“I TOLD LUCA TO WEIGH EVERYTHING THAT COMES ON BOARD the yacht,” said owner Owen-Jones referencing designer Luca Bassani. “We used titanium screws to hold it all together and I even offered a bonus to the shipyard workers for every pound of weight they could save during the construction process. The boat has a displacement of 50 tons. If you take out the keel and the mast, that figure drops to 18 tons, but if you want me to tell you the weight of the keel I will have to kill you as soon as I have done so, because that’s my big secret."
Designers and builders of sailing yachts greater than 100 feet (30.4 meters) are being tasked with creating vessels that not only are beautiful, comfortable and safe, but also achieve a high level of sailing performance. The proliferation of international superyacht regattas has upped the ante for owners who not only like their yachts luxurious, but also like to best their competition on the race course.
Wally is certainly no stranger to innovation. In so many ways and so often, the company has pushed the boundaries to create something truly new, be it sail or power. In Cannes and Monaco this year, the company showed off Kanga.
Market contraction notwithstanding, 2012 has been a most interesting year in the yachting world. It is difficult to cover all that has happened in a few pages, but we attempted to bring you a snapshot. Our wandering editors highlighted a few of the noteworthy happenings of the past 12 months, which may lead to yet more exciting things soon to come.
Wally’s new thing this year is A Better Place. At 166 feet (50.5 meters), this Bugatti-blue yacht is the world’s largest carbon-fiber sloop and the first RINA Green Star sailing yacht. Naval Architect Bill Tripp ensured racer-like handling despite a voluminous interior and deck space.
The first yacht to launch in Wally’s new Ace motoryacht series is Kanga, an 86-foot (26.23-meter) displacement yacht featuring bright, contemporary interiors, exceptional volume and transatlantic range. Floating Life Charter & Brokerage announces that Kanga, which debuted at the Cannes and Monaco yacht shows, is available for luxury charter vacations.
Kanga is the first hull of the new semi-custom composite WallyAce 26m series. A glass-walled superstructure surrounds the main deck, which includes comfortable lounging and dining areas, while the lower deck holds four guest staterooms plus an owner’s suite with direct access to Wally’s patented terrace on the sea.
This new 164-foot (50-meter) sailing yacht, with a stunning Bugatti-blue hull is the world’s largest carbon-fiber sloop. Wally built the yacht based on naval architecture by Tripp Design. Wetzels Brown Partners created the modern interior.
This is not Wally’s first attempt to push the bar. But its latest creation indeed broke records. Launched in Ancona, Italy, the 165-foot (50-meter) Better Place is the world’s largest carbon sloop and also the first sailing yacht to earn RINA’s Green Star additional certification (for minimal environmental impact).