After two years of development, Beneteau’s First Yacht 53 will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September, followed by autumn boat shows in Genoa, Barcelona and in the US at Annapolis.

The 17-metre yacht — with a hull designed by America’s Cup veteran Roberto Biscontini and interior/exterior stylings by Lorenzo Argento — is a performance-ready vessel that aims for excellence in fast, comfortable sailing to meet the expectations of the most demanding sailors, according to the French luxury yacht marque.

Featuring a full plumb bow and a maximum beam further aft, the twin rudders promise perfect feedback to control the highly responsive hull.

The 2.5m or 3m draught (with lead bulb), as well as an optional carbon mast, are intended to give the First Yacht 53 the competitive advantage to clock up miles quickly.

“To achieve maximum thrills at the helm, we focused on balancing weight and balance under sail when we designed the boat,” Beneteau explains.

“We worked hard to optimise the position of the centre of buoyancy in relation to the centre of effort, guaranteeing a lively yacht under sail, responding quickly to the helm.”

Beneath asked “the best outfitters” to provide their top-performing products: North Sails for the sails, Harken for the deck gear, Lorima for the mast and Lemer for the keel. All were involved on the recent design of the Figaro Beneteau 3 with foils.

Upgrades for this newest in the First range include improved deck circulation with a layout emphasising the experience above deck, and a hull built using the infusion process.

“I have always looked for performance on the boats that I sail and build. The First Yacht 53 is a lot like me!” Biscontini says.

Beneteau yachts are distributed in Ireland by BJ Marine, which will be at Cannes to see the launch of the French marque’s other new arrival, the ‘Smart Luxury’ generation Monte Carlo 52.