The award was presented on Thursday 19th September by world-renowned sailor and The Green Blue ambassador Mike Golding OBE. Commended for its sustainable approach to exhibiting at the boat show, Spirit Yachts was chosen for its introduction of sustainable wooden Lignia decking and sharing environmental good practice and insight with other marine businesses.

Spirit Yachts managing director Nigel Stuart said, “We are delighted to have won the first Environment Award at Southampton Boat Show and we hope the introduction of this new award will encourage other marine companies to examine their sustainability initiatives.”

Nigel continued, “Businesses such as RS Sailing and Spirit Yachts cannot make a difference on their own. As an industry, we need to collaborate and share insight in order to maintain and protect the marine environment. I hope to see all exhibitors at next year’s show operating in a sustainable way and working together to push the boundaries of what is currently on the market.”

Spirit Yachts runs a ‘paperless boat show’, avoiding the use of printed materials instead opting for digital copies. As part of its boat show strategy, the company operates a careful recycling policy, uses refillable water bottles and avoids any single-use plastic.

Nigel added, “From fuel efficient power yachts to fully electric sailing yachts with zero hydrocarbons onboard, we are continually innovating to deliver more environmentally friendly solutions that don’t compromise a yacht’s performance. Examples include introducing sustainable Lignia decking and swapping anodes from zinc to aluminium, which is less harmful to marine life.”

This autumn, Spirit Yachts is due to launch its largest ever sailing yacht, the electric drive, 34m Spirit 111, and its flagship power yacht, the 21.7m Spirit P70. The company has a healthy order book with ongoing construction of a hybrid Spirit DH65 (deckhouse), a fully electric Spirit 44E sailing yacht and a Spirit P40 superyacht tender. In the coming months, Spirit Yachts will start building a P48 power yacht and a DH72 sailing yacht.