The Beneteau First 30 has taken the European Yacht of the Year 2026 title in the Performance Cruiser category, the fourth and most significant major international award the planing cruiser has received.
The title is decided by a professional jury of test directors and chief editors from twelve of Europe's leading sailing magazines. Competing against established names including the JPK 1050, XR 41, and Dragonfly 36 trimaran, the First 30 was singled out for its combination of planing performance and cruising versatility.
The boat came out of a close collaboration between Beneteau and Seascape, built around a single idea: making planing accessible to a wider range of sailors. Andraž Mihelin, CEO of Seascape and Beneteau First Range Manager, acknowledged the challenge of getting there. "Working with a big team of highly capable but equally opinionated people was always challenging, but this award proves we hit the target. We thank the jury and couldn't be prouder."
The commercial numbers back it up. More than 130 boats have been sold across 17 countries in the first year on the market, with 50 delivered in 2025. Hull 51 was exhibited at Boot Düsseldorf.
