WALLYWIND110 AND WALLYROCKET51 LATEST
RAPID PROGRESS AHEAD OF SUMMER LAUNCH
Wally - World leader in yachting innovation and part of Ferretti Group, combining the latest technology with contemporary design, constantly looking at ways of improving on the water enjoyment with performance, comfort and style.
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- Second hull already in build
- Pre-preg carbon fibre lamination phase of the wallyrocket51 underway, ready for launch in early August
- Six wallyrocket51 already in production
- 2024 will be a milestone year for Wally’s sailing division
Excitement is growing at Wally as work nears completion on two exceptional sailing boats, as different from each other as night and day. Both the wallywind110 and the wallyrocket51 will be delivered this summer, in time to draw admiring gazes wherever they appear across the Mediterranean.
A massive project, the wallywind110 has been progressing steadily since the Wally brand became part of the Ferretti Group in 2019. Work began in earnest in 2022 and now the audacious dream of an innovative new line of performance cruisers is about to become reality, as the first boat reaches the end of the outfitting phase.
Her all-carbon hull has been laminated on a female mould that ensures her lines require very little finishing and is painted in a luminous light metallic blue that changes slightly as the light hits her. All fittings and interiors are finished to Wally's high standards.
The next big hurdle to leap will be the 40km journey to the sea by truck. Although this is an operation that both the Wally team and the inhabitants of Forlì are familiar with, 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 her 6.95m telescopic keel, one-piece carbon fibre twin rudders and her towering 48m Hall Spars rig.
With all the main technical systems already tested in the shipyard, it then just remains to put the new boat through her sailing paces in a series of increasingly challenging sea trials. Due for delivery in early June, she will be an exceptional hybrid cruiser capable of roaming the globe or thrilling on the race course – all without sacrificing the comforts of the yachting lifestyle.
One of the most striking features of the wallywind110 is the sheer size of her cockpit area. Reclining on a choice of sofas, sunbeds, loungers or seats, guests can enjoy a vast 80 square metres of cockpit completely unencumbered by sail controls, which are all carefully 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.
In a shipyard dedicated to the construction of sail race boats, the wallyrocket51 is also taking shape. Smaller in terms of mere length, this project is set nonetheless to become a giant of the racing world and promises to outperform even the inimitable TP52. Wally is aiming to build nothing less than the world’s fastest race boat on corrected time, thanks to a rigorously studied Botin Partners Naval Architecture hull, and precise in-house engineering.
Hull lamination began in the first week of March, alongside the bulkheads and hull structures, and will be complete in May. Wally’s technical department spent five long months planning the boat in collaboration with the designers and suppliers. The tooling has to be perfect, guaranteeing that every element of the boat could be produced identically. This is the only way to ensure that every wallyrocket is built in exactly the same way. This is the mark of pure one-design racing.
Weight is naturally a key focus, with a comprehensive system for evaluating the impact of every component and design decision. Wally has worked closely 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 to ensure its perfect operation together with the fin, 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 instead signed Southern Spars. In all, six sets of identical equipment have been bulk ordered to cover the first full year of production.
The colour of the hull is perhaps the only detail that remains undecided. What is certain is the famous Wally stripes at the bow and the coveline, which will be painted a different colour on every hull. Not only will this help distinguish the boats on the racecourse, but should also make a fine sight back in the harbour when they’re all moored up alongside.
“The year 2024 is going to be massive for Wally’s sailing history, as we launch our 49th maxi sailing yacht,” said 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. What they both share, however, is Wally’s total commitment to innovative solutions, jaw-droppingly attractive looks and a quality that is unmatched. This is our DNA - what Wally has always been about.”
Wally Founder and Chief Designer Luca Bassani said: “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.”
For further info, call or WhatsApp
Richard Inwards: +44 [0]780 320 6082 or +33 6 43 91 10 67
Robert Inwards: +33 6 20 39 84 12
or contact us here to find out more
FERRETTI GROUP - NEW PROJECTS/WORLD PREMIERES
FERRETTI GROUP: THE FUTURE OF NAUTICAL EXCELLENCE
World Premieres: Riva El-Iseo, 1st full-electric model in the new E-Luxury segment & wallypower50, versatile & high-speed Wally weekender
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The Düsseldorf Boat Show, one of the yachting world’s most prestigious events and an excellent showcase for the latest innovations and trends in the industry, provides the backdrop for Ferretti Group’s press conference held today, Saturday January 20, to share the latest news and projects for 2024.
2023 was a particularly important year for Ferretti Group which, after closing financial 2022 with excellent results, completed the dual listing on Euronext Milan following their debut in Hong Kong. Ferretti Group is now a public company in every sense of the term, with over 50% of the share capital traded on the market, supported by qualified Italian and international investors.
“Ferretti Group's 2024 kicks off under the banner of innovation and sustainability, the two main coordinates for the future of yachting. El-Iseo, Riva’s first full-electric powerboat, is proof that the world’s most highly renowned shipyard is also the one that rises to and wins the challenges of today. Here at Düsseldorf, we also presented the world premiere of wallypower50, another groundbreaking addition to the Wally range,” said Ferretti Group CEO Alberto Galassi during the Boot Düsseldorf press conference. “Sustainable development also means expanding our production capacity by creating spaces where people can work in the best possible conditions. With this in mind, in December we officially opened the new area in the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard in Ancona, and we are making investments in the over 70,000 sqm production hub in Ravenna". Ferretti Group’s 2024 has only just begun and promises great things.
As well as seeing the company in an excellent economic and financial situation – as testified by data for the first nine months of 2023, reporting revenues of EUR 856.4 million, up 9.8% on the first nine months the previous year, and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 124.8 million, an increase of 17.7% on the first nine months of 2022 – 2023 was also a year of major new developments in terms of production capacity, with a 20% rise in global surface area as a result of recent redevelopments and acquisitions that added over 425.4 thousand square metres in the first half of 2023 (the total was 355.4 thousand square metres at the end of 2022).
All eyes remain on the upcoming world premieres, starting with: Riva El-Iseo, a fusion of evergreen elegance with latest-generation technology. After the presentation of the prototype in September 2022 at the Monaco Yacht Show, followed by successful completion of a cycle of complex technical and reliability tests, the official version of the first Riva model created for the E-Luxury segment is now ready for sale.
The German boat show also saw the world debut of the new wallypower50. This high-speed model in the wallypower range is also available in an outboard version – the wallypower50X – that has an even higher top speed but without affecting outstanding living comfort. Wally is also presenting a series of new sailing yachts in 2024, with the announcement of two new launches this summer: the wallywind110 cruiser-racer, a perfect combination of bluewater cruiser and high-performance racing yacht, and the wallyrocket51, the one-design pure racer created to be a winner in a wide range of competitions thanks to innovative features, ultra-light displacement and a high-performance hull. Also in the spotlight was the wallywhy range with the latest new model, wallywhy100, which was presented at a private preview in Venice last December and will be on display at the upcoming boat shows.
The main novelty from Ferretti Yachts is the new Ferretti Yachts INFYNITO 80. Part of the innovative and sustainable INFYNITO range, this yacht offers two versions of the flybridge – open or semi-closed – and features versatile spaces. At Pershing, development work continues on the GTX80 project that will join the flagship this year.
For further info, call or WhatsApp
Richard Inwards: +44 [0]780 320 6082 or +33 6 43 91 10 67
Robert Inwards: +33 6 20 39 84 12
or contact us here to find out more
WALLY UNVEILS THE WALLYROCKET51
WALLY UNVEILS ONE-DESIGN RATING-BUSTER RACE MODEL: WALLYROCKET51
“Fast, fun, smart and revolutionary, as all Wallys”
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Monaco – 19 September 2023
Wally’s sailing yachts have always been icons of style and innovation, setting benchmarks for performance and turning traditional thinking on its head. Now, knowledge, flair, precision and passion has been channeled into a new design which represents a new direction for the brand. It is born from an aim to create the world’s fastest race boat that can thrill as a one-design class but which can thread her way to the top of the podium against the elite in IRC and ORC racing by sailing faster and rating lower than anything around her. This is wallyrocket51.
At 15.5 metres LOA, wallyrocket51 sits right in the pocket of the classic 52-footers. She measures slightly shorter than a TP52, but she is designed to beat them thanks to innovative features, ultralight displacement and an exhaustively refined hull. Moreover, Wally’s design team has worked on wallyrocket51’s design with Botin Partners – a team whose resumé includes the America’s Cup, and whose yacht designs have taken 12 consecutive TP52 season titles, ORC world championships and Rolex Maxi Cup titles, among many others.
“The idea of Wally was to make a very strict one-design class that could provide pure racing, that was high-tech and that could provide a lot of fun, but which could also be very competitive under IRC and ORC rating rules,” begins Adolfo Carrau, Partner at Botin Partners Naval Architecture. “That was the starting point. We began with a 52-foot design because of our knowledge in that size and the fact that it’s also a size that has proven competitive in all conditions and sea states. But the first secret of the wallyrocket51 design,” he teases, “is that it’s not a 52-footer, it’s a 51-footer.”
It's a critical factor, because it has allowed the design team to optimise the hull, underwater appendages and sailplan by getting a rating bonus that could be spent on other elements. Those include a displacement of just 6.3 tons in measurement condition – making it the lightest racing boat out there – which makes the wallyrocket51 very reactive, super-fast downwind and quick to plane. But while that would normally mean a disadvantage upwind, wallyrocket51 employs a feature that dominated the 2007 America’s Cup – an adjustable trim tab on the trailing edge of the keel. This produces a huge amount of lift upwind on a smaller keel stem profile, reducing resistance and delivering neutral leeway. With the water flow aligned with the boat, there’s a big reduction in hull drag which means in spite of having a shorter waterline length, the wallyrocket51 will be able to sail higher and faster than competitors.
Additionally, one of the world’s most successful competitive sailors, Vasco Vascotto, alongside Argentinian sportsboat ace Guillermo Parada have advised as project developers. Their combined Olympic and America’s Cup experience have been put to excellent use making the wallyrocket51 easier to handle with less crew and more fun to sail. They have also been instrumental in shaping the forthcoming wallyrocket one-design series.
“With the wallyrocket51 we are making a yacht that everyone is looking for and everyone wants. A yacht able to perform in all regatta fields, but at the same time that maintains the design and that is fun and that respects the standards of the most modern yachts and possibly exceeds them,” said Vasco Vascotto.
“It has been an incredibly interesting challenge to contribute to the development of a one-design boat that not only introduces a new class for Wally but will challenge the most competitive vessels in other classes around the world.” adds Guillermo Parada. “We are extremely satisfied with the end result, which not only needs to be fast and competitive but also technologically advanced, easy to sail and comfortable to navigate, as all the Wally are!”
The wallyrocket51 can be raced by a crew of just 11; a water ballast system in the aft quarters not only helps with righting moment but also delivers more neutral pitch, which further improves hull resistance. The system has a 550-litre capacity, takes 80 seconds to fill, 60 seconds to ditch, and just 10 seconds to transfer from side to side, making it a breeze to fine-tune in any conditions. The combination of keel trim tab and water ballast has been cleverly designed to offer a greater performance gain than the rating sacrifice they entail which, in combination with the length and displacement advantages, will give the wallyrocket51 the edge at all points of the race course.
Deck ergonomics have also been considered to cater to the smaller crew, and twin grinder pedestals provide grunt to everything from mainsail trim to hydraulics thanks to a clever switching system. The amidships grinder can also be replaced by an electric motor to provide power to winches for shorthanded racing.
“This project represents a truly unique approach to the creation of a new boat that was very much needed in today’s competitive landscape for this size. The wallyrocket51 is very close to our hearts and has eluded us for years as we sought to develop a design that could win any regatta in the world,” says Stefano de Vivo, Wally’s Managing Director. “We have cracked it at last, and we anticipate strong demand for the wallyrocket51 once the world sees it perform. This is a boat that will appeal to all those owners who love to race at the highest level but want to do so in a new and entertaining way.”
With her design team having such intimate knowledge of the 52-foot arena it’s evident the design will stack well in the melee, but while wallyrocket51 has been conceived as the ultimate set-course maestro, that’s not all she is capable of. “We looked at everything, from windward-leeward courses in 6 to 25 knots of wind, to the classic offshore 600-milers such as the Rolex Middle Sea, Rolex Giraglia, RORC Caribbean 600 or Fastnet,” explains Carrau. “It’s a very versatile boat and it goes well upwind, downwind and reaching – and it’s also engineered to ISO Cat-A so it can do any offshore race. Indeed, our simulations show that she can beat her competition under IRC or ORC in any of those inshore or offshore scenarios.”
Wally created the wallyrocket51 to provide owners with a one-design racing boat that will allow them to enjoy family cruises while also having a strong chance of securing podium positions in regattas. The shipyard has developed this advanced design in a year, and it is expected to achieve significant success among sailors because the new model effectively balances both fun and sporty aspects.
In other aspects, wallyrocket51 draws on proven, cutting-edge build materials and methodologies. The hull is pre-preg carbon with Corecell, while Nomex is used as the core for the deck. The rig is by Southern Spars, made in High Modulus carbon fibre, with Future Fibres AeroSix standing rigging, and the sail areas include 163.9 square metres upwind and 361 square metres downwind. Winches are Harken Air Winch, and the jammers in the pit are Spinlock.
“Fast, fun, smart and revolutionary, as all Wallys” enthuses Luca Bassani, Wally’s Founder and Chief Designer. “With her dramatic reverse sheerline, flush deck and long bowsprit, the wallyrocket51 is instantly part of the family. And true to Wally’s DNA she will feature some ground-breaking innovations that not only make it the most competitive vessel, but also reduce the annual running costs versus the existing one-design classes today.”
The first wallyrocket51 is already under construction and it is scheduled to launch in 2024.
For further info, call or WhatsApp
Richard Inwards: +44 [0]780 320 6082 or +33 6 43 91 10 67
Robert Inwards: +33 6 20 39 84 12
or contact us here to find out more
