The Azimut 53, the new motor yacht by the Italian Azimut|Benetti Group, has been awarded the Motorboat of the Year 2010 award by a selected team of journalist lead by the UK magazine Motorboat & Yachting, beating the British yacht Fairline 55 to the finish line. This is the second time in recent years that the prestigious British Award goes to the Italian Group, after the success in 1997 with the Azimut 47.

The Azimut 53 was crowned winner of the Flybridge below 55ft category where the judges look for versatile accommodation coupled with practical cruising comforts, alongside sound handling for longer forays. In fact, these boats may be called upon to function as weekend cottages or much longer term family cruisers and with a comfortable mixture of clean lines and ample windows that blend in to the symmetry, the Azimut 53 can stylishly do both. The “53” – as it is called – is an attractive cruiser with room for six plus crew. Somehow Azimut’s designers have managed to shoe horn virtually everything a 65ft motor yacht has into 53ft, without compromising space and comfort.

“The mark of a great flybridge cruising boat is one where all the various elements hang together exceptionally well to produce an appealing whole, but one which also dishes up a few irresistible attractions that on their own might persuade you to buy the boat,” the judges said in their awarding statement. They continued by stating that “the 53 has both. Azimut’s design team has paid particular attention to family safety, providing handrails aplenty and an exceptionally deep and well protected flybridge. Alongside the excellent day-to-day workings of its versatile accommodation, the 53 is jam packed with creature comforts designed to make life on board as comfortable and as effortless as possible.”

Azimut|Benetti, exclusively represented locally by Esprit Yachting, are the largest private industrial group in the yachting sector. True to its stated mission “to build the most beautiful, reliable, innovative yachts and to always provide assistance to their owners anywhere in the world,” the Italian Group works tirelessly to continuously improve both the quality and design of their products. The Azimut 53 represents, better than any statistic might, what makes the Azimut|Benetti a leader in its market: a true passion for the sea, for yachting and for its work.