Cruising World Boat of the Year 2021

Cruising World magazine has recognized the Excess 11 as the overall winner of its 2021 Boat of the Year competition. A compact yet fully found cruising catamaran, the innovative Excess brand, launched last year by Groupe Beneteau, has quickly become renowned for its outstanding sailing performance and unique, eye-catching style.

“The 37-foot 2-inch Excess 11 addresses what is really an underserved portion of the growing cruising catamaran market,” said Herb McCormick, Cruising World Boat of the Year director. “It’s obviously not a big cat, but it has all the features you’d expect in one: a comfortable saloon, a good galley and navigation station, excellent accommodations, and solid systems.

“But what really separates the Excess 11 from the pack is its stellar sailing performance. The idea behind the brand is to rediscover the pure enjoyment of sailing, which it delivers big time.”

In addition, Cruising World presented awards to several other winners in five categories.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of last fall’s U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland—where the contest usually takes place—the judging panel traveled over 1,500-miles and conducted sea trials in New England, Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, and both coasts of Florida. Ultimately, the 2021 Boat of the Year competition drew a dozen nominees from China, Denmark, England, France, Sweden, the United States, and Vietnam.

The other winners were the Island Packet 439 (Best Full-Size Cruiser); the X-Yachts X40 (Best Performance Cruiser); the Hylas 60 (Best Luxury Cruiser); and the HH 50 catamaran (Best Luxury Cruiser). For the first time, two superb Luxury Cruisers took top honors. The Corsair 880 folding trimaran (Best Sportboat) and the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 54 (Best Redesign) received Honorable Mention awards.