Moonen luxury yacht Sofia receives WSA commendation
The 42-metre custom Moonen superyacht Sofia came within a whisker of winning the ‘Displacement motor yacht below 500 GT’ prize at the World Superyachts Award ceremony last Saturday (3 May 2014). In what was described by the judges as an exceptionally close call, the Neptune award went to with Sofia receiving a Commendation prize in a field of ten impressive megayachts. Both yachts were designed by Rene van der Velden.
Dutch quality
The high-status World Superyachts Awards event was held for the first time in 2014 in Amsterdam and saw various Dutch yards do very well. For Sofia to receive the judges’ commendation for displacement motoryacht below 500 GT was a considerable achievement for Moonen Shipyards, especially considering the fierce competition.
“While we would have loved to have won the award, to receive a commendation like this is still a considerable honour for the owner of Sofia and the craftsmen that built her,” comments Emile Bilterijst, managing director of Moonen Yachts. “It is also a testament to Moonen quality control and relationship between Moonen and René van der Velden. We would like to congratulate Alloy Yachts on its achievement and send them a friendly shot across the bows: Moonen Dutch quality has won us several awards in the past and we’ll be back for more!”
Moonen winners
The World Superyacht Awards judges had subjected the ten final nominations to lengthy study and debate before holding a secret ballot to decide the winner. The votes between the first and second placed yacht were very close according to the jury, which describedSofia in glowing terms: “In addition to being an all-round, well-conceived yacht, the ability of a yacht of this size to carry and operate a three-seat submarine was considered worthy of a Judges’ Commendation.”
