Wally presents the new wallyrocket71 at the Loro Piana Giraglia 2025
by Wally 6 Jun 21:22 AEST
On the occasion of the 2025 edition of the Loro Piana Giraglia, Wally is proud to introduce the brand new wallyrocket71.
This groundbreaking project designed by the prestigious studio Botin Partners and built by the renowned shipyard King Marine is the result of a close collaboration with the Wally's team and the visionary owner Giovanni Lombardi Stronati. The project sets out to create a cutting-edge maxi yacht that redefines the limits of performance and innovation on the race circuit.
Wally is therefore about to unleash its second "rocket", which will explode onto the maxi racing circuit starting with the Loro Piana Giraglia. The goal was to create the world's most successful maxi, and it was a challenge that Botin Partners' Adolfo Carrau grasped eagerly. Working closely with Wally, he quickly established that the lighter boats achieved the best combination of performance and rating.
"First and foremost, I want to express my thanks to the owner, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati, whose trust in this ambitious vision from day one made it all possible," says Alberto Galassi, CEO of Ferretti Group. "Our gratitude also goes to Botin Partners for their cutting-edge design, to King Marine for their exceptional craftsmanship, and to the best of the best: our Wally team for their relentless passion and unmatched expertise. With the wallyrocket71, Wally sets sail into an exciting new chapter in competitive yacht racing, launching a vessel designed to be one of the fastest in its class. This is not just a new yacht - it's a statement of intent, a leap forward that once again underscores our deep-rooted commitment to innovation, performance, and design excellence. As the old saying goes, the pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the winners adjust the sails.' With wallyrocket71, Wally doesn't just adjust the sails - it changes the race."
"We started from a blank sheet of paper, asking how we could beat the most competitive Maxi 72s on corrected time" Carrau said. "When they were designed, it was to a box rule, so many parameters were already set. Now, as everyone is optimising their boats under IRC rules, there is a lot more freedom."
The new Wally has twin rudders and a high-performance bulb keel, as well as 2.7t of water ballast. And yet, being marginally smaller than the Maxi 72s, it has also managed to shed two tonnes of overall weight. Being lighter, the keel can also be smaller, and the rig marginally shorter, creating a virtuous circle tending towards a boat that is just as nimble as its competitors, but quicker in light airs and in response to a gust.
Only the water ballast is heavier than its competitors - by around 35 per cent. Systems are such that the full 2.7t of water can be pumped from one side to the other in around six seconds, meaning that the boat can tack short and fast. In sail trials, it is hitting its expected upwind speeds of 10.5-11.00 knots with ease and managing to match or even exceed wind speed going down.
Vasco Vascotto, tactician aboard Django - the first wallyrocket71 - declares: "After the experience with the wallyrocket51, sailing Django is truly exciting. It's the bigger sister, incredibly light and fast, with 2,700 litres of water ballast and a displacement of just 12 tons. After only a few days on the water, I'm really impressed by both the construction quality and performance. The future for this kind of yacht looks brighter and brighter. We'll be on the start line for the Loro Piana Giraglia, then heading to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez to close the season."
Guillermo Parada, strategist of the wallyrocket71 Django, states: "The wallyrocket71 project started about a year and a half ago with the goal of competing against the 72-footers in the Maxi Worlds. We developed a boat that is approximately 3 tons lighter than our main competitors while maintaining similar power and sail area. After the first days sailing in Valencia, the boat's performance is in line with our expectations: it is a complex and high-performing vessel that requires careful handling but is very exciting. Now we are preparing for the Giraglia race, aiming to test this project led by an experienced team and supported by an ideal environment."
The yacht was designed to offer uncompromising versatility. For Wally, optimizing solely for upwind or downwind sailing means limiting possibilities and being at the mercy of conditions. The new wallyrocket71 is engineered to perform at its best on any course and in any scenario.
Wally's growing fleet of sailing superyachts has made a strong start to a busy racing year, with victories at key maxi regattas. From the St Barths Bucket to the Tre Golfi in Naples, Wally yachts have competed hard and crossed the finish line triumphant, beating some of the most established names in superyacht racing in the process.
The incomparable Wally Centos Galateia and V are the two most active this season, entering at least six major maxi races to date. But Wally 93 Bullitt and Cento Tilakkhana II also have busy race schedules. According to current race entries, no fewer than 15 of Wally's high-tech carbon fibre yachts will have crossed a start line by the time the season draws to a close with the iconic Rolex Middle Sea Race in October.
A closely fought maxi battle at the RORC Nelson's Cup in Antigua got the season off to a start in boisterous Caribbean conditions. Bullitt, V and Galateia exchanged podium positions from one race to the next as they hit speeds of 20 knots-plus in winds of the same strength. Just seconds divided the boats at times, with close tacking battles and dramatic crossings. When the dust settled, V took the top spot, followed by Bullitt in second and Galateia in fourth.
All the action then moved to St Barths in mid-March, where Galateia and V again tussled in the Cent Pied category, with the latter eventually taking a close but comfortable victory after 90 minutes in medium-light airs. Later, it was a one-two for the Wallys when the competition opened out.
Next came the debut North Sound Maxi Regatta, attracting seven boats to the BVI this year, including the Wallys Galateia, V and Bullitt. Here the honed racing team behind V proved unbeatable, with Bullitt finishing in a notable second place.
Across the Atlantic, in early May, Palmavela showcased the outstanding performance of Wally teams across multiple categories. In the maxi division, the Wally Cento Tilakkhana II dominated with two wins and two second places out of five races, finishing first overall with just six points. Close behind, the Wally 80 Rose secured one win and two second places, ending with nine points.
Equally noteworthy was the performance in the Spirit of Tradition category, where the wallynano37 Little Thila claimed victory with consistent results, further highlighting the excellence of Wally's design and performance in classic modern racing yachts.
No fewer than seven Wallys were on the start line for the European Maxi Championship in Sorrento, after Galateia took line honours in the demanding 150-mile Tre Golfi Offshore race. In blustery conditions that favoured the smaller boats, there were nevertheless three Wallys in the top 10 overall, while the brand dominated Division 1 containing the larger boats.
The Tre Golfi Sailing Week also offered the perfect stage for Wally's newest speed machine: the 51ft wallyrocket51. Conceived first and foremost as a one design class for pure performance racing, the yacht is also optimised to compete at the highest level under both IRC and ORC ratings.
The first hull did not disappoint, vying for first place under the colours of Team Django at the Central and Southern Tyrrhenian ORC National Championship. It is now gearing up for the Cowes-Dinard-Saint Malo (July 11-14), the Admiral's Cup (Cowes, Isle of Wight July 17 - August 1) and the Rolex Fastnet Race later this summer.
Still to come are some of the best known and loved regattas in the maxi calendar, including the Loro Piana Giraglia (Saint Tropez 7-14 June), the Cyclades Cup (Antiparos 12-15 June) and the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy (Cascais 4-6 July), as well as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup (Porto Cervo 7-13 September). Then there's Les Voiles de St Tropez in early October and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in Malta to close out the season in mid-October. By the end of the year, the Wally fleet will have raced tens of thousands of miles, once again cementing the brand's reputation for designing exceptional sailing yachts.
Main technical specifications:
- LOA: Length overall 21.40 m
- Beam: 5.55 m
- Displacement: 12,500 kgs
- Draught: 4.90 m
- Upwind Sail Area: 305 m2
- Downwind Sail Area: 630 m2
- Water Ballast volume: 2,700 lts