BENETEAU First 30 wins “Performance Yacht of the Year” at the 2025 British Yachting Awards
BENETEAU's planing cruiser First 30 has claimed another international recognition—this time in the Performance Yacht of the Year category at the 2025 British Yachting Awards.
What makes this award stand out is that it is the only major yachting prize decided entirely by the public. No jury. No panel. Just sailors around the world choosing/voting for the boat that speaks to them most.
With over 5,000 votes cast globally—70% from Europe, 20% from the USA, and 10% from the rest of the world—the First 30 was selected ahead of strong competitors in her category, including the Saffier SL 46, XR41, ClubSwan 43, J/36 and ICE 56.
British Yachting Awards describes the category as celebrating yachts that combine modern performance, innovation, and pure sailing joy.
Their editors summed up the First 30 with the words:
“Beneteau describe the 30 as a ‘planing cruiser’, and the result is a beguiling boat that is uncomplicated, simple but functional inside, but also lightning quick. This Sam Manuard design gets up on the plane impressively early.”
The only award chosen 100% by SAILORS
For BENETEAU and Seascape, this is another recognition in line from British Yachting Awards, after receiving the same award also for ultimate planing cruiser First 36. The new one proves once again that the First 30 is not only a good concept on paper—it resonates with the sailors who tried her till now, followed her story, or believe in what she brings back to sailing.
Sam Jefferson, Editor and boat tester for Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting:
“The British Yachting Awards matter because they are the only ones voted for just by the public—no other outside influence. The First 30 was therefore deemed by the public as the worthy winner. From my point of view, I am delighted, as the First 30 is an exhilarating boat that provides uncomplicated sailing, capable of exhilarating bursts of speed while also offering remarkable value for money.”
A new boat for a new generation
Winning this award is a true testament to the Beneteau and Seascape teams, who have created something genuinely special. This boat isn’t an adaptation of an existing design—it’s something completely new. It’s reconnecting families, inspiring new sailors, putting smiles on faces, and bringing more people back to the sea. The brief was far from simple: create a planing cruising yacht that’s affordable, easy to handle, comfortable, and safe. Yet the team delivered on every aspect.
James Douch, Sales Manager for Beneteau Sailing Yachts at Ancasta
A word from BENETEAU
It is humbling, and deeply motivating, to receive the British Yachting Award for our second boat in a row—the First 36 in 2022, and now the new 30. This boat was our most collaborative project yet, born from many talented and fiercely opinionated people working toward a single purpose: to shape the purest interface between sailor, sea, and wind.
Andraž Mihelin, CEO Seascape and BENETEAU First Range Manager
What’s next for First 30
The First 30 has only been on the market since Boot Düsseldorf, and in many ways, her journey is just beginning. Yet this award shows that from the very beginning, her compass was set right. When real sailors choose the winner, it confirms that the boat delivers exactly what sailors are looking for.
An award chosen entirely by the public carries a special weight for our team, and it will undoubtedly influence everything that comes next.
To everyone who voted: thank you from the whole Beneteau and Seascape teams.
If you haven’t already, we hope you’ll soon feel the moment when the First 30 rises onto the plane. #ready2plane
Published on 28.11.2025