Aquarius, a 65-meter sailing yacht built by Dutch yard Royal Huisman, won Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2026 World Superyacht Awards, presented May 1-2 in Venice. Nautor Swan's 38.98-meter BeCool was also among the night's winners. Aquarius's length is nearly double that of Kiboko 4, the 35.5-meter Southern Wind yacht that won the same category in 2025.
Contents
- Aquarius takes the sailing prize in Venice
- From Kiboko 4 to Aquarius: nearly double the length
- Katana: sailing's other big story this season
- What the order book says about big sail
- Why this matters beyond the awards circuit
- FAQ
Aquarius Takes the Sailing Prize in Venice
Royal Huisman's 65-meter Aquarius won Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2026 World Superyacht Awards, the 21st edition of the prize organized by Boat International, presented May 1-2 in Venice for a third consecutive year. Nautor Swan's 38.98-meter BeCool was also named among the night's winners, though the official list does not detail a separate category citation for it beyond appearing on the winners' roll.
The same ceremony crowned Feadship's 118.8-meter hydrogen fuel-cell yacht Breakthrough as Motor Yacht of the Year, a result Voguer covered separately.
From Kiboko 4 to Aquarius: Nearly Double the Length
The jump in size between the sailing category's last two winners is hard to miss. In 2025, the title went to Kiboko 4, a 35.5-meter yacht built by South African yard Southern Wind, at the 20th World Superyacht Awards, also held in Venice. Aquarius, at 65 meters, is nearly double that length — a significant leap across a single edition of the award.
One year of comparison is not enough to call this a confirmed trend, but it lines up with broader context on the record: the Global Order Book 2026, published by Boat International in December 2025, found average length and tonnage under construction across the 24-meter-plus segment — motor and sailing combined — at record highs, even as total orders dipped slightly, from 1,138 to 1,093, roughly a 4 percent drop.
Katana: Sailing's Other Big Story This Season
Aquarius is not the only large sailing yacht drawing attention this season. Katana, a 61.4-meter yacht built by Perini Navi, made its debut as the largest sailing-yacht launch at the Monaco Yacht Show 2025 in September. Months later, on February 1, 2026, the same Katana won Best Interior Design for sailing yachts at the 2026 Design & Innovation Awards in Kitzbühel, Austria.
Two sailing yachts over 60 meters circulating through the industry's leading shows and award ceremonies within an eight-month window is one of the more concrete signals of this season's appetite for big sail.
What the Order Book Says About Big Sail
Taken together, three data points — Kiboko 4 (35.5m) in 2025, Katana (61.4m) debuting in Monaco and winning an interior-design award in February, and Aquarius (65m) as this year's champion — sketch a season in which the sailing yachts drawing the most attention have grown from one edition to the next. Not a substitute for a long historical series, but consistent with the record average length the order book recorded for the 24-meter-plus market overall, sailing included.
| Award / Edition | Sailing Yacht of the Year | Builder | Length | Motor Yacht of the Year | Builder | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (20th edition) | Kiboko 4 | Southern Wind | 35.5 m | Kismet | Lürssen | 122 m |
| 2026 (21st edition) | Aquarius | Royal Huisman | 65 m | Breakthrough | Feadship | 118.8 m |
For anyone following the charter side of the sailing segment, the practical takeaway is that the supply of large sailing yachts available for charter tends to concentrate in a smaller number of projects — but larger and more expensive ones — mirroring a pattern already documented on the motor-yacht side.
Why This Matters Beyond the Awards Circuit
Royal Huisman, the Dutch yard behind Aquarius, and Perini Navi, the Italian yard behind Katana, both work at the full-custom end of the sailing market, where each project is built to an individual owner's brief. A single season carrying two such yachts past 60 meters says less about one shipyard and more about how much room exists at the top of the sailing segment for owners commissioning at genuinely large scale.
For Brazilian and other international owners weighing a large sailing yacht against a motor superyacht for Mediterranean charter, that scarcity at the top end is itself useful information when planning a season.
FAQ
Which sailing yacht won the 2026 Sailing Yacht of the Year award? Aquarius, a 65-meter yacht built by Dutch shipyard Royal Huisman, won the category at the 2026 World Superyacht Awards, presented May 1-2 in Venice. Nautor Swan's 38.98-meter BeCool was also among the night's winners.
Who won the sailing category in the prior, 2025 edition? In 2025, the 20th edition, also in Venice, the title went to Kiboko 4, a 35.5-meter yacht built by South African yard Southern Wind — nearly half the length of Aquarius, the 2026 winner.
What is Katana and why does it appear in this coverage? Katana is a 61.4-meter sailing yacht built by Perini Navi. It made its debut as the largest sailing-yacht launch at the Monaco Yacht Show 2025 in September, then won Best Interior Design for sailing yachts at the 2026 Design & Innovation Awards in February.
Are large sailing yachts really getting bigger this season? The three most talked-about names of the season — Kiboko 4 (35.5m), Katana (61.4m) and Aquarius (65m) — each grew in size from one edition to the next. The Global Order Book 2026 also recorded record average length across the 24-meter-plus market overall, sailing included, which gives that pattern some broader context.
Who won Motor Yacht of the Year at the 2026 World Superyacht Awards? Breakthrough, Feadship's 118.8-meter hydrogen fuel-cell superyacht, won the motor category at the same May 1-2, 2026 ceremony in Venice where Aquarius took the sailing prize.
Where is Royal Huisman based, and what does it build? Royal Huisman is a Dutch shipyard specializing in full-custom sailing yachts. Aquarius is its latest project to win a category at the World Superyacht Awards.
Where will the 2027 World Superyacht Awards be held? Organizers confirmed at the May 2, 2026 ceremony in Venice that the 2027 edition will move to Rome, closing out three consecutive years in Venice. Nominations for 2027 are already open.
Following the Big-Sail Season
Voguer continues to track the sailing-yacht segment of the superyacht market, from boat shows to awards season, with particular attention to the projects that keep reappearing across the industry's major events.
Related coverage: Breakthrough Named 2026 Yacht of the Year at the World Superyacht Awards · Wealth Report 2026: Superyachts and Jets as Markers of Wealth · Lürssen Delivers the 78-Meter Odisea, with Full RWD Design · The Brazilian in the Mediterranean: Why the Bridge Is Opening Now · Lürssen Launches the 117-Meter Boardwalk
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