Wally Hermes Yachts

This widely circulated email forward features a series of images depicting a very large and luxurious yacht dubbed the "WHY 58x38". According to the email, the yacht is the result of a collaboration between Monaco based shipbuilding company Wally and Parisian fashion house Hermès .


A project to design and build such a yacht does exist. With a projected price tag of $160 million, purchase of the yacht will be in reach of only the very wealthy. A full sized model and designs of the yachts were displayed at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Yacht Show. The exhibitor profile for WHY Yachts notes:
WHY is the result of a partnership between Hermès and Wally, to develop a new type of motor yacht redefining the art of living on the sea. Fully involved in all aspects of the conception and design of the project, the iconic Parisian house and the iconic Monte-Carlo yacht brand have led to revolutionary yachts. Mostly described as the ‘leap of imagination' in today leisure yachting, WHY 58x38 and WHY 37x24 offer unparalleled living space at sea with extraordinary volumes, comfort, independence and stability, backed up with a truly environmental friendly set of technologies, delivering a drastically reduced energy consumption for both propulsion and generation.
And a March 3 article published in The Australian notes:
LUXURY on the sea is set to get even better with a new yacht designed to resemble a floating island.

Wally Hermes Yachts unveiled the designs for its WHY craft at the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show this week.

The French fashion house Hermes teamed up with Monaco-based ship-builder Wally to create the yacht, which will cost around $160 million.

The 58x38 metre yacht is designed to offer a more peaceful lifestyle, as well as be environmentally friendly.
More details about the WHY Yacht is available on the project's website.

It should be noted, however, that an actual working version of a WHY yacht has not yet been built and it is currently unclear when the first of such vessels will be completed and ready for sale. A March 4 Reuters news report indicate that Hermès is in fact withdrawing from the project:
French luxury brand Hermes is exiting a luxury yacht joint venture with shipbuilder Wally, saying it is not experienced enough to complete the project, its chief executive told Reuters. The two partners had unveiled a full-sized model of their mega yacht, "WHY", in Monte Carlo in September. "We are currently in the phase of carrying out the project, which is technically complex and which requires on-the-spot decisions," said Hermes CEO Patrick Thomas on Thursday. "It seemed a good idea to us to have only one decision-maker and we naturally decided to hand the reins over to Wally."
Thus, the images in this email forward are genuine in the sense that they provide an idea of how the WHY Yacht should look when and if it is completed. However, they do not depict a completed, working vessel as implied in the email.