Oyster 495 wins European Yacht of the Year 2023

Oyster 495 wins European Yacht of the Year 2023 © Oyster Yachts

Oyster Yachts is delighted to confirm that their newest, and smallest, addition to the fleet, the Oyster 495, has won the European Yacht for the Year in the Luxury Cruiser category.

"We're delighted to be the winner of the European Yacht of the Year award for the Luxury Cruiser category. Designing, building, and delivering the Oyster 495 marks a major milestone for Oyster coming into our 50th year," comments Richard Hadida.

"As the 'baby' of our fleet, she embodies the best aspects of our much-loved larger superyachts, all within a compact 50-foot yacht, which feels much larger and more luxurious than other yachts of this size. The fact that she has met the demanding criteria of the EYOTY judges for the world's best luxury cruiser, is the highest praise for this new 50-foot bluewater benchmark. The 495 is the first all new Oyster under my leadership. It's a proud moment for Oyster team and me personally. We set a clear ambition and delivered upon it seamlessly. I'm excited about the future and the quality of yacht we can produce," he concludes

Now in their 20th year, the final decision was made by twelve jury members from across Europe, renowned for their extensive knowledge and respected as leading voices in the industry. The jury members spend several days at sea in the autumn of 2022, gathering data on the boat's performance, design, sail plans and manufacturing quality. The results are assessed, and the final winners were announced at a sparkling gala event at boot Düsseldorf on Saturday evening.

Rewriting the rulebook of what is expected from a yacht of her size, the Oyster 495's range of features are distilled from the luxury bluewater builder's larger yachts. The iconic Oyster styling is obvious; she is effortless to sail; delivers consistently fast passage speeds; and features contemporary new generation luxury interiors.

The judges were full of praise for the 'pocket rocket' luxury blue water cruiser with Jochen Rieker, Chair of the Judges and Editor of Yacht, commenting: "[The Oyster 495 is] So reassuringly strong, so surprisingly quick in straight line speed, so great to helm, so easy to handle and so, so comfortable if you want to retreat to her living quarters!".

Toby Hodges, UK judge and Yachting World journalist said, "At its heart is a wonderfully (Humphreys) designed and engineered luxury bluewater cruiser conceived from the ground up, built in a new dedicated facility to a repeatable quality very few yards are capable of."

While fellow Jury member Loic Madeleine, of Voiles et Voiliers commented "A true blue water cruiser that makes no compromise in terms of comfort, safety or sailing abilities." and Alberto Mariotti of Vela e Motors added: "The entry level of the Oyster range brings with it the build quality and customisation typical of the yard's largest models... perfect for a couple's globetrotting dreams."