With this year’s boating season 495 tests of the latest motor boats from 18 countries have already been carried out, making the Best of Boats Awards by far the biggest motor boat competition in Europe, only two years after its launch.
The focus of the 17 jury members from 15 European countries, including two women, is firmly on boat owners’ needs. This autumn the international jury of experts will honour the most outstanding motor boats from the 2016 line-up for Europe’s main markets and sailing regions.<0} Only boats tested under everyday conditions qualify for the Best of Boats Awards.
For the first time the Best of Boats Awards will be presented at the festive GALA NIGHT OF THE BOATS. This evening event, which offers a preview of BOAT & FUN BERLIN, will take place on Wednesday, 23 November 2016. As one of Europe’s leading boating exhibitions for motorboats BOAT & FUN BERLIN is the premium partner of the Best of Boats Awards, a status it has held since 2014.
The Best of Boats Awards highlight all aspects of motor boat use and takes owners’ needs into account. Besides Best for Beginners, Best for Family and Best for Fun, for the first time in 2016 awards will also be presented in the new Best for Travel category. The other categories are Best for Fishing (for sports and amateur anglers), Best for Nature (for leisure boats featuring a sustainable, resource-saving and environmentally friendly design), and a Special Award for groundbreaking new designs from the boat industry.
In 2016 the Best of Boats Awards jury welcomes the following new members:
· Anna Sandgren, editor of Båtnytt, Sweden’s largest and longest-established boating magazine
· Neale Byart, chief editor and founder of Motorboat Owner from the UK
· Kerstin Zillmer, editor in chief and long-time tester of Bootshandel-Magazin from Germany
In 2016 the Best of Boats Awards jury members are as follows:
Austria: Thomas Dobernigg (Ocean7, Klagenfurt)
Belgium and the Netherlands: Alfred J. Boer (Varen and YachtView, Amsterdam)
Finland: Jan Sjölund (Venemestari, Helsinki)
France: Dominique Salandre (Youboat, Paris)
Germany: Kerstin Zillmer (Berlin) and Uwe G. Meiling (Hamburg)
Greece: Gerasimos Gerolimatos (Skipper On Deck, Athens)
Italy: Maurizio Zacchetti (Vela e Motore, Milan)
Poland: Arek Rejs (Wiatr, Poznań)
Poland: Stanislaw Iwinski (Żagle, Warsaw)Russia: Anton Cherkasov (Motorboat & Yachting Russian Edition, St. Petersburg)
Slovenia: Julijan Višnjevec (Val Navtika, Ljubljana)
Spain: Enrique Curt Iborra (Skipper, Barcelona)
Sweden: Anna Sandgren (Båtnytt, Stockholm)
Switzerland: Stefan Detjen (Wave Magazin, Rancate)
UK: Neale Byart (Motorboat Owner, Rayleigh)
Ukraine: Bogdan Parfeniuk (Farvater, Kiev)
