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Extreme, innovative, unique. In typical Wally style, this 30-metre yacht ignores convention and raises the bar for Maxiyacht design with a cocktail of power and elegance designed by Mark Mills and Pininfarina by Bianca Ascenti - ph. by Gilles Martin-Raget - Toni Meneguzzo
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f you were expecting the fourth Wallycento to be a
and the ramp deck featured on “Alegre”. The result is an ergonomic,
straightforward development of existing models, you’re in for
functional deck with excellent visibility from the helm and rigging
a surprise. Although it’s a thoroughbred member of the Wally
optimised for the crew. The submerged volume lies further forward
family, Tango is also totally innovative, capable of showcasing the
than on previous Wallycentos, with a very successful hydrodynamic
Class’s functional and aesthetic characteristics to the full. Being
combination featuring a maximum of sail area with the lowest possible
innovative in the context of a Box Rule isn’t easy, at most it’s possible just
weight, within the Class rules. Low drag in light breezes and greater
to shave off a few bits here and there. To make real changes, you have to
stability in strong winds make Tango particularly fun and versatile. The
look at the design with a new attitude, putting aside any preconceptions.
layout and outfitting of the interiors reflect the same philosophy as the
And that’s exactly what Luca Bassani has done, bringing together three
exteriors, aiming to concentrate and minimise weight – the chic, sporty
new arrivals to the Wally world, all contributing new ideas, revolutionary
decor by Pininfarina adds very little weight to the structure. “As a result
solutions and cutting edge technology from their field. “We have to open
of the overall optimisation implemented from the start of the project,
our minds, widen our scope and listen to suggestions from a range of
Tango weighs only 47.5 tonnes’, says Marcello Persico, CEO of Persico
people, if we want to keep on growing”, says the founder of the Monaco-
Marine. ‘In particular, we have worked to lighten the interiors as much
based yard. The result was a team that for the first time included Mark
as possible by using carbon fibre and Nomex sandwich (using the same
Mills, who was in charge of naval architecture and the main deck, the
process applied to make the ribs of the rigid wings of the America’s
Studio Pininfarina, which handled the interiors, and Persico Marine, the
Cup), not just in the normal wood elements, but also, for example, in
high-end yard in Italy which built the craft. The deck and structure were
the hinges and laminations”. The layout includes three double cabins
placed in a special 45x12 oven in Nembro (near Bergamo) and the mould
– the owner’s accommodation forward, surmounted by a huge sliding
was then transferred to the Savona production centre. The only Wally
hatch (it stores the sails while racing, and during cruises it enables the
regular was project manager Carlo Torre from MYT. The result of this
owners to admire the stars when in bed). The general concept is to
high-power pooling of resources is a strikingly beautiful 30.48 cruiser
make the interiors functional and dynamic – the salon, which is the
racer with an innovative build process – for the first time, a superyacht
most spectacular space – is accessed via a staircase with an aesthetic
has been engineered before defining the interiors. When it became vital
function (evoking the waves) and a practical one, serving as a dining
to have a layout with the maximum structural efficiency and an ideal
room. The black carbon fibre and light wood reinforces the yacht’s
weight distribution, MYT asked Mills to design the structures with just
refined yet sporty character. The equipment and hydraulic systems are
one crucial specification – to locate the engine room just behind the
by Carboni. After attracting widespread admiration during her debut
keel, without worrying about the interiors. As a result, Mills designed
at the Monaco Yacht Show, Tango then took to the sea to take part in
a yacht with extreme, decisive lines, reversed sheerline and a main
the Voiles de Saint Tropez with the rest of the Wally Class, the largest
deck that combines a flush deck with the bulwarks seen on “Esense”
racing superyacht “family” in the world. www.wally.com
A custom-built seagoing original, Tango is 30.48 metres long, has a 45-metre tall mast (whose rake can be adjusted under sail) and is powered by 1,398 square metres of sail when reaching. For the first time a cruiser-racer has been engineered before defining the interior layout to generate maximum structural efficiency
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White, black and a slender red line feature in the interiors. Carbon fibre is complemented by wood panels to create visual and structural lightness. The horizontal surfaces are emphasised in all the interiors, opening out the spaces and creating movement by morphing into functional elements. The salon is Tango’s iconic interior (above), with its floating staircase evoking the movement of the waves and extending to create infinitely long shelves
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Exterior Design
FABIO TACCOLA
Mills Design
esigning Tango was an incredible experience for the Mills Design team, as it enabled us to explore and try out new solutions aimed at developing a perfect balance between shape and performance. This was all made possible by the client’s willingness and Luca Bassani’s vision, which we encountered for the first time. Finding new elements in a Class like the Wallycento yachts, already celebrated as intensely cutting edge, was no easy task, but that’s why the project was so exciting. We focused on the hull and appendages, technology, construction materials and the opportunity to reduce weight, as well as on the deck and interior layout. One of the most visible results of this approach is the decisive lines of the topsides, with a reverse sheerline and flush deck that rises like an uninterrupted ramp, fading off towards the bows. This solution creates a clean, sweeping shape that facilitates crew movement and visually extends the yacht. To reduce drag in light breezes and enhance stability in strong winds, the yacht’s submerged surface has been shifted forward when compared to the other members of the Wallycento class, while the lines are concentrated amidships, between the wheel and the winches. The interior layout, designed to optimise the centre of gravity, includes a salon to aft with the engine room and service area located amidships, a practical solution that is greatly appreciated by the client. Tango, developed in collaboration with the client, Wally, Pininfarina and Persico Marine, is our biggest project yet, and also, we hope, our most innovative and elegant. It’s certainly one of the most satisfying. We wanted a design that embraced the interior spaces in the lightest possible way, and we succeeded. The yacht is fast, stable, manoeuvrable and great fun.
Mark Mills and his studio are known for their highperformance designs. The Tango brief gave them great freedom of movement, and the result is an incredible, innovative maxiyacht that takes the Wally principles to an unprecedented extreme. The decisive lines and wonderfully clean shapes combined with a flush deck that rises like a ramp from stern to bows create an uninterrupted line that makes the yacht seem much longer than it really is
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Interior Design Pininfarina
T
he challenge was to find a perfect balance between comfort and performance, which is part of the Wally DNA. We succeeded in doing so by combining cutting edge materials and innovative solutions that were both practical and extremely elegant, creating structural and visual lightness. The result is an authentic one-off design, super-light and with an outstanding performance, perfect for cruising and racing alike. We are very proud of this project, which confirms the excellence of our nautical division – it was opened in 1988 and since then it has played an important role in a number of projects for Beneteau, Primatist, Fincantieri and Persico Marine. Tango’s most iconic element is the salon with the floating staircase that evokes the movement of a wave and also functions as shelving, but in general all the interior spaces feature horizontal surfaces that create surroundings that are “in movement”, shaping functional, continuous elements with
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exceptional personality and a strong aesthetic appeal. In the forward master cabin, for example, the bed is formed by horizontal lines, as are the washbasin and shower in the owner’s bathroom. We chose light colours for the furnishings, broken up by a red line to add a dash of character, and a contrasting play of dark and light. As for the materials, we went for carbon fibre to keep the yacht light yet sturdy, and leather and wood (Nomex sandwich panels) – this may sound like a contrast, but used together they highlight the yacht’s dual personality, with fast, sporty exteriors and warm, comfortable and intimate interior. Pininfarina boasts a long relationship with the sea, and over the years this has given rise to some real jewels of design that combine elegance and performance. Our philosophy is to build tailor-made projects, designing every single detail to fulfil the owner’s dreams and expectations. For us, Tango is a new, exciting chapter in this relationship.
Tango’s interior design is by Pininfarina (left , Chairman Paolo Pininfarina), which has been an emblem of Italian style for 87 years. As always, the studio has fulfilled its task magnificently, conferring an exciting, intriguing personality. The interiors are ultralight while fully reflecting the craft’s superyacht DNA, a winning combination of form and elegance. A small number of materials has been used, but all are technical. Great care has been taken to balance light and dark colours, to create a continuous, coherent rhythm throughout the yacht
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The Shipyard Luca Bassani Antivari
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recommended Mark Mills to the client because I’d been favourably impressed by the maxi 72 Alegre’s performance. When we met we immediately shared our vision of a yacht with a radical design that combined the flush deck and Esense’s low bulwark with Alegre’s ramp deck to obtain the total functionality that is a typical feature of Wally yachts. Tango turned out exactly as we had expected when we began to develop the project, and she’s a full-blooded Wally, beautiful and super fast. She represents another step forward in the development of high-performance superyachts, taking advantage of the experience gained with the previous Wallycento yachts and – just as Open Season did in 2012 – Magic Carpet 3 in 2013 and Galateia in 2015, she has raised the bar in terms of technology and performance. I was very taken with Mark Mills’s initial idea of combining the minimum displacement permitted by the class with a maximum sail area, because this solution will favour the yacht in the light winds typical of the Mediterranean. Tango has proved to be responsive in light breezes and is as entertaining at the wheel as a smaller yacht. The deck provides excellent visibility from the helm and facilitates handling lines and sheets. The equipment, too, is cutting edge – we think it takes only six seconds to hoist the jib. We are also extremely satisfied with our first experience with the Persico Marine yard, an all-Italian enterprise that has earned fame, not to mention the respect of the most important America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and Vendee Globe teams. A craft like the Wallys, technically advanced and highly engineered, needs a yard that can make
the most of its characteristics, and Persico did exactly that – Tango is sturdy and light (47.5 tonnes). Last but not least, Pininfarina rounded things off by giving Tango’s interiors a sporty, refined look that harmonises perfectly with the exterior lines and the overall spirit of the design. One of the basic ideas behind the Wally yard’s creations is to widen the range of people involved in project development, enabling the brand to evolve and research new solutions. Receiving input from a variety of people encourages growth.
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Wally is a hallmark of innovation and design, and a desire to transcend conventions when developing new shapes and functions that enhance the sailing experience is a part of its history. Tango, its latest cruiser-racer, is the result of some intense teamwork that led to the development of a yacht displaying aesthetic and technical consistency. Right Luca Bassani founder and president of Wally
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