This is the fourth Wally for the German client. The 101 follows on from an extremely successful but now 14-year-old Wally 100. After three designs by Germán Frers, the owner called on the services of the Bremerhaven office of Judel/Vrolijk & Co for the first time. The proven regatta specialist Rolf Vrolijk took his cue from the Wallycento Boxrule, which has already produced four formats, most recently "Tango". For the Wally 101, maximum comfort was high on the list of requirements in addition to performance.
The bomb at the lower end of the lift keel, which extends from 4.70 metres to 6.80 metres(!) deep, was impressive when it was launched in the port of Ravenna. This puts the 30.80 metre long 101 in the realms of "Comanche". The canting keel of the 100-foot racing machine has exactly the same maximum draught. The carbon rig of the Wally 101 is said to have 630 square metres of sail laminate in the wind, which is moved by various hydraulic pumps. A 312 kilowatt engine pushes through the calms and into the harbour. A rudder blade sits under the sweeping stern, listening to steering commands that are given far amidships and in front of the large aft cockpit. The swan-white hull is crowned by a teak deck, the rods of which run over the flat and short superstructure and completely cover the wide coamings.
Light, fast and suitable for touring
Wally founder and chief designer Luca Bassani said on the occasion of the launch: "I am very proud of the Wally 101. The displacement of the lightweight is only 55 tonnes, almost 15 percent less than yachts of a similar size and configuration, with 40 percent of the total weight being accounted for by the keel." Bassani, a thoroughbred sailor and son of an Italian industrialist, founded the cult brand in 1994 with fast and easy-sailing carbon maxis. For comparison: the predecessor displaced 68 tonnes - and was one metre narrower. Stefano de Vivo, Managing Director of Wally, said of the sandwich construction in a negative mould and with carbon prepregs: "This performance was achieved thanks to the latest carbon technology that Wally has developed over the years as a pioneer." Since boot Düsseldorf 2019, Wally has been part of the Ferretti Group, which includes motorboat brands such as Riva, Custom Line and Pershing. The Chinese Weichai Group has held a majority stake in the shipyard merger, which has been listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange since March 2022, for over ten years.
The 101 was laminated by Wally's long-standing composite professionals in Forlì. In the future, as the Ferretti Group recently announced, Wally sails will also be built on a recently acquired 70,000 square metre site in the port of Ravenna. After extensive testing, the Wally 101 will demonstrate its sailing strengths at the major maxi regattas off Porto Cervo and Saint-Tropez.
