Sunreef founder Francis Lapp collects the award

The first Sunreef 80 Eco solar-electric sailing catamaran, Marie-Joseph, was honoured at this year’s YCM Explorer Awards by La Belle Classe Superyachts, which has been organised under the presidency of HSH Prince Albert II since 2018 and was again held at Yacht Club de Monaco.

Prince Albert II and Francis Lapp

Francis Lapp, founder and President of Sunreef Yachts, and owner of Marie-Joseph, named after his parents, collected the award. The 24m sailing cat topped the Technology & Innovation category, having “surprised the jury the most by the sheer number of eco-targeted innovations including solar panels with ‘solar skin’ system, a hydrogeneration system and high-performance batteries”.

Winners at the 2023 YCM Explorer Awards

The 87m Ocean Explorer won the Mediation & Science category, the 59m Seahawk won Adventure & Environmental Ethics, while the 39m Plastic Odyssey was voted by the jury as their Coup de Cœur (favourite). The awards intend to recognise “the most forward-thinking owners and most eco-responsible yachts in the industry”.

The Sunreef 80 Eco, Marie-Joseph

Launched early last year, Marie-Joseph was the first Sunreef Eco sailing catamaran and displayed at the Cannes Yachting Festival, Monaco Yacht Show and this year’s Dubai International Boat Show. The first Sunreef 60 Eco sailing cat was also launched last year, while Sunreef has also developed an Explorer line of large power catamarans and an Ultima line of smaller hybrid powercats.

www.sunreef-yachts-eco.com

www.sunreef-yachts.com