We are very excited to announce that the Wauquiez 55 has won the 2026 European Yacht of the Year Award for the best luxury cruiser.
This award does not only reward years of hard work for the French shipyard, celebrating his 60th anniversary in 2025, and historically well-known for its iconic models: Centurion, Pilot Saloon, etc.
It also underlines the audacity of the new owner, EXEL Yachting, taking control of the company 4 years ago, with the ambition of pushing the brand forward with a clearly disruptive mindset.
With innovation as underlaying philosophy for this project, the output shows a concentrate of technologies, combined with head-turning design, under Marc Lombard Yacht Design sharpened pencil.
According to jury members, this 55-footer has been particularly remarked for:
- Her incomparable silhouette, her reverse sheerline, raised knuckle, portholes all along the planking. Inside volumes are just a premiere on a yacht of this size.
- Her seaworthiness and aptitude to reach double-digit speeds, thanks to her fantastic hull design and powerful sailplan, yet remaining easy to sail solo or by a short-handed crew, focus on safety being paramount since inception.
- Her unprecedent layout, featuring massive living space, multiple lounging areas, and, of course, her full-beam aft owners suite, giving direct access to the bath platform.
