Rising three decks tall and stretching 138 feet, the motoryacht Aldebaran is a fitting tribute to her builder’s history on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. Founded in 1902 by Tistino Codecasa, Codecasa Yachts currently operates three shipyards in Viareggio, Italy.
Walking through the Codecasa Due yard with Tistino’s great-granddaughters Fulvia and Elena Codecasa, or seeing Aldebaran being built at the Ugo Codecasa yard under the direction of Fulvia’s husband, Ennio Buonomo, brings forth a sense of continuity and family commitment that is difficult to find elsewhere. Quarterly profit reports are secondary; family reputation is paramount.
While many of Codecasa’s yachts are built for export, Aldebaran has an Italian owner. Some teams perform a little better when they are playing for the home crowd, but I doubt that is the case here. Codecasa is consistent in delivering finely finished little ships that are as tough underneath as they are beautiful on the surface.
Aldebaran is no different, with a stout steel hull and an aluminum superstructure that is refreshing in the simplicity of its lines. Andrea Bacigalupo carried out her exterior styling, and her cherry and briar interior is by designer Vittorio Cerruti. The yacht is classed by Lloyd’s Register and complies with MCA requirements.
Belying the sleek modernity of her superstructure, Aldebaran rides on a classic displacement hull. A bulbous bow reduces the effect of her bow wave and its negative consequences on resistance, helping her to achieve a range of 3,000 miles at a cruise speed of 14 knots. Her hull lines hook downward slightly at the stern to keep her from squatting when running at her top speed of 16 knots. Power is twin Caterpillar 3508B engines, governed to 1830 rpm for long life, driving through Finnscrew five-blade S-class propellers.
In addition to the master stateroom, four staterooms are belowdecks. Two have double berths, and two have twin berths and a Pullman berth. There also are a captain’s cabin, a chief engineer’s cabin and two additional twin crew cabins.
The main deck saloon has two large seating areas, one where a dining room would normally be found. The main dining area is on the bridge deck, served by an adjacent pantry with a dumbwaiter to the galley below. -D.D.
Contact: Codecasa, (011) 39 0584 383221; info@codecasayachts.com; www.codecasayachts.com.
