Wally, the proud sporting brand under Ferretti Group, has specialized in producing watercraft far beyond the ordinary for more than 3 decades. Consistently ahead of the curve by several years, the Monegasque marque’s striking yachts have always redefined the sailing superyacht sector with inimitable style, unequaled performance, and comfort without compromise.
2023 saw the announcement of another project in the brand’s untypical style – this time in the form of a scorchingly fast 50-foot race boat that would embody the magical Wally spirit in a competitive one-design owner-driver rocketship vessel as fast and precise as it is accessible, while being eligible for fleet racing under both IRC and ORC regulations.

The wallyrocket51 has now become reality, demonstrating incredible speed during final sea trials before debuting at Sorrento’s ORC National Championship of Central and Southern Tyrrhenian. Now being prepared for the Cowes-Dinard-Saint Malo, Admiral’s Cup, and Fastnet Race later this summer, it has been conceived specifically with high degrees of flexibility in mind, able to adapt between manual-powered fleet and electric-powered one-design racing modes while being able to race with a smaller 11 member crew. Born from the Wally brand’s enduring brilliance, this is a remarkable achievement indeed.
Wally Founder and Chief Designer Luca Bassani said, “When I founded Wally, I wanted to create sailboats that could be both very comfortable and easy for cruising but also very fast for racing. Over the past 30 years we have certainly achieved this result – but today, in our opinion, the market is changing, splitting between owners who want to cruise and those who want to race, and race in a more professional way. That’s why we decided to build a one-design boat, and for that there’s no better size than around 50 feet, which is why the wallyrocket51ended up at 51 feet (15.5 metres).”
He continued, “We think the one-design idea will be very appealing to a wide range of owners as not only will the boat be lightning fast but also the life of the boat is much longer – you don’t have a new, faster boat coming every year. The rule will be very strict also for things like the maintenance of the boat so that people can’t modify their yachts to gain an advantage. It also means we can design in all the innovations now, to maximize performance and keep the fleet current and exciting for many years into the future.”


With only the industry’s best expected to be capable of creating a 51-footer that could be owner driven to a dominating pace while being manageable enough for shorthanded day sailing, racing maestros Botin Partners were appointed by Wally for naval architecture development. Botin’s extensive experience in developing the fastest TP52s and similar 50-foot race boats positioned them well to deliver the innovation that Wally pushed for, resulting in a lightweight racing yacht that displaces just 6,250 kg while incorporating a highly advanced water ballast system with a 640 liter capacity per side across both fore and aft tanks.

The collaboration also defined the 51’s deck layout and integrated features, with both teams working closely together to deliver top performance, cost efficiency and production feasibility. One of the yacht’s key innovations is its ultra-low displacement that increases downwind speed, and resulted in newly conceptual sail plan, hull form and keel-bulb designs.


Of course, the wallyrocket51’s design had to have that unmistakably Wally visual DNA to go with high performance and race functionality. This partially became the Santa Maria Magnolfi design studio’s responsibility, working hand-in-hand with Botin and Wally to ensure that her style elements wouldn’t compromise any of her racing abilities. An ideal balancing act was struck between careful sculpting for high speed, stability, and responsiveness in extreme racing conditions, while keeping with Wally’s innovative aesthetics.

Key elements including the wallyrocket51’s inverted sheerline, its stern design inspired by the signature Wally air intake profiles, and a sportier steering wheel similar to that of the wallywind110 successfully reflect the Wally fleet’s design language, while fully integrating efficient functionality. Each of these design elements also met specific sailing criteria, including minimal weight and surface optimization.


Another esteemed partner tapped by Wally for the wallyrocket51 project is Pure Design & Engineering, tasked with ensuring the highest standards of engineering precision and tightly controlled tolerances for the extreme lightweight racer. The hull was built using advanced pre-preg carbon fiber with Corecell and Nomex cores for optimal lightness and strength, at a shipyard specializing in racing yachts. Just as on road and racing supercars, an unwavering focus on minimizing weight proved essential to delivering the compact racing yacht’s required performance levels.

Here, powerful propulsion is as vital as lightness, and the wallyrocket51 is suitably driven by a 94 square meter square-top mainsail flying off a Southern Spars rig with Future Fibres AEROsix hybrid carbon rigging, providing 160 square meters of upwind sail area; while the 265 square meter gennaker contributes 360 square meters of downwind sail area. It proved to be a lightning fast yet superb yacht to helm during initial sail trials off Valencia, with its wheel boasting a lightness of touch while being quick to respond with an instantly engaging level of responsive fingertip feel.


Impressive performance has already been demonstrated by the wallyrocket51, with testing conducted by 28 time world champion sailor Vasco Vascotto and Argentine racing ace Guillermo Parada who have been project consultants since the beginning. Together with the sailing team, they have been assessing the yacht’s capabilities by sailing it against the target speed numbers of other 50’ racers.

Vascotto confirmed that, “We wanted to create a boat that could make owners and sailors happy, incorporating all the things they say they want when you have a beer with them after racing – a yacht that holds its value, that is as stylish as a Wally, that is faster than anything else out there, and that still has a controllable budget. And every day we sail the boat, in different conditions, it confirms we got the project right!”
“As a crew, and by mindset, we love challenges, and perhaps the most difficult and important one is the Admiral’s Cup and Fastnet Race. Even though the wallyrocket51 was created as a one-design, we’ve always wanted to prove that it could compete anywhere – in ORC, IRC, and long-distance races. It’s not a boat built for these events, but we’ll do everything we can to prove that it can be competitive there too.”


Thus far, the results have spoken both for themselves and the immensely talented team behind the wallyrockey51 – it has shown exceptional directional agility while sailing upwind at speed, while also delivering a scintillating rocket-like downwind ride even in lighter wind conditions while flying its asymmetric spinnaker. Parada added, “Over upwind and downwind combined we should be quicker than any other boat in spite of being smaller and lighter.”


Both men bring many years of experience and team synergy to the wallyrocket51 team as a solid foundation. Competing before as rivals on J24s, they have now shared 15 years of sailing together on the TP52 circuit, notably with the Azzurra and Maxis racing vessels. Their combined experience has proven vital to understanding the wallyrocket51’s exceptional water performance, with Parada saying, “When Wally approached me about this project, I said I’d join only if Vasco was part of it too. We’ve also had a long, open relationship with Botin and the design team, which makes collaboration smooth and honest — crucial when the goal is to make the boat faster and better.”


The Argentinian defined the wallyrocket51’s in a measured tone, “It’s a boat with its own DNA, designed for owner-drivers, with a taller rig relative to its size and incorporating all the latest innovations from recent years. I believe it could appeal to a wide range of owners of equivalent classes, or even maxi yacht owners looking for something nimbler and fun to race with friends.”


Key characteristics making the wallyrocket51 experience as accessible to its owners as possible include water ballast, a powered-operated hydraulic system and battery pack that come into play for single-design class racing. Fore-aft trim can be quickly varied with the water ballast system filling the tanks in just one minute, while transferring the water from one side to another can be done in only 6-7 seconds when tacking. Both the hydraulic winches and battery pack are removable, with the Harken Air winches then manually powered by coffee grinders. This enables the wallyrocket51 to race in both IRC and ORC fleets without incurring a rating penalty, while being up to the task of any race oriented sailing its owner wishes to indulge in.


On the 8th to 10th of May, the wallyrocket51 made its much-anticipated racing debut at the ORC Central and Southern Tyrrhenian National Championship. Its first official regatta appearance could hardly have been more spectacular either: it ended up absolutely dominating the National Championship, bringing home three wins from four races and scoring first place overall in the final standings. This outstanding performance has instantly proved its remarkable speed, racing capabilities and efficiency beyond any doubt.

