situated forward, including the master suite with double beds on either side. This area can be neatly
converted into a sail storage room when the yacht is set up for regatta racing, since a giant skylight
hatch gives direct access from the foredeck.
The choice of builder was vital to making this design work. Bergamo-based Persico Marine is
known mainly for its racing boats and was founded on building lightweight moulded components,
beginning with the shells and keels of the 1992 Italian America’s Cup entry Il Moro di Venezia. It has
worked on some of the most demanding and gruelling yacht classes from TP52s and Mini-maxis to
Volvo 65s and other America’s Cup challengers. “A large part of the carbon pieces for Tango were
produced in Bergamo and moved to Savona by road,” says CEO Marcello Persico. Eight tonnes of
composite were used and Persico reveals that the yard has decided to buy a new facility in Carrara for
future Wally projects, such as the Wally 145 – scheduled for launch in 2019. This new shipyard is
dedicated to superyachts, while all the racing projects will remain in Bergamo.
As for Tango, her owner’s verdict is that she’s “sleek, quick, beautiful looking – and comfortable to
cruise”. After extensive sea trials, she was ready just a few days before her debut in Monaco. She was
in the Principality for only a couple of days, and she left quickly for extra training with the crew in
preparation for her first oicial regatta, Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, where she joined up with 14 other
Wallys, including the three other Wallycentos, Open Season, Magic Carpet^3 and Galateia.
In her regatta configuration, Tango has a crew of 24, and it seems that those extra days spent
training and tuning the yacht were well used, since she won her first race in Saint-Tropez. Tango is a
thing of beauty – but she’s also fast enough that you’ll be lucky to catch a glimpse.B
147