Wally, one of the best manufacturers of innovative state-of-the-art sail as well as power yachts, has successfully launched the spectacular Bugatti blue coloured 50m sailing yacht Better Place. Boasting sophisticated exterior by Tripp Design and beautiful interior by Wetzels Brown Partners, the Better Place superyacht is the world’s largest sloop in carbon fiber, uniquely classified RINA Green Star.
Wally 164 sailing yacht Better Place - Photo by Monica Palloni
The 50m luxury yacht Better Place touched the water after the owner’s wife smashed the champagne bottle on the keel bulb during a private ceremony in Ancona, Italy, where the yacht was built at WallyEurope facility using the most advanced carbon fiber construction technology.
“With Better Place, once again Wally opens a new route in yacht design and innovation” enthusiastically says Luca Bassani Antivari, Wally Founder and President and head of the R&D “We succeeded in delivering an environmental friendly and breakthrough Wally 50m with aggressive and sleek lines of a true performance sailing yacht, rather than the motor sailer look typical of this class of yachts.”
“Better Place introduces innovative concepts in the round-the-world mega yacht cruisers“ continues Bassani “such as big volumes associated with ultra light displacement, latest diesel electric propulsion system, staysail simplified system, deckhouse with full height windows, uniquely large open-air living areas, raised bulwark, aft owner’s suite with portholes and hatches on four sides and direct access to the Terrace-on-the-sea.“
Better Place superyacht is the first sailing yacht ever developed to comply with the environmental requirements of the RINA Green Star Design additional class notation, reserved to the ships which are designed, constructed and operated in such a way as to ensure maximum respect for the environment.
Big volumes yet light displacement and easy-sailing
The measured displacement of the Wally 164 yacht Better Place perfectly matches the theoretical data: only 250 tons, of which 88 of the ballast (fin and bulb keel) and 11.5 of the full rigging (mast, boom, PBO rigging). The Wally 50m resulted also in perfect trim.
“This result reflects WallyEurope’s excellent building quality carried out throughout all the construction, using the latest advanced composite technology” confirms Luca Bassani.
“The displacement and sail area ratio” predicts Luca Bassani “would provide for very high performance also in light airs, under 10 knots of wind. And the Wally lifting keel, increasing the draft from 4.6 to 6.5 meters, further improves Better Place’s performance, that are associated with the proven Wally easy-sailing system to produce a true Fast and Easy mega yacht.”
Along with the in-furling boom, self-tacking jib, Magic Trim for the main sheet, captive winch for the jib sheet, and push button controls, the Wally easy-sailing features of the Wally superyacht Better Place include the new staysail system, specifically developed by the R&D for this vessel: the furling staysail with no-torsion luff cable is always ready to be easily and quickly hoisted from its 8.6-m long dedicated locker in the forward deck.
The fast and simplified mega yacht uniquely combines performance with all the world cruiser characteristics offering plenty of storage and large living areas exceeding 300 sqm inside and 400 sqm outside.
Diesel electric propulsion & Green classification
The unique environmental characteristics of the Better Place yacht go even further than those required by the RINA Green Star Classification: she is the first sailing yacht equipped with the latest diesel electric propulsion technology, to increase power efficiency and reduce consumption, noise and vibration, as well as the ordinary maintenance of the propulsion system.
The 705kW power is produced by three generators, offering the opportunity to convert some hydraulic services into electrical ones thanks to the very powerful energy source, such as the inner stay furler, and the sheet tensioning devices.
Design and styling evolution
The overall design, interior and exterior, is astonishing and innovative compared to any other similar yacht.
The exterior and interiors are developed following the Wally concept of inside-outside living areas, whereas the interiors open onto the exteriors and vice versa. Introduced in yacht design by Wally in 1998 with the sailing cruiser Tiketitan, this concept has been constantly developed by the Monegasque brand pioneering also the glass deckhouses and the deck skylights.
The deckhouse encloses the 86-sqm open space with navigation, dining and lounge areas, and is characterised by full height windows giving the open-air feeling, a sort of sheltered cockpit enhancing the inside-outside living.
The genuinely Wally raised bulwark, firstly featured by Esense in 2006, offers unique protection and replaces the less safe and aesthetically appealing rail and stanchions, while leaving the hull lines pure.
The 62-sqm owners’ suite is aft with extraordinary visibility and brightness. The natural light floods in from four sides of the vast stateroom: through the portholes on both sides, and the mirrored glass aft and above. The owners’ private area has direct access to the 30-sqm Terrace-on-the-sea, that is another distinctive feature of the Wally inside-outside concept.
On deck and inside
The main deck is open and free of unnecessary interruptions, the saloon, dining room and wheelhouse forming one continuous, 86 sqm open space under the deckhouse.
The saloon with panoramic views seats 20 people as lounge opening onto the aft deck with further lounge space. There is an option for the central coffee table to be converted into an additional dining for eight people.
The dining area forward seats 10 people in dining layout and can be converted into an additional lounge area with XL sofa seating six comfortably.
The forward social cockpit, directly accessible from the interior dining and lounge areas, features table seats and sun beds for up to 20-people. Beyond this, the forward deck features a Jacuzzi, finished in black, which is positioned beneath deck level and is therefore invisible when not in use, an hidden winch “cockpit” for the halyards, two large tender garages, stay-sail locker, sail lockers, and the Wally submarine anchor locker.
The 100-sqm sundeck is accessed both by an outside staircase and by an inside open staircase, leading to steering and navigation, lounge, dining, sunbathing and barbeque areas.
A particularly innovative service feature is the open food lift connecting galley, interior dining area and sundeck– a ‘suitcase’ suspended in free space, connected by a single vertical track, to lift. The sundeck dining can be converted into a huge sunbed with the addition of an inflatable mattress, providing further comfort without stretching available storage capacity.
A hull side door is located amidships to starboard: when open, it converts into a swimming and tender boarding platform.
Maximising space and minimising storage requirements, a newly designed seating module has been developed for the deck in carbon and mesh with low profile cushions, for easy stowage, by the interior designers Wetzels Brown Partners, who designed all the deck furnishing.
The lower deck features the night and service areas accommodating the owners in the aft suite and up to ten guests in four double staterooms, and ten crew in five double cabins. All cabins have en-suites.
The crew and service quarter is forward with galley, laundry and crew mess. The two engine rooms are amidships.
The interior design combines carbon look both gloss and satin, satin white lacquered oak, grey leather and colour matched upholstery to create a relaxed feeling. Colour-changing LED lights are used throughout the yacht and can be adjusted in order to change the atmosphere, reflecting the interior design concept to have soft and neutral tones that are coloured by the lights. The cabins are linked by a light installation, running along the spine of the yacht.
The delivery of the Wally 164 superyacht Better Place is scheduled at the end of June, when the Owners will start their cruise around the Mediterranean.
Wally has currently under construction six more yachts: two units of the box-ruled racing-cruiser WallyCento, Hamilton and Magic Carpet Cubed; the Wally 147 mega sailer; three units of the motor yacht WallyAce, the new displacement motor yacht model, totalling an order book of 184 meters (604 feet).
Hamilton and the first Wallyace yacht are scheduled to be launched for the summer.
