Even among the many renowned centers of art and culture within Italy’s borders, Florence is a remarkable and inspiring locale. It is the city of Dante, of Michelangelo, of Leonardo da Vinci. It is also the city of Francesco Paszkowski, the designer who teamed with Baglietto to bring forth a sculpture whose flowing curves are executed in aluminum rather than Carrara marble.
This work of art, Charly Boy, is a 100-foot motoryacht powered by two MTU 16V 2000 diesels that push her to 30 knots. Her raised pilothouse and aft engineroom allow a low profile and a long, fine entry, keeping motion to a minimum and ensuring her performance at sea lives up to the high standards established by earlier Baglietto yachts.
Her hull and superstructure seem formed for the single purpose of piercing wind and waves with the least possible disturbance. Charly Boy does not disappoint, as is evident in the minimal amount of spray and wake she leaves behind. This does not, however, mean guest accommodation suffers. Charly Boy succeeds in combining effortless performance with a spacious interior and relaxing outdoor areas.
Finished predominately in shades of beige and blue, Charly Boy has a great deal of fine woodwork. The glossy varnished bulkheads and furniture of Madrona brier-root framed with Honduran mahogany provide a nice complement to the lighter-hued soft goods. Carpeting is virgin wool, which is durable and less prone to spreading fire than most synthetics.
The overheads are sewn from washable alcantara in a cloud pattern that adds a great deal of visual interest to the interior. There is also a fair amount of stone aboard. White Carrara marble from nearby quarries is used for several of the tables and countertops. Onyx in shades of rose and light blue, and rose of Portugal, is used as accents and inlays.
The master stateroom is a traditional layout just forward of the engineroom. Symmetrical his-and-her heads each have a toilet, a bidet and a single lavatory set into a mottled blue-and-white marble top. These flank a large teak-floored shower equipped with a special multi-head therapeutic treatment system. Attractive detailing in the master bath sole includes a scallop shell and a border, both in blue on a white marble field. There is a king berth on centerline, topped at the head by a curved wood soffit with gold downlights. A spacious sofa is to starboard, and a large desk/vanity is to port. On the forward bulkhead, a 20-inch LCD television offers a good viewing angle from the bed or sofa without being intrusive.
Three guest staterooms are forward of the master. Port and starboard cabins are shown on the arrangement plan as twins, but one has been fitted as a single with a sofa and Pullman berth. A VIP guest stateroom with queen berth spans the full beam forward. Two hanging lockers are in the VIP stateroom, while the other guest cabins have one each. All guest baths are finished in marble and outfitted with toilet, bidet, lavatory and shower. Three cabins accommodate five crew in compact quarters forward. The crew mess shares space with the galley on the main deck.
Designed primarily for stern mooring, Charly Boy has a main deck arranged opposite to American convention. For side-to mooring, it would be necessary to tie up port side to. There is a small entry foyer on the starboard side, but using it entails entering the saloon through the bar. The main foyer, with direct access to the saloon, dining room and stairways, is to port.
A formal dining room is just forward of the raised pilothouse. The truncated-oval shape of its blue-inlaid white marble dining table is mirrored by a wood coffer overhead and highlighted by recessed gold lighting fixtures. Unusual features include a pop-up 20-inch LCD television built into a cabinet under the starboard window. The dining room is floored with Honduran mahogany, a choice that is practical from a spillage standpoint but that will make the room noisier than it would be with carpeting.
The saloon is spacious for a yacht this length. It includes facing sofas in blue and beige with a 42-inch plasma television easily viewable from the larger wraparound unit. There is also a bar with stools for three, and a game table opposite to port. Because of the full-width side decks and the length of the space, the visual effect is a bit elongated, especially with the draperies drawn. The arrangement, however, will function well for small groups or a crowd.
Abaft the saloon, a large open deck handles two tables and loose seating for six or more with ease. A retractable gangway is housed to starboard, and steps to the swim platform are to port. Topside, there is an open helm and tender stowage, as well as seating and tables sufficient to handle a large gathering of day guests. Teak decking offsets white upholstery on the seating and tiger stripes on the sunpads. There is also a wood caprail atop the windshield that is a nice visual touch and will be easy to grip should the going get a little rough. The helmsman will also appreciate the wood’s non-reflective characteristics in contrast to the more usual polished stainless windshield frame.
Charly Boy is a fine yacht that combines the latest styling with well-proven construction and hull design. Baglietto, situated northwest of Florence in the coastal town of Varazze, has been building vessels of note since the yard’s founding by Pietro Baglietto in the mid-1800s. As with many family-owned yards of the period, Baglietto started with small sailing craft. During the early years, most were commercial fishing boats, but by the end of the 19th century, the yard was quick to adapt the internal combustion engine to its vessels.
In 1911, Baglietto built Cho-Cho San, a motorsailor commissioned by Puccini and named for the heroine of his opera “Madame Butterfly.” World War I brought development of the famous MAS torpedo boats, and by 1936, successor designs were running at speeds in excess of 50 knots. Baglietto has been under corporate ownership for the past five years.
Contact: Cantieri Navali Baglietto,S.p.A, (011) 39 019 95901; fax (011) 39 019 96515; cnb.varazze@interbusiness.it.