Andale’s owners are spry enough to take the stairs, but insisting on an elevator serving all decks is their way of "planning for the inevitable." Thus, the lift provides access to all levels, including the sun deck.

Codecasa specs hydraulic elevators supplied by Otis in Milan for all its 50- to 60 meter yachts. The elevators are rated for five passengers or a maximum weight of 880 pounds. The elevator itself weighs about 7,040 pounds. In the planning, Andale’s owners wanted to make sure the space and expense dedicated to the elevator served more than one purpose.

"The elevator can accommodate a food cart so that the crew can easily serve on any deck," says Capt. Eddie Cooney. What’s more, the elevator accesses the crew deck so that crates of provisions can more easily be transferred between the galley and lower cold rooms and dry stores. To facilitate crew use, the beautifully finished elevator car actually has two doors: its starboard door opens for guests and on the main and crew decks a nearly invisible door can be opened on the port side. A smart lock button keeps the crew from calling or opening the elevator if it is in use by the owner’s party.