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Much was expected of the wallyrocket51, Wally’s first ‘pure racing yacht’. So far, much has been delivered. Conceived as an owner-driver one-class design but optimised to be competitive under IRC/ORC rules, the wallyrocket51 made its racing debut at this year’s Tre Golfi Sailing Week in the Gulf of Naples, which in 2027 will host the 38th America’s Cup.
Owned by Giovanni Lombardi Stronati and racing as Team Django, the wallyrocket51 won three out of four races to secure the National Championship for Central and Southern Tyrrhenian to the delight of Argentine strategist Guillermo Parada and Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto – a 28-time world champion – who have both consulted on the development of the wallyrocket51 since its inception.
“It’s a fantastic feeling because it has been a long journey from the first concept of this boat – designing it, building it, launching it, and making sure every detail was right,” said Parada, who has raced with Vascotto for 15 years on the TP52 circuit – notably with Azzurra – and on maxis.
“Seeing the concept work and the boat perform as expected, and feeling it improve every day was hugely rewarding. It was a great regatta for us.”
BIG AMBITIONS
Summer events for Team Django include the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, Admiral’s Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race, all organised by the UK-based Royal Ocean Racing Club. It’s an imposing programme, but the speed, efficiency and racing capabilities shown by the wallyrocket51 in Sorrento revealed a boat that has so far lived up to expectations.

Luca Bassani, Wally’s founder and Chief Designer, and Ferretti Group announced the wallyrocket51 concept back in 2023, as they aimed to create a 50ft race boat suitable for both one-design and fleet racing. Conceived to switch between manual-powered fleet and electric-powered one-design racing modes, the 15.5m racer was also designed to be raced with reduced crew of 11.
“When I founded Wally [in 1994], 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’ve certainly achieved this. However, 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,” Bassani said.
“That’s why we decided to build a one-design boat, and for that there’s no better size than around 50ft. 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.”
HULL TECHNOLOGY
For the hull design, Wally turned to racing maestros Botin Partners Naval Architecture, based in Santander on Spain’s north coast.
Even with Botin’s extensive experience developing TP52s and other 50ft race boats, Wally pushed them to innovate. Botin responded with a yacht that weighs just 6.25 tonnes, with the ultra-low displacement boosting downwind speed and leading to a full rethink of sail plan, hull shape and keel-bulb design.

The hull incorporates a state-of-the-art water ballast system providing 640 litres per side across fore and aft tanks, allowing for fore-aft trim variations. The system can fill the tanks in a minute, and it only takes six or seven seconds to transfer the water from one side to the other when tacking.
The collaboration with Botin Partners also shaped the deck layout and integrated features, which include a power-operated hydraulic system and a battery pack that will likely be used for the one-design class racing, to make it as accessible as possible for owners.
Making the hydraulic winches and battery pack removable – with ‘coffee grinders’ delivering manual power to the Harken Air winches – ensures the wallyrocket51 can be raced in IRC and ORC fleets without rating penalty.
Adolfo Carrau, Partner and Designer at Botin Partners, said: “We designed this boat to be a good all-rounder that should be competitive in most conditions. The boat is also meant to be competitive in any part of the world. Structurally it has been engineered since day one for offshore races. Having said that, like most light displacement racers, it will be a lot of fun sending it downwind in big breeze.”
WALLY STYLE, PURE BUILD
While Botin Partners’ work underpins the wallyrocket51’s performance and race functionality, Wally wanted to ensure the design was unmistakeably Wally. That responsibility fell in part to the Milan-based Santa Maria Magnolfi studio, which worked with Botin Partners and Wally to incorporate style elements without compromising any aspect of her racing ability.

In this context, design played a crucial role not just in terms of beauty but as fully integrated functionality. Every stylistic choice had to meet specific sailing requirements, like weight reduction and surface optimisation.
Key elements like the inverted sheerline, the stern design inspired by Wally’s signature air intakes, and a sportier take on the steering wheel used in larger models like the wallywind110 all reinforce the wallyrocket51’s connection to the Wally family.
Building such an extreme and lightweight racer demands precision, with extremely tight construction tolerances, so Wally turned to Pure Design & Engineering in New Zealand to oversee the project and ensure the highest engineering standards.
The hull was built using pre-preg carbon with Corecell and Nomex cores – advanced materials that ensure lightness and strength. On a yacht so compact and light, even a 3 per cent margin in the weight of the hull’s composite materials can translate into a critical difference of around 36kg.
Parada and Vascotto were also firmly behind the collaboration with Pure Engineering. “We’ve 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,” Parada said.
TALL RIG, HIGH SPEEDS
In terms of rigging, a 94sqm square-top mainsail off the Southern Spars rig – held up with Future Fibres’ AEROsix hybrid carbon rigging – contributes to 160sqm of upwind sail area, while a 265sqm gennaker helps give 360sqm of downwind sail area. It’s a tall rig relative to its size and incorporates many innovations from recent years.

Sail trials showed it to be ‘lightning fast’ and a sensational yacht to helm, light on the wheel but responsive enough to give that instantly engaging, fingertip feel. Upwind, the wallyrocket51 has shown exceptional pointing ability while sailing fast. Downwind, the ‘rocketship’ is already living up to its name, delivering a scintillating ride even in lighter airs with the asymmetric flying.
Unlike some niche race boat designs, the wallyrocket51 doesn’t only excel on windward-leeward but has been conceived to take on everything an owner could throw at it.
Vascotto has been delighted with the boat’s performances, having been part of the development team exploring the yacht’s capabilities by sailing against target boat speed numbers set by other 50ft racers.
“We wanted to create a boat that could make owners and sailors happy,” the Italian said. “We wanted to incorporate all the things they say they want when you have a beer with them after racing. These include a yacht that holds its value, is as stylish as a Wally, is faster than anything else out there, and still has a controllable budget. And every day that we sail the boat, in different conditions, confirms we got the project right.”
Although only the first hull is on the water to date, Parada is confident of the wallyrocket51’s appeal within the sailing community. “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,” he said.

Parada, Vascotto and co are now hoping the first wallyrocket51 will continue to impress in a summer programme that includes a lot of racing out of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. A highlight is the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race, now a 695nm route from Cowes, around Fastnet Rock off Ireland’s south coast, and finishing in Cherbourg, France.
“As a crew, and by mindset, we love challenges, and perhaps the most difficult and important ones are the Admiral’s Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race,” Vascotto said.
“Even though the wallyrocket51 was created as a one-design, we’ve always wanted to prove 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.”
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This article was first seen on YachtStyle.com.
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