WHY:The Wally Hermes Yacht

his ‘moving island’, built by Wally’s President and CEO Luca Bassani Antivari as well as Hermes artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas allows man to travel with unsurpassed comfort and spaciousness. A luxurious on-ground villa, that offers to its residents the comfort, spaciousness and interior flexibility but yet immobile? Or a limited in space and wavering but at the same time capable of transferring you to any place you want yacht? That could always be the question faced by clients of the luxury leisure sector. Trying to address this issue while simultaneously implementing the know-how and craftsmanship of both companies, the Monaco-based yacht maker Wally and the luxury French brand Hermès, created WHY – a state-of the-art vessel, for which the idea of the hull was initially taken from a seismic vessel, and was redesigned and adapted to the needs of the sea. The outcome was a super-luxurious yacht which measures 58 meters long and 38 meters wide and can accommodate 12 guests and 20 crew members. The interior of the yacht follows the high standards of the design companies and is fitted out with water resistant leather, whereas wood is used in most of the interior areas of the vessel. The total 3.400m² guest surface areas, is divided into three different levels containing all rooms that could be found in a luxury villa such as lounges, dining rooms, libraries and spa areas. The yacht has been tested under various conditions and the outcome is that under unfavourable weather conditions it remains more stable than any other of its type, and when anchored it creates a flat surface behind it where swimmers feel as if they are in an Olympic-sized pool.

Since the aim of the project is to create a boat that imitates the specifications of a luxury villa but also has the advantages of a boat, it also means that the vessel must be so stable so that the guests can engage in the same activities as they would on the ground. WHY’s ability to offer this, is probably proved by the fact that it carries around it a real jogging track inspired by coastal paths! What is extraordinary about this concept is that despite its lavishness, superior design and cutting-edge nautical technologies it is also environmentally ethical both in terms of the choice of its design materials and energy consumption. WHY requires less power at cruising speed than a boat of equal size whereas it also carries a wind-turbine system and a rectangle mast that produces approximately 30% of the energy used to propel the boat. This venture makes us happy not only because it constitutes a masterwork in terms of technology and design but also because it can set the example for future eco-friendly nautical conceptions. It has been described by the former as having the ‘freedom of the yacht with the space of a property’. Perhaps another one of the many compelling reasons to own this yacht is that it is environmentally friendly. The Wally Hermes Yacht (WHY) is equipped with state-of-art sustainable technology and it uses recyclable thermal energy, making travelling on the WHY guilt-free. The WHY which is 58m x 38m wide is delineated with continuous fluid lines that perpetrates a strong sense of fluidity and flow. The interior decoration primarily uses sustainable wood in nude, neutral shades that contrasts with the heavily tainted roof of the vessel. It has a master space, a guest space, a common space and a 50m pool located at the top deck. The master bedroom has a retractable roof that opens to unravel a breath-taking sight of the expansive sea. Unlike most cruise ships, this WHY is meant to travel; it is capable of going up to 14 knots. Well, we suppose it’s not just a mere island. This beauty leaves us in sheer wonderment and saying WHY not? WHY Wally-Hermès Yachts is the new company created by french luxury brand Hermès and Monaco based yacht maker Wally, dedicated to a new lifestyle of living on the sea. Designing a boat with a new concept is not an utopia. At every turn the yacht offers maximum space, durability and cutting-edge technologies. The exchange with Wally and Hermès was rooted deeply in terms of know how and sharing the same philosophy of this new concept. Hermès was involved in every step of the process from concept to realization, considering both the outside and inside were just one of the many things. as always just like with all their designs they paid special attention to detail, developing the overall architecture of the vessel evaluating issues of speed and spaciousness.

The initial idea of this hull was confirmed by the ram form hull which they discovered, redesigned and adapted to fit the concept of the wheel house that emerges from the silhouette of the ship. The interior of the yacht is fitted out with water resistant buffalo leather using the calpinage technique. The yacht which took years in the making has been tested in Goteborg, Sweden, in a specialized tank testing facility, to see how it would perform in big seas. The outcome is that, in full swell, the bow moves a tiny bit and the stern stays completely still. Anchored, the boat creates a totally flat surface behind it, like an Olympic-size pool where you can swim in total peace. On the bow, there’s a seawater pool 25 meters long that follows the curve of the bow. The environmental and ecological advantages are a strong point of the boat WHY. Different sources of energy are managed by a central computer. The yacht is powered using a diesel electric engine. A surface of the photovoltaic panels which measure approximately 900 square meters provide the solar electricity generated which covers part of what is needed to subsist the boat. WHY Design Team: Pierre-Alexis Dumas / Artistic Director, Hermès – Luca Bassani Antivari / President and CEO, Wally – Gabriele Pezzini / Design Director, Hermès – Mauro Sculli / Naval Architect

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