On September 14, the World Yachts Trophies ceremony took place, one of the most important events on the international yachting circuit.

Traditionally held in Cannes during the Yachting Festival, on the Carlton beach, this event is an opportunity for shipyards to see their finest yachts and superyachts rewarded by a jury of experts, during a gala evening that concludes with a parade of World Yachts Trophies winners, and a fireworks display.

This year, the Polish shipyard Sunreef Yachts was doubly honored, with a trophy for its brand-new 60 SUNREEF POWER ECO, an electric motoryacht catamaran that is shaking up the motoryacht market, with unprecedented energy efficiency for a transatlantic unit (a BoatScopy Report will be dedicated to it), and with the nomination of its founder Francis Lapp as World Yachts Trophies Personality of the Year 2024.

Francis Lapp is a distinctive figure in the world of yachting.

With a background in the construction industry, and more specifically in electricity and building and civil engineering, Francis Lapp saw the opportunity 20 years ago to create a market for luxury catamarans, in a sector then dominated by mid-range units, mainly dedicated to the mass charter market.

By creating Sunreef Yachts in Gdansk, positioned in the semi-custom luxury catamaran sector, and launching the Sunreef 74, he broke new ground by integrating a flybridge into a catamaran, and offering a high degree of customization on a unit that was then very large. He also shook things up by moving to Poland, to the former Lenine shipyard, famous for its union leader, Lech Waleza, and deciding to integrate everything in-house, so as not to depend on anyone!

The company's success continued in both sailing and motoryachts, with the launch of the “Pomorskiyé Rendez-Vous” range ushering in a new era.

The shipyard presented a comprehensive, powerfully styled range, from 50 to 100 feet, marking a major break with the past.

It was an immediate, worldwide success, and prompted Francis Lapp to launch the construction of a brand-new yard on the outskirts of Gdansk, arguably the most modern yacht and superyacht building yard in the world.

With a keen interest in electricity and energy efficiency, he was the first to anticipate the expectations of yachting customers for eco-responsible yachts. With his son Nicolas Lapp, he designed the ECO range, an electric and hybrid declianison of his traditional range, featuring ground-breaking innovations in electric motors and batteries, as well as on-board consumers and producers, such as the photovoltaic panels integrated into hulls, roofs and sterns, which make traditional panels obsolete. This range now accounts for 50% of the shipyard's sales!

Recognizing the changing expectations of owners of traditional monohull yachts and superyachts, he conceived and launched a revolutionary new range of narrow-hulled motor catamarans, the Ultima range. In less than a year, 6 models were launched, from 44 to 111 feet, and 45 units were sold, while a new shipyard emerged from the sands of Dubai, identical to the one in Gdansk, dedicated to the construction of this range! The first hull will be built at the end of the year.

A great Captain of Industry, a visionary, upright and determined, this native Alsatian, proud of his origins, could not fail to receive the Word Yachts Trophies 2024 for Personality of the Year.