Palermo, ITALY – For Doyle Sails Italy, the Superyacht universe has always been one of the most rewarding markets – one where it’s not hard to be continually fascinated by the grandeur, scale and challenge of each and every single project.
For the Doyle Sails Italy team, world-renowned experts in this sector, offering supreme service and sails to their clients throughout Italy and the world is paramount. Headed up by Salvo d’Amico, Italy was one of the first groups to join Doyle Sails International, and is now one of the biggest sailmakers in Europe, with the primary loft in Palermo spanning some 3,000 sqm.
Salvo talks about the team’s most rewarding projects of 2020 – the launch of Solaris 111 CeFeA, which launched in Marina di Ravenna last August, and RP Custom Nauta 100 Morgana, with her launch taking place in Cape Town last autumn.
Superyacht Sales Coordinator Mario Giattino and Sail Designer Dario Motta were heavily involved in both projects and tell us how the ‘tailored suits’ of the two grand ladies of the sea were born.
“When it comes to such projects, sailmakers are heavily involved with every detail from the beginning, covering off details such as the definition of the sails, masts, and deck plans, through to fitting the sails once built. These elements must be decided by the complete project team for the overall project and sail design to succeed. More specifically, our analysis helps to model sail loads and dimensions. Many other details are also studied between the shipyard and the suppliers involved”, explains Mario. “Once the boat is on order and sails are confirmed, the actual design work begins, which is carried out in collaboration with Richard Bouzaid and the Doyle Design Team based in New Zealand”.
“By combining our knowledge with the rig suppliers, all structural calculations are verified, measured and defined, including the length of the mainsail battens and mainsail roach” says Mario.
“A case in point, relating to CeFeA and Morgana, is that there are locks at the head of the sail and in the reefs. The precision required in defining these measurements is millimetric and the forces involved are impressive. On the stays, the loads easily reach 15 tons, when a TP52 reaches around 2 tons” explains Dario. “It is easy to understand how complete analysis takes time. In the case of CeFeA, this analysis started a year out from launch.” Says Dario.
One of the crucial decisions is the choice of materials and the relative weight, as Dario explains: “In recent years Doyle Sails has focused on Stratis, a high-performance sail built from Carbon and Technora with a taffeta finish offered in different colours. These are complimentary materials: the first gives flexibility, the second, high resistance. The result is a durable fabric, resistant to creasing and with almost irrelevant elongation.”
“The advantages in weight savings by using laminates of this kind should also be highlighted”, says Mario. “The CeFeA mainsail, rigged on a mast over 50 meters high, weighs around 300 kilos while Morgana’s Cableless Code Zero, with a 620 sqm surface, capable of generating a load of 7-8 tons on the tack, does not reach 210 kilos. The Cableless technology, which shares the load back through the luff of the sail, allows us to manage and effectively disperse the loads which can be up to 50% less load when compared to conventional sails with cable.”
“The choice of a Doyle Cableless sail represents the most technologically advanced option on the market today; several years of research and development has led to the creation of a high-performance product that is not only lighter but also easier to handle (due to less load) and with a wider range of use (thanks to the possibility of the luff tension adjustments, not possible with the cable). This is a fantastic example of how the evolution in the world of regattas has brought benefits to the cruising world”.
Once the preliminary phase of design work is complete and the profiles have been created, it is time for delivery and initial sea trials, says Mario. “Usually sea trials are carried out by a team of three people, and take about a week. We start by rigging the mainsail, which takes a lot of time between the assembly of the battens, the reefing, and the installation of the carriages, with a slightly faster assembly on the jib.”
“The first hours of sailing are crucial to check that the quality is as it should be: the software we have at our disposal is extremely precise and allows us to simulate sails as they will fly almost perfectly. This is why, with the various project members involved (boat designers, sailmakers and rig providers) we are able to work in synergy from the early stages of the project.” says Dario.
“Servicing sails is a requirement” says Mario. “They are an investment, which with annual servicing will last”.
DOYLE SAILS ITALY
Doyle Sails Italy was one of the first lofts to become part of the Doyle Sails Group and it is now one of the biggest European sail making companies in the industry, with a large primary loft in Palermo and two subsidiaries in La Spezia and Porto Cervo, the Italian team are able to provide the high quality service throughout Italy and the Mediterranean Sea.
With over 20 years of sailmaking history, Doyle Italy have great reputation for incomparable service, impeccable attention to engineering detail, and high-quality construction; utilising the latest technologies to create the most advanced sails on the market.
For more info on Doyle Sails Italy, click here