Wally issues update on ‘world’s fastest race boat’

Wally has issued a progress update as work nears completion on its two new sailing boats, the Wallywind110 and the Wallyrocket51, which will be delivered during summer.

Wally says the Wallyrocket51 is set to outperform even the TP52, with the Italian brand aiming to build the world’s fastest race boat on corrected time, thanks to a Botin Partners Naval Architecture hull and in-house engineering.

Hull lamination began in the first week of March, alongside the bulkheads and hull structures, and will be complete by the end of this month.

Wally’s technical department spent five months planning the boat with the designers and suppliers. This ensures that the tooling is perfect, guaranteeing that the boat can be produced identically in future, a hallmark of pure one-design racing.

Wally has worked with Harken and Cariboni to define and optimise the deck gear and hydraulic systems. The keel will be CNC machined with a titanium trim tab, and Diverse will supply the water ballast system.

The sails are developed by North Sails, and the first two rigs, already on their way on a ship from New Zealand, are signed Southern Spars. Six sets of identical equipment have been bulk-ordered to cover the first full year of production.

The colour of the hull is the only major detail that remains undecided, although the distinctive Wally stripes at the bow and the coveline will be painted a different colour on every hull.

Wally founder and chief designer Luca Bassani says: “We are excited to launch two new sailing models during Wally’s 30th anniversary year. These yachts represent the two extremes of the sailing experience: cruising and racing. Wally has always been able to address both markets by applying the performance principle to every new yacht. Wherever you turn the dial between cruising and racing, a Wally yacht will always be fast and innovative. That is why the brand remains a beacon of light for passionate sailors.”

Wallywind110

Meanwhile, the larger Wallywind110 has been progressing since the Wally brand became part of Ferretti Group in 2019. Work began in 2022, and now the first boat in Wally’s new line of performance cruisers has reached the end of the outfitting phase. The first hull of the new Wallywind110 was sold in 2023.

The all-carbon hull has been laminated on a female mould and painted in a luminous metallic blue that changes slightly as light hits it.

The next big hurdle to leap will be the 40km journey to the sea via truck. Although the Wally team and the inhabitants of Forlì are familiar with this operation, it will still require careful preparation to avoid overhanging tree branches and to remove road signs where necessary.

Once unloaded in the Marina di Ravenna, the Wallywind110 will receive a 6.95m telescopic keel, one-piece carbon fibre twin rudders and a 48m Hall Spars rig.

With all the main technical systems already tested in the shipyard, the new boat remains to be put through its sailing paces in a series of sea trials. The vessel, due for delivery in early June, will be a hybrid cruiser capable of roaming the globe or performing on the race course.

One of the most striking features of the Wallywind110 is the size of the cockpit area. Reclining on a choice of sofas, sunbeds, loungers or seats, guests can enjoy 80 square metres of cockpit unencumbered by sail controls, all positioned aft. There’s also a further lounging area around the ‘terrace on the sea’ and another on the foredeck. A second hull is on order and will soon emerge from the moulds.

“The year 2024 is going to be massive for Wally’s sailing history, as we launch our 49th maxi sailing yacht,” says Wally managing director Stefano de Vivo. “We’re intensely busy finishing these two very different yachts and starting to build additional hulls of both.

“The Wallywind110 is destined to deliver fast, ambitious cruising wherever in the world her owner wants to take her, while the Wallyrocket51 is an all-out racing machine that will revolutionise regattas for passionate owners.”