Published criteria from a charter advisory with an office in Mallorca, and the expedition yacht that shows them at work.

Owners and crews often ask what charter guests really value. Blue Ocean Club, an international yacht charter advisory, has put one answer on the record. Its 2026 Yacht Awards publish the criteria, the weightings and the reasoning behind each decision.

The awards are an annual editorial assessment of the charter fleet. They carry no entry fee. Yachts cannot buy a nomination, a finalist place or a win. Advertising spend and commercial relationships are not part of the judging.

For 2026, eligible yachts were split into five size classes, from 20 metres up to 70 metres and above. Each yacht was compared with similar vessels in its own class. Five finalists were chosen per category, creating a field of 25.

Six weighted criteria

The weighting is useful reading for anyone running a charter yacht. Charter experience and service proposition counts for 25 per cent. Guest space and layout counts for 20 per cent, as do amenities and access to the water.

Design, condition and contemporary relevance account for 15 per cent. Destination capability and value within the size class carry 10 per cent each. Service, space and time in the water therefore make up 65 per cent of the assessment.

Blue Ocean Club deliberately avoids decimal scores. The final decision is a comparative judgement, followed by a factual review before publication.

The 2026 winner

The overall title of Charter Yacht of the Year 2026 went to LA DATCHA, which also won Best Charter Yacht 70m+. The 77-metre Damen Yachting SeaXplorer was delivered in 2020. She is managed by NOVA YACHTS Ltd.

Her owner’s brief called for tropical and polar operations, two helicopters, diving and long autonomy. The result includes Ice Class construction, IMO Polar Code engineering and a fully certified helicopter deck. She carries a three-person submersible, a dive centre and a decompression chamber. Autonomy at sea reaches up to 40 days.

She accommodates 12 guests in six suites. Wellness facilities include indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, a sauna, a steam bath, a massage room and a gym.

The judges found that these qualities form a coherent whole. Each capability serves the same purpose: taking guests further while returning them to a comfortable home at sea.

“LA DATCHA widens the horizon of what a yacht charter can be,” said Dr Christoph Lymbersky, CEO of Blue Ocean Club.

What crews and owners can take from it

The lesson is not that every yacht needs a helicopter. Yachts are judged against their own size class, so a 30-metre yacht competes with 30-metre yachts. The criteria reward a clear fit between equipment, layout, service and cruising grounds.

Owners are not required to submit a yacht for consideration. Nominations for the 2027 edition are open on the Blue Ocean Club website.

The full 2026 criteria and winners are published at https://blueoceanclub.com/yacht-awards/2026.

About Blue Ocean Club: an international yacht charter advisory and discovery platform, with its European office in Port d’Andratx, Mallorca. 

https://blueoceanclub.com