With naval architecture by Mark Mills and interior design by Pininfarina, Wally describes its latest launch as “a groundbreaking superyacht developed from the innovative lines of the latest racing yachts featuring reduced displacement, a powerful sail plan, moveable ballast, improved stability and planing hull characteristics.”

Like her Wallycento cousins, 30.48m Tango was designed and built to the so-called box-rule, created by Wally to develop closely matched, fast and seaworthy cruiser-racers. She is the largest project to date for Ireland-based Mills Design Ltd, responsible for sailing boats that have won multiple titles across different rating systems.

“We developed a radical proposal combining dramatic deck geometry with a novel interior layout for the most efficient result within the Wallycento box-rule, integrated with the structure to a level not yet seen in a yacht of this size,” says studio principal Mark Mills. “That proposal very quickly became Tango, after huge amounts of detail development, but very little deviation from the original vision for a sleek, light, and exciting sailing machine.” 

There is room within the box-rule for technical interpretation, which means each Wallycento is unique. In the case of Tango, Mills points to the immersed volume of the hull, which is more forward than the previous Wallycentos, while the aft lines are cleaner and more stretched. The initial idea was to have a displacement close to the box-rule minimum combined with the maximum sail plan allowed, which would provide advantages in the typical lights airs in the Mediterranean, while the flush deck facilitates crew manoeuvres when racing.

The interior layout has the main salon aft, the engine room and service area amidships, and the guest accommodation forward. The contemporary interior design by Pininfarina reflects the Wally philosophy of reducing inside-outside barriers to a minimum.

“Thanks to the selection of the materials and the innovative solutions of the interior decoration delivering both function and aesthetics, we generated a true thoroughbred of the sea, ultra-light and super performing, perfectly suitable for cruising as well as for racing,” says Paolo Pininfarina.

The partnership with composite specialists Persico Marine for the construction brings together Wally’s experience of refined, cruiser-racer superyachts with the Italian shipyard’s expertise in building pure racing boats such as the VORs, Mini Maxis, and America’s Cup catamarans (in May, Wally announced a new order for a 44m megacrusier, which is being built by the Persico Marine team).

“We are extremely pleased with our first cruising superyacht: Tango weighs only 47.5 tons thanks to the overall optimisations developed at the beginning of the project,” says Marcello Persico, Persico Marine CEO. “Specifically, we worked hard to lighten the interiors as much as possible, not just using carbon fibre and Nomex sandwich in the joinery construction, but also developing different solutions to build, for example, the hinges and veneers.”

Following her launch and mast-stepping, Tango will undergo sea trials before delivery to her owner at the end of August. The yacht will be premiered at the Monaco Yacht Show and make her racing debut at the Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, where she will battle it out between the cans with the other three Wallycentos: Galateia, Magic Carpet3 and Hamilton.

“Tango turned out exactly how we envisaged her when we started developing the project: super sleek lines and aggressive overall appeal conveying her high performance DNA,” says disruptive thinker and Wally chairman Luca Bassani. “We look forward to the sea trials and testing the predicted superior performance of our new superyacht.”

Photo credit: images by Virgilio Fidanza & Gilles Martin-Raget 

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