Vespucci

The twenty-four sails we made for Amerigo Vespucci, including square sails, stay sails and jibs, for a total sail area of about 2,650 square metres, were all made of linen sailcloth.

To make these sails we used 6.624 metres of linen sailcloth, specifically commissioned in different weights, 516 metres of steel boltrope 16 mm in diameter, 1,504 metres of hemp boltrope 36 mm in diameter, 236 kgs of kip leather to trim all the boltropes, and 79,200 metres of waxed thread for hand sewing.

The sails were sewn with 15,880 metres of stitches, all done only by hand, and weigh 5,036 kgs in total.

Story

Designed by engineer Francesco Rotundi, Lieutenant Colonel of the Naval Engineers, the ship was laid down in 1930 in the shipyard at Castellammare di Stabia and launched on 22nd February 1931. Despite been made of steel, she was built to resemble a freighter from the first half of the 19th century. Designed and used consistently as a training ship, from 1946 (when Cristoforo Colombo was surrendered as war damages compensation) to 1952 (when the 1921 brigantine schooner Ebe was acquired) she was the only one of her kind in commission in the Italian Navy.

Besides carrying out training campaigns (including a voyage around the world and several cruises in the Americas and in Australia), she has often undertaken “showing-the-flag” cruises, such as in 2002 on occasion of the America’s Cup races in Aukland, in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens or during the 2005 commemoration of the Trafalgar battle.

In 2006, after 75 years of service, she underwent extensive special maintenance at Arsenale Militare Marittimo della Spezia, and the whole foremast, large portions of the planking and any pieces of auxiliary equipment were replaced.

Type	Vintage
Designer	Francesco Rotundi
Builder	Cantieri di Castellamare di Stabia
Yacht Type	Ship
Year	1931
Hull length	82.38
Length over spars	100.50
Waterline length	70.00
Beam	15.50
Draft	7.30
Sail area	—
Displacement	4146.40

	SAILS	MQ.
1	FORE TOPMAST STAYSAIL	66
2	INNER JIB	108
3	JIB	99
4	FLYING JIB	105
5	MAIN TOPMAST STAYSAIL	102
6	MIZZEN STAYSAIL	47
7	MIZZEN TOPGALLANT STAYSAIL	45
8	MAIN TOPGALLANT STAYSAIL	104
9	MOONSAIL	99
10	MIZZEN MAINSAIL	145
11	FORE COURSE	230
12	FORE LOWER TOPSAIL	166
13	FORE UPPER TOPSAIL	110
14	FORE TOPGALLANT SAIL	93
15	FORE ROYAL SAIL	49
16	MAIN COURSE	345
17	MAIN LOWER TOPSAIL	187
18	MAIN UPPER TOPSAIL	139
19	MAIN TOPGALLANT SAIL	115
20	MAIN ROYAL SAIL	49
21	MIZZEN LOWER TOPSAIL	81
22	MIZZEN UPPER TOPSAIL	58
23	MIZZEN TOPGALLANT SAIL	58
24	MIZZEN ROYAL SAIL	32