Cantiere delle Marche Wins Two ISS Awards for Explorers

Two different explorers earn category honours

Cantiere delle Marche has reported two wins at the 2026 International Superyacht Society Design & Leadership Awards, held in Fort Lauderdale on 28 October. Its 44.3-metre Flexplorer 146 Nasiba won Best in Motor in the 300–500 GT category, while the 30.8-metre Darwin 102 Haze² took Best in Motor under 300 GT. A third yacht from the Italian yard, RJ 155, was among the finalists. The result spans two distinct types of explorer rather than a single successful model.

The awards were presented during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show period, drawing attention to completed yachts and the teams behind them. ISS judging considers how a vessel's design, technical choices and construction respond to the owner's needs, not only how it photographs at anchor. That makes the outcome relevant to buyers who prioritise longer voyages and reliable use away from major marina centres. The yard's announcement is a report of awards already received, not a new order or delivery.

Nasiba combines expedition design and personal interiors

Nasiba, from the Flexplorer 146 family, was developed with naval architecture and exterior design by Hydro Tec and interior design by Winch Design. Cantiere delle Marche describes the yacht as a response to the wishes of younger owners with a specific vision of travel. Its appeal is intended to lie in the combination of expedition capability and an interior that feels personal rather than overtly institutional. The 44.3-metre length provides room for substantial guest and operational spaces.

An explorer yacht of this kind must reconcile aesthetics with crew workflow, storage, access and autonomy. Deck machinery and support equipment compete with terraces and lounges for volume, while the yacht's weight and energy demands influence range. The ISS award suggests judges valued the completed balance of those considerations. It does not, by itself, establish a precise range or fuel-consumption figure; those must come from the vessel's tested and published specification.

Haze² takes the smaller motor-yacht category

Haze² measures about 30.8 metres and belongs to the Darwin 102 family. Hydro Tec is responsible for the exterior design and naval architecture, while Lawson Robb developed the interiors. The yard positions the Darwin concept around practical, autonomous cruising in a more manageable size bracket. Its smaller footprint does not remove the need to accommodate tenders, guest comfort, equipment access and sufficient resources for longer voyages.

Winning the under-300 GT category places Haze² alongside vessels judged on how effectively their available volume is used. A well-resolved explorer of this scale may offer flexibility to owners who prefer a more direct connection with the cruising experience. The design task is particularly demanding because changes that appear small on a much larger yacht can have a substantial impact on layout, storage or access within a 31-metre hull.

Three finalists show a range of design responses

The inclusion of RJ 155 among the finalists gave Cantiere delle Marche representation beyond the two winning explorer models. The yard has pursued several distinct design families, with different exterior languages and interior collaborators. The 2026 nominations therefore illustrate the capacity to build toward varied briefs rather than requiring every owner to adopt exactly the same aesthetic or arrangement. The awards also recognise the contributions of independent design studios working with the shipyard.

Cantiere delle Marche refers to collaborations with designers including Francesco Paszkowski, Achille Salvagni, Lawson Robb and Giorgio M. Cassetta. Such partnerships can introduce a wide range of styles, while the shipyard remains responsible for making the resulting yacht structurally and operationally coherent. Successful integration depends on decisions made well before final fit-out: machinery spaces, service passages and the placement of guest accommodation can be difficult to change once construction is advanced.

A wider awards year for the Italian builder

The yard reports that its explorer yachts have also appeared prominently at other 2026 design and superyacht award programmes. RJ and Haze² have received earlier recognition, with the newly announced ISS results extending that run. Individual awards have different judging processes and categories, so a list of wins should not be treated as a single comparative ranking of every yacht produced worldwide. It remains a meaningful sign of professional attention to the shipyard's current work.

At the Fort Lauderdale ceremony, three Cantiere delle Marche projects were among twenty-six finalists according to the company's release. That range of finalists matters because award selection can be influenced by the year in which projects become eligible and the categories they enter. For readers comparing yachts, the most useful next step is to look beneath the trophy at the layout, engineering, finish and intended operating profile of each vessel.

Commercial momentum and the explorer proposition

Chief executive and co-founder Vasco Buonpensiere linked the recognition to confidence among owners who want capable, personal explorer yachts. The company says it has secured seven new explorer-yacht sales during 2026 and that its order book extends into 2030. Those figures are the yard's stated position at the time of its announcement and should not be extrapolated into assumptions about the entire superyacht market. Orders can also differ greatly in size, value and delivery requirements.

The two ISS wins highlight a central distinction in the explorer category: capability can be expressed by different hull lengths and design characters. Nasiba uses the additional volume of a 44-metre Flexplorer to combine ambitious travel with highly customised living, while Haze² seeks a capable and comfortable solution at approximately 31 metres. For prospective owners, each is best understood through the intended voyages and support needs rather than the size of the award.

Source: original company or brokerage announcement.