THE FIRST 27 SE IS AWARDED “BEST SAILING YACHT UNDER 30” IN SHANGHAI
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On the occasion of the 2026 Shanghai International Boat Show, the Asian Marine & Boating Awards Ceremony was held in grand style on March 29th in Shanghai. We are pleased to announce that the First 27 SE has won the Best Sailing Yacht Under 30 Feet award. This iconic event serves as an important platform that brings together leading boat brands, manufacturers, industry professionals, and media from across Asia in a prestigious and glamorous setting.
The First 27 SE brings high-tech performance, event experience, and community expertise from the cutting edge of racing into the hands of recreational sailors. She delivers an extraordinary sailing experience that was, until now, largely reserved for professional racers. Sailors can challenge themselves in one-design long-distance races, or enjoy fast adventure cruising in top sailing destinations, as she is fully trailerable.
The jury has honored the First 27 SE with the award for Best Sailing Yacht (under 30 feet), further confirming the remarkable achievements of this modern-day trailer-racer. She has also previously received multiple prestigious distinctions, including Boat of the Year 2015 by Sailing World and Best Boats 2015 by SAIL Magazine, among others.
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“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the organizers for this recognition. The First 27 SE has been a tremendous success both internationally and across the APAC region, meeting the needs of sailors seeking one-design racing, offshore adventures, and weekend getaways.
In 2025, Beneteau launched the First 30, a versatile and affordable planing cruiser. It has already been embraced by around 150 owners worldwide. In the APAC region alone, five First 30s have already arrived in Australia, Japan, and China.
Our ambition is clear: we want to bring the effortless joy of planing to as many sailors as possible!”
Erwan HER, Beneteau Sales Director, Asia Pacific
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APAC BOAT SHOW REVIEWS IN MARCH
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We enjoyed a busy and rewarding boat show month with the great support of our dealers across the region, welcoming our dear customers onboard our latest vessels and explore their amazing features.
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GIPPSLAND LAKES BOAT SHOW
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Date: February 27th-March 1st, 2026
Venue: Paynesville, Victoria, Australia
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The Gippsland Lakes Boat Show made its debut in late February in southern Australia, showcasing the latest boats and the best of boating lifestyle. Our dealer in the country Sundance Marine represented Beneteau at the show and presented the Antares 7 Fishing on-site.
The Antares 7 Fishing, modular and easily trailable, fast and spirited, allowing the whole family to enjoy a wide range of activities.
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Date: March 5th-8th, 2026
Venue: Auckland, New Zealand
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| image © 36 Degrees Brokers |
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Beneteau delivered another fantastic showcase at the New Zealand Boat Show with the strong support of our two dealers in the country 36 Degrees Brokers and Family Boats.
36 Degrees Brokers exhibited the versatile Oceanis 40.1 sailing yacht and the long-distance passagemaker Swift Trawler 41 to the visitors. Family Boats displayed three of Beneteau’s popular weekenders—— Antares 8, 9, and 11. Those five models cater for different sailing programs, attracting a steady stream of visitors aboard the boats to explore.
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KOREA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
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Date: March 6th-8th, 2026
Venue: KINTEX, Goyang, South Korea
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Our dealer in South Korea Yacht Master presented Beneteau at the recently-completed Korea International Boat Show——Korea’s leading marine leisure trade show, setting up a well-decorated Beneteau booth and welcomed visitors onboard our Antares 7 Fishing version showcased on-site.
This model has everything you need to enjoy memorable fishing trips, fully equipped fishing station, places to store lures and hooks, water circulation live bait well, rod holders, cup holders, chopping board, etc.
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Date: March 14th-15th, 2026
Venue: Kaohsiung, Taiwan, China
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Beneteau’s dealer in Taiwan Amal Yachting showcased our Antares 9 weekender at Argo Boat Show in mid March and received positive feedback.
Taiwan boasts picturesque coastlines and favourable sailing conditions, ideal for steering the Antares 9 for family cruising and marine activities with friends. It offers greater ease of handling and an inviting setting, at anchor and under way.
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JAPAN INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
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Date: March 19th-22nd, 2026
Venue: Yokohama, Japan
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At this year’s Japan International Boat Show, our dealer in the country First Marine presented the brand new Oceanis 47 for its Asia-Pacific Premiere. Our booth was crowded with industry journalists, loyal Beneteau owners and sailing enthusiasts to explore this new model.
Building on the global success of the Oceanis 46.1, the Oceanis 47 heralds the next evolution of cruising, boasting enhanced living spaces to smarter sailing features. True to the BENETEAU spirit, it delivers the perfect blend of performance and onboard comfort, giving ocean lovers the freedom to explore the world confidently. Also on display was the Oceanis 34.1, promising unforgettable days out on the water.
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Date: March 20th-22nd, 2026
Venue: Hillary Yacht Club, Australia
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The Hillary Boat Show wrapped up successfully on March 22nd in a relaxed coastal vibes. Our dealer in West Australia Mansfield Marine presented Australia’s first Oceanis 47 sailing yacht at the show, shortly after its grand APAC debut in Japan. Great gratitude goes to the Mansfield team for bringing the Beneteau speed and innovation to Australia.
Also on display were the versatile Antares 9 dayboat and the lush Flyer 10 Sport Top adapting to a variety of uses. The stunning Beneteau fleet was the focus of attention at the show.
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NEW ZEALAND BENETEAU OWNERS RALLY 2026 — A RELAXED WEEKEND ON THE WATER
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| images © 36 Degree Brokers |
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From March 20th to 22nd, our passionate Beneteau community in New Zealand spent a relaxed and happy weekend on the water for the Beneteau Owners Rally, as part of the PIC Harbour Classic, one of the country’s largest on-water events.
With the Saturday morning breathing with clear blue skies and light breeze, the Beneteau fleet all headed out towards the start line. Some boats raced the PIC Harbour Classic course, while others peeled away as part of the Owners Rally cruise, settling into an easy pace and heading across to Motuihe together.
By early afternoon, the fleet regrouped off Motuihe Island. The beach quickly filling with Beneteau crews ready to switch off and settle in. After enjoying the fabulous food and drinks prepared by the 36 Degrees Brokers team, the beach games were in full swing - competitive and lots of laughs.
A great turnout of Beneteau owners, all there for the same reasons: to have fun on the water, to catch up with their fellow Beneteau owners and friends, to share their experiences and celebrate their passion with Beneteau.
Our tremendous gratitude goes to 36 Degrees Brokers for organizing the event.
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BENETEAU SYDNEY RENDEZVOUS 2026, DAYBOATS UNDER SPOTLIGHT
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From March 21st to 22nd, our dealer in Australia Chapman Marine hosted a successful Beneteau Sydney Rendezvous event featuring Beneteau’s powerful and versatile dayboats including models from the iconic Antares weekenders and the sporty Flyer range at their new office in Mosman. The 2025-redesiged Antares 9 and the brand new Flyer 10 Sport Top were also on display!
Many well-qualified clients visited this private boat show, exploring our state-of-the-art dayboats, and chatted with the Chapman team about their boating projects. Great job to the team!
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DUBAI TO MUSCAT RACE 2026: VICTORY FOR THE FIRST 53 HEAVEN CAN WAIT!
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| images © Dubai Offshore Sailing Club |
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Racing against a fleet of 33 boats, Heaven Can Wait crossed the finish line in just two days, confirming the FIRST 53's amazing potential. It is high-performing, reliable and unashamedly competitive.
Congratulations also to the FIRST 44 Notorious for securing third place on the podium.
This year, a total of 14 crews lined up at the start on BENETEAU sailing yachts – a strong endorsement of their confidence in our boats’ reputation for having a competitive edge. Well done to everyone who took part!
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UPCOMING APAC BOAT SHOW PREVIEWS
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Join Beneteau at those upcoming boat shows in our region and enjoy the unique Beneteau boating experience.
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As the largest-scale boat show in Western Japan, Kansai Boat Show comes back in April. Our dealer in Japan First Marine will represent Beneteau at the show and present the brand new Oceanis 47 shortly after its APAC Premiere at Japan International Boat Show in mid March.
The Oceanis 47 has been designed to meet the expectations of today's yacht owners seeking to combine the enchantment of long, leisurely moorings with the exhilarating thrill of the helm.
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SHOW INFO Date: April 10th-12th, 2026
Venue: Kansai, Japan Model on display Sailing yacht: Oceanis 47
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SINGAPORE YACHTING FESTIVAL
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Each year, the Singapore Yachting Festival serves as a premier platform for world-leading yacht builders, water-sport brands and lifestyle companies to showcase their innovations to the Southeast Asian audience. This year’s show returns from April 23 to 26.
We cordially invite you to be part of this festival where you can visit our booth and discuss your recent boating project with experts, exploring the elegant Oceanis Yacht 54 sailing yacht exhibited on-site. Great gratitude goes to our dealer in Singapore ASIAMARINE for organizing the display.
The Oceanis Yacht 54 truly represents the pinnacle of the modern monohull cruising design with an emphasis on build quality, high-end materials, and the innovative vision. It is a delicate balance of form and function, versatile and equally ready for a fast ocean passage or a leisurely double-handed sunset cruise.
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SHOW INFO Date: April 23rd-26th, 2026
Venue: ONE°15 Marina, Sentosa Cove, Singapore Model on display Sailing yacht: Oceanis Yacht 54
BENETEAU NIGHT (ONLY BY INVITATION)
Date: April 24th, 2026
Time: starts at night
Venue: Beneteau booth
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SANCTUARY COVE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
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Beneteau is ready to make a splash with showcasing a fleet of 9 models and hosting two APAC Premieres of the Oceanis 52 sailing yacht and the Antares 12 Coupe dayboat at this year’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show——Australia’s largest and most prestigious boat show.
The display is a joint effort made by our two esteemed dealers in Australia, Sundance Marine and Spirit Marine.
For sailing yachts, we will have the Oceanis 52, First 30 and First 44. The new Oceanis 52 ushers in the 8th generation of Oceanis cruising yachts and blends power, elegance, innovation, and lineage. The First 30 is a planing cruiser catering to the diverse needs of today’s sailors, suitable for both professional and amateur racing, as well as family cruising—all while delivering an enjoyable experience. The First 44 is a high-performance racer/cruiser.
For motor yacht, we will showcase the long-distance passage maker Swift Trawler 48, focusing on practical easy living and circulation and is built to seek new horizons.
For dayboats, we will showcase 4 Antares weekenders to the Australian visitors. Launched at last year’s Cannes, the Antares 12 Coupe is a versatile family cruiser, combining comfort, elegance and innovation with a spirit of shared pleasure and serenity. The 2025-redesigned Antares 9 integrates innovations and improvements from the largest models. In addition to this, we will also have the new Flyer 10 Sport Top, designed as the ideal compromise between a day-boat and an express cruiser.
We look forward to meeting you all at SCIBS 2026, visiting our booth and explore our impressive fleet.
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UPCOMING EVENTS IN APAC
BENETEAU FIRST ACADEMY
Date: April 4th-8th, 2026
Venue: Croatia
KANSAI BOAT SHOW
Date: April 10th-12th, 2026
Venue: Kansai, Japan
SINGAPORE YACHTING FESTIVAL
Date: April 23rd-26th, 2026
Venue: ONE°15 Marina, Sentosa Cove, Singapore
SANCTUARY COVE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
Date: May 21st-24th, 2026
Venue: Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, Australia
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