Welcome to the special “20th Anniversary” section of Top Yacht Design. Here we present to you, day by day, the best stories, yachts, characters we have covered in these 20 years of Top Yacht Design, from 2006 to the present day.
Taken from Top Yacht Design no. 10/2017, pp. 76-83.
Giò Chi Thè
The fourth unit in the Vintage series is a 43-metre that introduces a string new features.
1825 was a pivotal year: it hailed the birth of the railways, photography and cement. Here in Italy, Francesco I of Bourbon was crowned King of the Two Sicilies. Much further north in Viareggio, then part of the Duchy of Lucca, Giovanni Battista Codecasa was busy setting up his own boatyard which, 200 years on, is still run by his family and still building yachts. Perhaps this explains why Codecasa craft have such a completely natural and indisputable charisma, confidently exuding a sense of history and tradition. Launched just last summer, Giò Chi Thè too has that extra special something that goes well beyond conventional megayacht glamour. Built on spec, she is the fourth example of the Vintage series which previously spanned a 5o-metre and, most recently, two 42-metres. Giò Chi Thè is the natural evolution of the latter – her hull is about half a metre longer than her predecessors to create a full-beam yacht with larger side windows that flood her interiors with natural light. Another new feature is that Giò Chi Thè’s interiors were placed in the talented hands of Tommaso Spadolini who worked very closely with the yard to produce a yacht that feels fresh, modern and timeless yet also extremely warm and welcoming.
“You can’t really go too wild on an ‘on spec’ yacht,” explains Spadolini. “In fact, they are that little bit more difficult because you have to produce something that will appeal to the widest possible audience yet also endeavour to create spaces that are both welcoming and captivating,” he says. Clearly, however, Spadolini’s interiors went down very well with Giò Chi The’s new owner as he changed practically nothing after the contract was signed. “She’s a clean yacht in what I would term perfect Codecasa style,” continues Spadolini. “Limed oak dominates in a variety of neutral colours – it’s used for the floors, the bulkheads, the furnishings and the ceilings to really enhance the light coming in through the bigger new windows. This is a yacht with a capital Y – seaworthy, practical and designed to really live the sea.” That said, Giò Chi Thè is world’s away from being a minimalist hull. Simplicity of style does not mean sombre. What makes the different in this instance are small details such as splashes of lobster orange dotted with apparent casualness here and there: in the trim of a niche in the deck saloon, in the master suite, the chairs in adjacent office, a cushion, the motif on a bed coverlet. Small flourishes that create an all-important leitmotif. Even the sliding doors in the saloon and the master cabin were designed to pick up the fittingly vintage-inspired diamond motif used for the tufted headboards of the beds.
“One of my favourite elements is the curved stairs linking the three decks,” continues Spadolini. “We designed the bannister so that it was almost set into the wall and then we trimmed the walls in leather to lend warmth to an area that’s all too often a bit undervalued.” Other novelties aboard this new Vintage 43 include a captain’s cabin beside the bridge on the upper deck (the remainder of the crew are accommodated on the lower deck), and a Portuguese deck with a very private lounge area. The remaining exterior zones are very generous too, spanning two relaxation and sunning areas aft on the main and upper decks respectively as well as a large sun deck complete with Jacuzzi. Giò Chi Thé packs twin 1650 hp Caterpillar engines that power her all the way up to 16.5 knots at full throttle. They also deliver an impressive range of 4,000 nautical miles at a slightly more modest i knots. But time never stands still for Codecasa and the Viareggio yard’s slip will soon be graced by a second Vintage 43-metre, currently receiving her final finishing touches. Lovers of Yachts with a capital Y, be advised: she is still in search of an owner.
by Giulia Trinkraf – photo: 3dSign
