Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Wally Olly Income Free

We could go on about the much discussed Herb McCormick editorial but it’s being well covered in other venues...and so, as to not focus on any one topic overmuch, we'll move along. Some good comments still popping up in last Friday’s post - as well opinions worth reading on Scuttlebutt.

When I was in Newport earlier this summer for the second annual Newport Bucket Regatta I had the chance to see a Wally yacht under sail. This was the first time I’d been face-to-face with a Wally and, like many, I found the experience impressive, nearly religious. In some ways these boats look like they're carved out of a single block of fiberglass; they really are that sleek and shapely. I’m raising this because news is out of a new Wally 130 performance yacht. According to their website, the boat will be the fastest upwind sailing craft ever engineered. If what I saw in 10 knots of light air off Newport is any judge we can almost believe their hyperbole. Naval architect Javier Soto Acebal is designing the Wally 130 – it will be built at WallyEurope shipyard in Fano, Italy, with the latest advanced composite technology using pre-preg carbon. The delivery date is scheduled for January 2008 (just in case you’re in the market.)