Wally’s 50m Better Place

This is not Wally’s first attempt to push the bar. But its latest creation indeed broke records. Launched in Ancona, Italy, the 165-foot (50-meter) Better Place is the world’s largest carbon sloop and also the first sailing yacht to earn RINA’s Green Star additional certification (for minimal environmental impact).

By Yachts International Editors

June 11, 2012

This is not Wally’s first attempt to push the bar. But its latest creation indeed broke records. Launched in Ancona, Italy, the 165-foot (50-meter) Better Place is the world’s largest carbon sloop and also the first sailing yacht to earn RINA’s Green Star additional certification (for minimal environmental impact). With naval architecture by Tripp Design, concept by Wally/Luca Bassani and interior by Wetzel Brown Partners, Better Place is ultra-light and displaces only 250 tons. Yet her 34-foot beam ensures that guests have plenty of space to relax. A 926-square-foot open-space deckhouse with full-height windows contains navigation, dining and lounge areas. It opens onto the aft deck with additional lounge space while a forward social cockpit, directly accessible from the interior salon, features a table, seats and sun beds for up to 20 people. The lower deck holds comfortable quarters for 12 guests, including the owners’ party, and 10 crew. The 1,076-square-foot deck features dual helm stations but also plenty of space for relaxing and sunbathing. The Wetzel Brown’s interior expands upon the exterior’s sporty lines, painted in Bugatti blue, with materials such as carbon and white lacquered oak. Wally’s own “easy sailing system” simplifies navigation, whether using power from the yacht’s Siemens/CAT hybrid system or sail. Hall Spar built the 236-foot mast, which supports 11,840 square feet of sails.