Pure random?

Two military helicopters are patrolling the Venice Lagoon just as the Wally turns up.

She slowly comes closer.

In the lagoon's fairways, which are marked by wooden poles, most road users meticulously adhere to the speed limits.

Only the taxi boats, which apparently operate outside of legal regulations, are speeding away.

Walter Will

“Technology and Engine” editorial team

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Not so Wally.

She behaves well, although she looks like the cosmic dark matter hunter.

There is a benefit to their sneaking up, as it extends the time it takes to arrive, which gives you an opportunity to take in the apparition.

What a stark contrast: against the backdrop of the old city struggling against decay, the metallically shimmering Wally looks even more futuristic than it already does.

As if to order, the helicopters make a few more laps.

A suitable escort: The brand new Wallypower 58 also has something military about it.

The 17-metre, almost 30-ton motor yacht is armed with an aura of sharpness that is second to none.

When boarding, Luca Bassani offers a helping hand and affirms that he has not requested air support.

No, the helicopters had not been ordered.

You would have credited him with it.

After all, Bassani is the master of the wow effect.

Since the Italian founded Wally Yachts in Monaco in 1994, the company has felt called and obliged to “deliver the unexpected”.

Our mission is to keep coming up with innovations.

Wally initiated technical developments and brought about radical changes in design, initially in the large, sporty sailing yacht segment, later also in the motor boat market.

The Wally style became a household name in the industry.

Wally is characterized by clear shapes and minimalism taken to the extreme.

Bassani brought the vertical armored cruiser stem into fashion, freed boat decks from technical clutter, let undeveloped wide areas work and technical systems work in secret.

Early on, he opted for lightweight carbon fiber construction, for the loft-like interior that broke with all maritime conventions, and for hitherto unfamiliar, sometimes shocking colors.

Hydraulic sail adjustment at the push of a button, elimination of the formerly strict separation between inside and outside through new room concepts, folding balconies, lowered "sea terraces" at the rear became trademarks.

Huge luxury floating islands

All of this found countless imitators.

Year after year, more products that looked like Wally appeared in exhibition halls and marinas.

That should have flattered Bassani, but there is also bitterness when he says today: "When I see all the copies, I wonder how many customers I've lost because of it."

On top of that, he indulged in some craziness that ultimately didn’t materialize, developed concepts for yachts with rigid wing sails, for huge floating luxury islands that were to be created in cooperation with the luxury goods group Hermès, tried to enter the ski business with boards made of carbon.