There are very few times I feel the need to video the scene from a day on the water simply to brag to my friends. But standing in the master cabin of the stealthy Wallywhy 200, watching the foiling AC75s Ineos Britannia and Emirates Team New Zealand streak past while warming up for America’s Cup battle, was a moment to savour – and one that had me reaching for my phone camera.

Why am I talking about the Why – it’s a motoryacht? Yes, the Wallywhy 200 is another revolutionary, achingly hip Wally. To experience that view from a master cabin – a sumptuously furnished one with near 360° surround vision – within the motoryacht’s snub-nosed plumb bow was mind-boggling. As was watching the day’s Cup matches over lunch from the covered flybridge. But after racing the experience was over: we just motored back to port. All of which helped me realise just how special its sailing yacht counterpart is.

The following day we watched the next round of match races from this first new Wallywind 110, Galma. While it may have lacked the auto stabilisation and positioning of the Wallywhy, comfort levels were similarly resplendent on deck – if not more so.

And despite the excitement of being so close to the live America’s Cup racing, it is the sailing experience afterwards which remains so much more memorable. Taking the wheel of this formidable 70-tonne pinup, when it’s heeled, loaded and scything upwind in double digits, was sublime.

This is more than simply a sail/power preference.

Both boats are the height of style in their respective fields, both are new Wally models of similar size (90ft and 110ft) which prove Wally is still a pioneer of carbon craft, and both days were exclusive experiences. But while the other support and spectator boats returned to dock after racing, we went sailing on Galma – an experience which even transcended achieving a lifetime dream of watching the America’s Cup from the water.

Wally vision

The slogan of the cult Italian design brand is ‘20 years ahead’, which feels far fetched until you see an example: in Barcelona the 19-year-old 143ft Esense still looked contemporary as it stole the dockside limelight near the Kiwis’ base. Wally has prided itself on innovation over its three decades, notably with carbon fibre hulls with lifting keels, push-button short-handed sailing, and transoms offering a ‘terrace-on-the-sea’.

For me, it is that ability for one person to easily sail and trim such a large high-speed vessel which remains so impressive today. In the photos here, the white-haired Wally founder Luca Bassani is still doing it, at the helm by himself, a beacon of Italian cool.

As I was to discover in Barcelona, Galma prioritises that experience of being on the helm to an elevated level. But it also brings plenty more to the party (a glance at the cockpit will show you that it can literally host a party). Which brings us to why Bassani calls this the “best Wally ever delivered”. When you look back over 30 years of trendsetters such as Wallygator, WallyB, Tiketitan, Magic Carpet, the Wallynano, Esense – even the now much-imitated Wallytender – why is this the best?

“For the design and performance mix over 30 years of learning… this is the best compromise between cruising and performance.

“This has always been my goal with Wally,” Bassani continues. “To produce boats which are fast or fun for the owner but also comfortable for going cruising.”

Wallywind 110 first impressions

Galma is the first of Wally’s new semi-custom series of 110-150ft Wallywind performance cruisers, launched under its parent Ferretti brand. The metallic blue hull is a Judel/Vrolijk design moulded from carbon fibre composite. Initially on the renders I admit to not fully appreciating the look – is it special enough, the sceptic in me wondered? But then I saw it in the flesh, sailed it and my mind changed dramatically.

The high bulwarks, bare carbon and curved teak styling are all very Wally. But the reverse sheer aft is a striking feature which helps you to feel safe within the boat, all while reducing freeboard height. This muscly but low silhouette is important, the bulwarks helping to disguise a proper raised saloon coachroof and the cockpit depth, cloaking its size when seen from the side.

The drawback is it means there’s not enough headroom to offer a master cabin aft. However the layout is arguably the optimum for crew/owner separation at this size, and once this decision was made the conception of the vast cockpit could germinate properly.

And this is the real game-changing aspect of the Wallywind: deck comfort. Galma offers 80m2 lounging space, including tables, sofas and sunpads with a flush level guest cockpit completely separated from the sailing systems.

Then there’s the sea terrace, another much-imitated feature that Wally pioneered, which is palatial here.

To transfer a guest while we were under sail, Galma’s Wallytender simply nosed up to the transom so that he could step off.

Bassani explains that the design of the wide, overhanging transom also helps bring speed gains. They realised this potential after lengthening the Wallycento Hamilton, which then became 0.5 knot quicker upwind, he says. So rather than building a new mould for the Wallywind 110, the mould for the previous Wally, the custom-built 101ft cruiser-racer Y3K, was extended with overhangs aft.

Galma is potently rigged, with a 1.5m taller mast than Y3K. The owner wanted a high-performance package, opting for a telescopic keel and square-top mainsail (although Bassani feels the self-tacking jib is a little
under specced as it’s a furling model with soft battens).

Not just pretty

Not long after the Kiwis had gone 4-0 up in the Cup, and the support fleet had dispersed into port, Galma quickly changed from hosting to thrill mode. We were treated to ideal, flat water conditions, and from when the sails were hoisted, unfurled and trimmed to shipped again, we never seemed to drop below double figures.

It was a pure demonstration of big yacht performance. This powerful, beamy hull matched the 11-14 knot breeze on a fetch, comfortably in cruise mode with numerous guests aboard.

Bassani then invited me to helm first. Wow! This is a commanding machine fully powered up. Again we consistently matched the 12-13 knot wind strength sailing close hauled at 25° to the apparent. Once the sails are trimmed and balanced, it’s just two fingers on the wheel and feeling this slippery machine cutting to weather leaving no wake.

Bear away to a fetch and you really feel the power. The twin rudders give plenty of grip but at the helm you gain a reassuring degree of weatherhelm, while speeds rise into the early teens.

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The overriding impression is the ease and enjoyment of sailing such a big boat solo. For the helmsman to feel the carbon hull move through the water and be able to trim to each puff as if on a large daysailer is special. Again, it’s a Wally speciality.

The use of Magic Trim rams below deck to make trimming a push-button affair was another Wally first, which it introduced with hydraulic specialists Cariboni on the Wally 88 Tiketitan in 1998. Aboard Galma there’s a technical locker below the helm area to access these rams, as well as the two carbon quadrants.

While sitting out to weather demonstrating the windward helm position, Bassani points out that there’s 12 of us on board, yet we aren’t even using the guest cockpit. It’s at this point I notice something unusual.

I’ve sailed many large yachts and the majority of performance-focussed ones in latter years have been very beamy with near flush decks. When they heel, they can look almost comical, as guests scramble for places to hold on and invariably end up resting against the windward side of the coachroof (if there is one) or sitting on the weather rail as if race crew. It’s hardly glamorous.

Not so here. The cockpit has high backrests and can seat plenty, but there are multiple other comfortable positions, particularly the seats which face outboard from the cockpit – I soon found myself wondering why these are not a standard feature on many larger yachts. Meanwhile the high bulwarks and wind-protected sea terrace provide more options to leeward.

There are a total of 52 cushions on deck, so to prevent the need to stow them at heel or risk losing any overboard, they are securely attached with pins into deck sockets. The majority of the cockpit can also be sun-shaded with a sprayhood and bimini. With plenty to hold onto and ample spaces to sit in comfort, it’s refreshingly at odds with many large performance yachts these days.

I’ve sailed off Barcelona plenty of times but have never ticked off stretches of its coastline quite so effortlessly. Twin blade rudders help control the near 700m2 of upwind sail area, while Galma’s pointing ability is aided by its telescopic keel. As standard this would be a 4.5m fixed keel, where this can lower another 2.3m deeper.

Screens lift out of the bulwark to allow you to see the numbers clearly while on the helm. There are also repeaters on the rear side of the guest cockpit chairs, which I found handy with the sprayhood raised as that can hinder the view to the main mast base instruments.

Skipper Miguel ran the Frers designed Wally 94 before (the former Y3K), the owner’s second of three Wallys, and comments on just how different this Galma is. The tech space and engine room are so much better, he says. He admits to having been nervous of the increased loads – it’s a much, much bigger boat, but the accurate load cells and the reliability of the systems have brought peace of mind. Indeed he is now trying to convince his owner to race.

The benefit of using that full beam aft to prioritise deck space over accommodation is also felt in the vast garage below the aft deck. As is common for Wally clients, Galma’s owner uses an independently-operated Wallytender to flank the mothership, so this garage is more a of a well appointed lazarette. It houses a deflated 3.5m crew dinghy, and has space for all fenders, extra refrigeration, bimini storage and numerous toys, with a watertight bulkhead sealing it from the accommodation.

Privacy and quiet

With such a cockpit, the saloon becomes less relevant, yet plenty of that 7.6m beam is still felt in the raised saloon. Wally’s design team developed the deck and interior with the Santa Maria Magnolfi studio, bringing a feeling of style continuity.

The layout below decks is a tried and tested format for a performance superyacht of this size, with an owner’s cabin forward, and galley and crew area with its own access aft. It’s an arrangement that’s most practical for the crew, gives maximum segregation to the owners, who are kept away from noise especially when Med-mooring, and works particularly well here with the deck cockpit and layout already described.

Two or three guest cabins can be chosen. Galma has the latter, which sees a guest cabin forward of the saloon too, leaving a relatively modest en-suite master cabin. Otherwise, the semi-custom format of the Wallywind 110 offers the chance to extend that owner cabin, replacing the fourth cabin with extra en-suite space.

There is also a multipurpose area, which can be office or TV snug, or, in Galma’s case, a sumptuously stocked bar. It’s something more fitting of Barcelona’s famous Sips or Paradiso cocktail bars than a high-performance yacht, but when you commission a boat out of as much carbon as possible, I guess you get to choose a few displacement concessions.

In terms of finish, the light veneers, fabric and upholstery featured on the Wallywind 110 are modest and tasteful, neutral and natural, contrasting with more strident black carbon soles and detailing. These clear-coat soles may look slick, but were already showing numerous dents. The carbon door stops meanwhile – which operate hands-free by popping up when you press them with your toe – are genius!

The crew area works hard, with its long, narrow mess and practical U-shaped galley. Galma runs with four permanent crew, taking on an extra hand when guests are aboard. The separate crew companionway aft leads from the sailing systems straight to a chart table at its foot.

I also appreciated how the area has been well thought out for multipurpose use – the mess table can be used for ironing, while the navstation stool adjoins the mess when the extra crewmember is aboard. The large electrics panels opposite are well organised for accessing, monitoring and troubleshooting the 24V systems and fuses, and the bilges offer deep and plentiful dry goods stowage spaces.

A prime benefit of a raised saloon is the ability to house the majority of the machinery below, which then frees up accommodation space. The engine room is seated headroom only but enjoys near full beam. Here, a 425hp Cummins engine is flanked by 27kW gensets each side, both with PTOs (power take offs) to deliver power to the hotel loads or hydraulics. A 125lt hydraulic oil tank feeds the winches, keel, and Magic Trim systems. The engineer pointed out how they’ve deliberately doubled up on all the major systems for redundancy.

Forward thinking

The second Wallywind 110 is due to launch this summer, while the Wallyrocket 51ft raceboat is already sailing. So what do the next 20 years ahead look like, I ask Bassani?

“The next thing is to apply the concept of this boat on different sizes,” by which he refers to the Wallywind’s deck layout and cockpit comfort which is comparable to a motoryacht.

I think back to when the first Wally yachts started to emerge in the glitzy Med harbours in the late 1990s. I was working on a superyacht, and had never seen anything like it. They literally redefined cool – quite literally, when you consider what was for English-speakers a dorky slang term.

To have also continually brought big new ideas to the superyacht world, while remaining at the forefront of style for three decades, is unique.

Galma may not be the fastest racer or most finely-built cruiser but, like many from the Wally stable, it offers a fiendishly enticing mix. Is the Wallywind 110 the best Wally ever? I’ll leave that for the man who has conceived them to call. But it certainly allows me to unashamedly keep calling Wally the coolest brand in our sport.

Wallywind 110 specifications

LOA: 33.40m / 109ft 7in
Beam: 7.60m / 24ft 11in
Draught (fixed keel): 4.50m / 14ft 9in
Displacement (light): 71,900kg / 158,511lb
Sail area: 635m2 / 6,385ft2
Design: Judel/Vrolijk, Wally, Santa Maria Magnolfi

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