At first glance, the Wallyrocket51 and Nautor Swan 128 may seem oceans apart. But, as we discovered during recent sea trials of each, these new vessels from two of the world’s best yacht brands share a common goal: to celebrate camaraderie and togetherness while sailing. They also each demonstrate an alluring adaptability.

In a short fortnight, we travelled from Valencia, Spain, where we sailed Wally’s brand-new racer, to Jakobstad, Finland, for a trial of the latest addition to the 2,300-strong Nautor Swan fleet, a blue-water beauty launched just as the company prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026.


The yachts are united by more than just flexibility of use, with both now flying the Italian flag. Wally, founded more than 30 years ago by Luca Bassani, has, of course, always done so, though it now operates under the umbrella of luxury yachting company Ferretti Group. Nautor Swan, on the other hand, has been a renowned Finnish marque since its 1966 inception, until it was last year acquired by Massimo Perotti, CEO of Sanlorenzo Yachts.

Since 1994, Wally has built some of the most advanced and contemporary sailing yachts in the world, consistently proving itself ahead of the curve when it comes to performance and style. Conceived by Bassani and the Wally team, the 15.5m Wallyrocket51 is no exception. Bassani has long had a reputation for doing things differently, as proved by this fast, one-design beauty, weighing in at an exceptionally lightweight 6.25 tonnes – almost one tonne less than the competition.

The configuration that we boarded on a rainy day this spring had a fixed keel, but a configuration with trim tabs is also available. The concept, as explained by Bassani and the Wally team, who joined us onboard, was to create a flexible boat with broad appeal – manageable for an owner-skipper yet still able to offer shorthanded day sailing. It also has the ability to switch between manual-powered fleet and electric-powered one-design racing modes, born from the design team’s determination to create the world’s fastest race boat on corrected time.


Collaborating with Botin Partners Naval Architecture, designer of many America’s Cup entrants, the Wally team has designed an outstanding sailing yacht with a high-performance water ballast – which, as we experienced, fills within a short time – a lightweight carbon foam sandwich layup and refined handling to reduce crew requirements to 11. Thanks to high modulus carbon spars, AEROsix carbon rigging and high-performance deck hardware, they have managed to keep the displacement to just under 6.3 tonnes.

The yacht’s elegant, streamlined aesthetic is due to the collaborative efforts of Luca Bassani and his design team together with the Milan-based Studio Santa Maria Magnolfi. Despite the Spanish rain, we had a fantastic day’s sailing, and we could experience just how fast she is upwind, with a sail area of 160 square metres, and downwind, with a sail area of 360 square metres. At the helm, the immediate responsiveness of this competitive racer took a little getting used to. Still, as Bassani said, “I believe that this sailing yacht could become a nice toy, not only for racing, but for sailing.”


Up in Finland, we found the Nautor shipyard in Jakobstad, a small port town in Ostrobothnia, a region where people speak both Finnish and Swedish. On a sunny but cold day, with temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, we started our adventure by motoring past little islands and through the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia, which separates Finland from the Swedish mainland.

Along for the voyage was legendary Argentinian naval architect Germán Frers, who has designed the most iconic Swan yachts in recent decades. Asked to reveal the number of yachts he has designed for Nautor, he shrugged: “I don’t know how many models I have designed until today, but it has been 45 years. People say I am a workaholic, but I just enjoy my work; it gives me a lot of endorphins, I am healthy because of it. I like designing; I like to meet the briefs, no matter how extreme they are.”


Conceived as a world cruiser for an experienced Swan owner and repeat client of Nautor, the Swan 128 is a sporty cruiser with a very wide aft – designed for long ocean voyages, yet also perfectly at ease in major international competitions. The exterior design was conceived by Lucio Micheletti, and the cockpit offers the typical three-area division that characterises all Swans. Easy sailing with self-tacking jib/stay sail, a furling boom, outhaul reef car and synapse load monitoring combine to make manoeuvring this yacht a pleasure.

The day before our sailing trial, we were given a tour of the 38.98m S/Y Be Cool by Heini Gustafsson, the senior project architect and styling designer at Nautor Swan. We noticed that the owner has switched from an aft owner’s cabin in his previous yacht to the forward bow, allowing for a larger crew area, including a spacious galley and a comfortable crew mess. The interior is not classical Swan; rather, it’s a vintage-inspired aesthetic informed by the typical Swan DNA. A natural oak base and aniline leather have been used for tables and exquisite detailing, which will age beautifully. Structure and textures are important, and so are patterns. All the ceilings and some of the walls are made of raffia, which frames the spaces nicely. The highlight in the semi-raised saloon: two custom-made Goyard trunks, serving as stylish coffee tables.


We sailed two different animals – a true racer and a luxurious blue-water cruiser – from two very different firms. The commonality lies in their flexibility; each can switch into another mode with minimum fuss: the Wallyrocket51 to become a comfortable day sailing boat, and the Nautor Swan 128 transforms from cruiser to worthy participant in the most ambitious of maxi sailing regattas.

Both yachts are one of a kind and equipped with the best technology and materials on the market right now. Whatever mode of sailing floats your boat, you’re guaranteed great pleasure aboard these outstanding performers.

Nautor Swan 128 Technical Specifications:

LOA: 38.98 metres
Max beam: 8.65 metres
Draught: 1m telescopic keel, 6.70 metres/4.40 metres
Displacement (light): 119.000 kilograms
Mast: 58 metres
Ballast: 35.400 kilograms
Main engine: 405kW (550 HP)
Estimated GT: 188 tonnes
Water: 2,650 litres
2 diesel generators: 2 x 230/400 V 32 kW 3-phase
Crew: 6
Guests: 1 owner’s cabin, 1 VIP cabin, 2 twin cabins
 

Wallyrocket51 Technical Specifications:

LOA: 15.5 metres
Max beam: 4.3 metres
Draught: 3.5 metres
Displacement (light): 6,250 kilograms
Water: 640 litres
Engine: Yanmar 3JH40
Engine HP: 40
Guests: 11

Images: © Nautor Swan, Gilles Martin-Raget, Eva-Stina Kjellman