The venue for the 10th World Superyachts Awards were the sumptuous setting of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Superyacht builders and owners gathered in eager anticipation to discover who would pick up these prestigious awards, heralded as “the Oscars of yachting”. The hotly competed Award for the Best Motor Yacht below 500 GRT and between 42 m and 46.9 m was won by the WIDER 150. The short-listed selection contained yachts from historic, pedigree shipyards, but the judges were overwhelmed by the way that WIDER had scaled down the desirable features of larger vessels for effective use on a yacht of this size. They described her as “the epitome of a modern yacht”, and also remarked on the superb stern beach club that combines the features of a tender dock and a swimming pool.

A further Award for Technology and Innovation was given to WIDER for their propulsion system. Although other yachts have been built with diesel generators powering electric azimuthal pods, never before have the generators been positioned in the bow. This ingenious and brilliantly engineered concept has released “high value” space midships that the owner and his guests can benefit from. Added to this, the ability of the vessel to cruise in zero emission mode or spend a night in “quiet ship” mode offers real value to a yacht owner’s experience on board.