At the Paris Nautic Show, Voile Magazine announced the winners of Voilier de l’Année 2026, and the new BENETEAU First 30 was awarded the overall French Boat of the Year title.
Statements from the Jury and Leadership
“The awarding of the new First 30 as ‘Voilier de l’Année’ by the Voile Magazine jury was kind of evidence. It embodies a sailboat that reinvents itself by returning to the fundamentals and winning back sailors. But beyond the clever marketing idea and undeniable industrial achievement, what emerged from our tests was the pure joy of sailing, maneuvering, steering, and planing as soon as the wind picks up a bit under spinnaker. That’s the ultimate goal of this First 30: to provide enjoyment and put sailing back at the heart of the action. And that’s precisely what it delivers on the water… The Voile Magazine jury understood the project, enjoyed themselves on board, and gave the boat their seal of approval. Congratulations to the ‘Voilier de l’Année’ 2026!”
“The ‘Voilier de l’Année’ award is a true recognition of the work done by a great team: Seascape with their experience in racing and performance boats, BENETEAU with their industrial know-how, Sam Manuard, our naval architect who managed to combine performance and family, and of course Lorenzo Argento for the overall First design of the boat. The First 30 is a story that started in 1977, and we wanted to make sure that the heritage of these decades-long successful models would meet the new expectations of today’s sailors. This award shows that we have hit our target.
“It is incredible to receive this recognition for second time in the row. For me personally, it is a strong reaffirmation that great things come out of great relationships. The trust and cooperation between Seascape and Beneteau is growing stronger and First 30 is the living proof of this. If you add to this an incredible team of designers and engineers closely linked with the production and support team the result is a joy to watch… and sail. I feel privileged and humbled to be part of this story and cant wait to see what next chapter brings.”
