"Thinking outside the box".
We read it in every strategy manual, we hear it mentioned in every meeting, we see it posted on the social channels of all the marketing "gurus".
But between saying and doing – never more than in this case – there's the sea in between.
Here is the story of Luca Bassani, founder of Wally, the man who revolutionized the rules and standards of classic yachting.
Entrepreneur, born in 1965, he is the second generation of the family that founded "BTicino," a company known for applying design rules to electrical switches, and sold in 1989 to the Legrand group for 2.3 trillion lire.
Breaking the rules has always been a family "habit," continued by Luca as he built with Wally the most advanced and admired yachts in the world.
In a recent interview, Luca Bassani stated that...
On a Wally, nothing is invented from scratch.
Thinking "outside the box" doesn't necessarily mean inventing something new; it simply means applying rules from a new perspective, breaking them.
Breaking the rules
The last century of boating had actually produced vessels designed according to racing principles, rather than those dictated by water and wind.
Racing boats were starting to be designed with large volumes, while "cruising" boats were still too narrow and uncomfortable.
Bassani's insight was to erase every concept – and preconception – of naval design to start from scratch: designing boats that were comfortable, elegant, light, and made with the highest quality materials.
The sail plan of the Soling was simply larger, with a self-tacking jib. One final detail was missing to imprint a new avant-garde concept in the hearts of enthusiasts: a mast that would allow the boats to achieve the perfect balance between comfort and racing performance.
It was therefore necessary to find an architect who was not afraid of such a conservative and traditionalist world.
The decisive meeting was with Luca Brenta, who had the courage to design a titanium mast with a mainsail, not too far aft as in the preliminary ideas of previous collaborators, and a self-tacking jib.
The birth of Wally
The first Wallygator is born, probably the most "new" boat ever created before.
From that moment on, every action to improve the "product" followed two main principles: the beauty of the details and the focus on the guests on board.
All the sheets are hidden, both to highlight the aesthetic cleanliness and to protect small and large guests from potential injuries.
The portholes of the cabin are reduced to one, very essential, to...
the good taste of simple things.
Carbon sails, for the first time on production boats, are adopted on a Wally, improving the not-so-positive experience of the Moro di Venezia in 1992, which had titanium sails.
Another milestone in the race towards excellence was the revolution of the spaces to provide a new way of experiencing sailing.
No matter how large sailing boats can be, they always remain smaller when compared to motor yachts.
Anyone who sails knows how sometimes you need to take "a breath of fresh air" and how – naturally – guests tend to split into smaller groups: this is why the " terrace on the sea" at the stern, despite its size, is no longer enough.
A new central cockpit is added, along with one at the bow where you can finally be alone, even at the dock.
All these ideas led Tango, the fourth sailing superyacht of the Wallycento series, to receive the Honorable Mention at the Compasso d’Oro ADI 2018 award.
The example
This is why Luca Bassani's story is an example.
An example of how, to bring the level of discourse back to a more business-oriented language, "we've always done it this way" is a phrase that should be eliminated from our vocabulary as soon as possible.
Of course, on the condition that you have people who not only know how to "think outside the box" but also spot the horizon before anyone else.
