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Philippe Briand Unveils Latest P100 Sailing Yacht
Philippe Briand’s latest evolution surrounds a renewed concept for the WallyCento racing class - a regatta favourite - and draws from the designers extensive experience as a competitive sailor and longstanding reputation in the sailing yacht market.
Drawn to offer its owner a vessel of style and comfort with a previously unattained level of importance, the P100 is ideal for regattas across famous backdrops such as Porto Cervo or St Barths.
Over the years, Wally yachts have gathered momentum as a competitive racing fleet, and Briand’s highly technical background in naval architecture and design on a range of winning vessels ideally places him to create the next evolution in the class.
The aim of the P100 sailing yacht concept was to push the envelope ‘like never before’, and the immediate profile of the design reflects the complexity of the classes structure perfectly. Briand carried out a thorough assessment of every detail in the concept’s form, and working through a number of iterations in the hull form, the resulting concept was presented with a lower freeboard and slightly narrower beam than is commonly seen in the class.
Ultimately, due to the in-depth analysis the intermediate light displacement boat is expected to be 20 seconds faster over a mile than reference yacht Magic Carpet. This reduced weight - kept below the 2T mark dictated by class rules - is provided in part by a novel ‘roller coaster wave’ form for the teak decking, which is dictated by the class rules to maintain the high quality look of the fleet.
The weight efficiency carries through to the interior of the P100, which must be aesthetically pleasing and befitting of a luxury yacht, yet make use of light materials in the ceiling and wall finishes to qualify for the class.
Moulded carbon fibre furniture will be light and robust but with a feeling of softness, the major inspiration for the interior being taken from sporty automotive design.
“We considered the merits of each element in the P100 design, using technological advancements and through analysis to create a truly unique concept. The combination of technical enhancements and design features results in a beautiful project that promises top competitive performances,” said Philippe Briand on his evolution of this design.