

What happens when you cross premium build quality, aluminium construction, and modern hull design? In Pure’s case, you arrive at a fascinating contemporary performance bluewater cruiser that’s right on cue. No thought nor expense is spared on this, a new German yards’ first production design. It’s a Pure fast cruising yacht complete with a lifting T-keel on which it can dry out – it also offers superb crew protection, light and views, stowage galore, comfort and formidable quality.

Not only has Pure developed its own niche, adding performance to the aluminium bluewater explorer sector, but it has designed and built this yacht brilliantly. The Pure 42 offers sailing enjoyment from a deep protected cockpit and saloon, together with shoal draught versatility and the stowage and mechanical access cruisers yearn for.
This is a Pure cruiser indeed.

Full report in Yachting World March and April 2026.

Jury comments

“Through big swells she is sturdy, with the soft movements expected from a true blue water cruiser. Both the watch and the crew will be safe and get the rest needed on a long voyage. When the wind is lighter, she offers performance and sailing sensation more inspiring than her rough looks promise,” Pasi Nuutinen, FIN.

“Great team, crazy attention to detail, unique boat. They have first revamped a somewhat rusty commercial shipyard North of Kiel into a glass-walled wonderland for artisans, complete with laser-cutter for sheet metal, bending bench, veneer press and a paint shop worthy of a high-end classic car clinic. This approach shows in the Pure 42, a meticulously engineered and built a boat that opens up an excitingly new niche in aluminium go-anywhere-yachts, adding quite some performance to the so far mainly sturdy blue water cruisers,” Jochen Rieker, GER. 

Best Performance Cruiser 2026

Nominees: Beneteau First 30, Dragonfly 36, JPK 1050, XR 41

What an impressive lineup! Some very different yet utterly brilliant designs recently launched in the performance sector –  those with a need for speed and the cash to splash are living in fortunate times! Again, this collection of go-faster yachts we nominated proved particularly difficult to agree a category for and whether to make that race-focussed or not.

The JPK 1050 and XR 41 are similar in that they are true modern cruiser-racers (the former more racer), which have already more than proved what they were designed and conceived to do.

And with the Dragonfly 36 and First 30 launching in the same year, the performance sector is on fire, with both deserved winners for very different reasons – and yet they share the commendable trait of putting the joy back into sailing.

Winner (Performance Multihull): Dragonfly 36

This is the jewel in the crown of this family yard’s three generations and six decades of building. Despite the complexities of physics involved in a folding trimaran, this was the boat that ventured out in a gale to prove its build quality.

A feat of design and engineering that is without compare in the production yacht world, the Dragonfly offers a new level of stable speed sailing, all contained in 4.5 tonnes of pure, unadulterated fun.

Full report here and full video review here

Jury comments 

“The Wildest test of the year, the Dragonfly 36 is incredibly fast, solidly built, and well thought out. A rare example of speed and comfort combined,” Axel Nissen-Lie, NOR

“She combines the brand’s well-known trimaran performance with a new level of refinement, balance, and real-world usability. Under sail she delivers exhilarating speed without drama: reaching at 25 knots under Code 0 in full control, and upwind performance that feels almost unreal for a cruising multihull, consistently pushing 9–10 knots like a TGV on rails. What truly sets the Dragonfly 36 apart, however, is how convincingly she pairs that performance with comfort. This is not a compromise boat, but a synthesis of speed, safety, and liveability. This is a yacht that advances sailing,”  Morten Brandt-Rasmussen, DEN

Winner (Performance Monohull): First 30

The First offers fast, easy, planing fun, pure and simple, albeit not as easy to achieve as it sounds. But Beneteau and Seascape managed it… providing genuine planing performance on a yacht that’s easy to cruise and all within their targeted €100,000 price.

That latter point should be stressed. Unfortunately, very few new boats are built today with this sort of budget cap in mind. The First offers so much while still respecting that price and hopefully other yards will follow suit.

Full review link here and video here

Jury comments 

“Accessible and fun. The new First 30 wins in the Performance Category but would also be perfect for a hypothetical Young Yachting Category. A small boat, easy to handle and with an excellent quality/price ratio. If we add the price/performance ratio, she is definitely on the top step of the podium,” Alberto Mariotti, ITA.

“She sails unbelievably smooth and fast, upwind through steep waves as well as downwind in big breeze. She handles and surfs like a dinghy, easily in the double digits. Both Beneteau and the building yard Seascape did some challenging product development and production in making such a value-for-money product available for a wide audience,” Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong, NED

Best Luxury Cruiser 2026

Nominees: CNB 62; Saffier SL 46; Wauquiez 55; Vaan R5

An example of pure refinement of a proven design, a new take on push button ease and performance from leading daysailer specialists, a smorgasbord of design ideas for a pilothouse centre cockpiter, and a catamaran made from recycled street signs – this category has it all!

So how to pick a winner? The CNB 62, Saffier SL 46 Med and Vaan R5 readers should already know well, as we have featured fuller reviews of them in Yachting World, but not even the jury knew what to expect of the Wauquiez on the water – only that it was a very different new design.

Winner: Wauquiez 55 

A novel, daring design, even, and one of the most talked about new yachts since we filmed a walkthrough from its Düsseldorf premiere last year. The Lombard shape melds some old ideas with so many new ones, featuring reverse sheer, tumblehome, a dry reverse stem, near full-length portholes, and a glazed pilothouse that protects the centre cockpit. The result is a unique blend of North Sea centre cockpit protection with a Med-style deck and interior.

And despite many people’s dubious predictions, I can now confirm it’s definitely a sailing yacht! With the space and layout on deck and below that only really compares to a catamaran, most people, including us, scratch their heads and wonder how it can possibly perform at sea. But perform it does. And all with the ability of doing so shorthanded and from complete protection.

See the video tour here

Jury Comments

“The build is surprisingly strong and doesn’t flex much even if you throw her against some steep 2.5 m waves upwind. Balance and rudder feedback proved quite good for a luxury yacht this size, and she did show significant temperament both in light and stronger breeze,” Jochen Rieker, GER.

“The sailing capabilities are unprecedented for a hardcore bluewater cruiser: the Wauquiez feels smaller than she is, has a subtleness in the way she responds, is a pleasure to helm and sails quite fast. A clear winner,” Marinus van Sijdenborgh de Jong, NED.

Best Specialist Yacht 2026

Nominees: Tortue 147; WOY 26

What else could you call a category that comprises the most extraordinary yacht I think I’ve ever boarded in the Tortue 147, and a sublime wooden art form in the shape of a daysailing/racing weapon?

Special Mention: Woy 26

This stunning design could only be born from a sailor’s passion – in this case, Jan Brügge and his desire passion to show wood still has its place in modern boatbuilding. The Woy 26 proves you can blend timber with the latest materials and infusion techniques to create not only a more sustainable product, but quite simply the best looking new yacht afloat!

Kudos to Martin Menzner of Berckemeyer Yacht Design. It’s somehow contemporary yet timeless, with a flat run, planing hull with reverse stem, open transom and lifting T-keel.

Looks aside, the construction is a story in itself, and one we will tell. But in short, this is a sublime, sporty yet manageable daysailer or racer. The Woy 26 shows that wood rules – it’s the past and the future!  We could not fail to salute this design.

Jury Comments

“If Stradivari had built boats, the Woy 26 would probably have been the result. It also performed brilliantly during our tests in strong winds and waves,” Roland Regnemer, AUT.

“Sailing the Woy 26 is a dream as well, as you can hit 15 knots and more with the gennaker flying. Even with 20 to 25 knots of wind, you feel you would never lose control, thanks to the well-balanced design and the twin rudders,” Sébastien Mainguet, FRA.

“In a nutshell, Woy may have just presented the most enjoyable daysailer – ever” 

Jochen Rieker, GER

 

THE FULL EYOTY REPORT WILL FEATURE IN YACHTING WORLD MARCH 2026

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