Personal taste and boat to boat will define the ideal luxury yacht differently. The nominees in the European Yacht of the Year Awards' luxury yacht division this year proved exactly.

A wide team of professional judges from throughout the world chooses the European Yacht of the Year. These are people that spend their professional life sailing and comparing yachts, thus you can be sure that the yachts which stand out in this category are indeed the best of the best on the market.

The ideal luxury yachts

Best luxury yacht winner 2024: Arcona 50

You better get it right when you enter the very competitive 50ft luxury performance yacht market. And the jurors thought Arcona handled it. Designed by X-Yachts co-founder and previous designer Niels Jeppesen, this watershed design for the legendary Swedish brand is a huge, modern new Arcona that moves away from its cruiser-racer past and classic interiors.

Whether you have the performance sails, traveller and deep (2.95m) keel options the test boat carried, or otherwise, the on trend styling inside and out is supported by a premium level of build and finish quality and sailing performance – particularly if you have berthing and anchoring options limited later on.

Though I doubt it will be raced or fit for normal bluewater use, it presents a purity of performance push-button sailing: a beautiful prospect upwind in a light breeze, it turns into a strong reaching machine with stacks of control.

"The boat definitely did not win for her somewhat borrowed looks," says Jochen Rieker, chairman of our jury. She wins by meeting all the requirements in all other ways. There just isn't much to criticize; slipping gently in the lightest of airs, retaining her stride and her balance in more difficult situations, offers warmth, light and this reassuring sense of total quality down below.

Personal taste and boat to boat will define the ideal luxury yacht differently. The nominees in the European Yacht of the Year Awards' luxury yacht division this year proved exactly.

A wide team of professional judges from throughout the world chooses the European Yacht of the Year. These are people that spend their professional life sailing and comparing yachts, thus you can be sure that the yachts which stand out in this category are indeed the best of the best on the market. 

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Contest fifty-CS

One designed to the greatest standards and capable of taking you to most waters in perfect comfort, the Contest 50CS is an archetype luxury cruising yacht. There are only two versions of this model: the forward owner's suite version on the aft cockpit Contest 49CS or this more traditional 50CS with aft master cabin. After two days in the North Sea, we did a full test on the latter where that rather high freeboard, which might not assist boarding or windage, helped keep us dry on deck in a persistent Force 6 gusting 7.

This Judel/Vrolijk design keeps slipping along in the light stuff too, offering pleasant sailing in 6 knots breeze under a code sail, as the 50CS proved. The center cockpit links nicely to the large aft deck but provides a deep protected guest room.

Furthermore, the magnificent and difficult to replicate Wetzels-Brown-designed interiors of Contests today are contemporary. First class engineering, access to useful stowage, detailing and finish of the 50CS is first class and to get this degree of excellence at this size is rare.

XC 46

Early adopters of hybrid power, Contest and X-Yachts provide their bluewater cruisers with optional electric drives. Designed-in from the outset, the XC 47 has Oceanvolt's award-winning new 25kW regenerative drive.

For distance sailing, especially for those who also like hands-on helming pleasure, the XC 47 is another brilliantly designed and thought out yacht. Any X enthusiast should not be surprised by this, but what really caught me about this yacht was the stowage and the thoughtfulness required to produce that, along with how practical it has been built.

Though ask any long-term cruiser and stowage is usually a top concern, that may sound somewhat anticlimactic. While below decks every square inch of space has been used effectively, with lockers hinged with gas struts, on deck this represents a massive lazarette and sail locker with smart mechanisms for launching a dinghy via davits and a liferaft. 

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Yachts 55 Jeanneau

In this category, the Jeanneau Yachts 55 stand out for separate, distinctive reasons; they provide a whole fresh idea in luxury on deck when at anchor and a new accommodation layout. Its emphasis is on outside living areas.

Rather than just the price or the creative participation of superyacht specialist design pair Philppe Briand and Andrew Winch, what helps position this in a premium bracket is its arrangement generates a palatial amount of private space for the owner's stateroom. Guest rooms have direct access from the large cockpit through gullwing doors.

For couples or single owners utilizing it as a warm water residence, it makes perfect sense. Another issue is how many guests, staff, or children this will fit since it separates any guests from the galley and saloon.

When I first saw it, I called it monocat since the 55 actually does try to combine the two worlds, especially in terms of giving owner privacy and lounging area. Select the rigid hard top and windshield; the covered area is quite large and has a dinette and chart table as well as a bimini to cover all that large aft deck too.

The consequence is felt in handling and performance, the latter especially in light weather with the optional in-mast furling, self tacking headsail and shallow draft package we had. It comes in extra weight and wetly surface. But because to the raised side decks, it is set up to be readily controlled from the mid cockpit with good view from the twin helms and easy circulation. YW February 2024: whole report. 

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Benenteau Oceanis Yacht 60

As flagship for the Beneteau line, the Oceanis Yacht 60 is a very different beast indeed from the 62 it replaces. Having seen the success of the First 53/OY 54, the yard decided to design a 60 in similar style using the same deck arrangement and ease of circulation, even though it would be bigger and broader.

With a deeper (2.6m) keel and a total weight of just five tons less than the larger OY62, the construction experience of the smaller model obviously benefited too. The outcome that tells is on the sea. We averaged a knot slower than the single digit 6-8 knot windspeeds upwind and matched them reaching with Code 0 and a little swell. It felt sporty to helm.

Sheltered beneath the semi-rigid bimini, the large cockpit functions well and features lots of lounging area with sailing systems led aft to the dual helms. Beneteau intended to eliminate the OY62's corridor effect, hence the interior features a 3+3 arrangement. While the forward suite with offset berth and headboard apace works well to provide space with solitude, the galley is ahead to assist open out space.