There is mending and mending, and there is emergency and emergency. When you are at sea and a mending becomes an emergency, it is time to look for Massimo, the sailmaker from Elba. Massimo has turned his passion for racing into work. And today he is the island’s go-to guy when it comes to sailmaking, repair and maintenance. With partner Luca, he owns Elle Sails, which was taken over in Portoferraio in 2003. CNA Storie of the Month starts here.

A passion for sailing that becomes a job

“I have been sailing since I was 10 years old,” says Massimo. “The owner of this sailmaker we took over more than 20 years ago used to do regattas with me. In short, we turned passion into work.” On the planks of the workshop, just a short walk from downtown, all kinds of sails pass by: jibs, mainsails, and spinnakers, which can add up to 1,200 square feet. The work is handcrafted and is required to keep up with the evolution of boats, techniques and materials. In addition to sails, Elle Sails also makes upholstery, from boats and for home exteriors. Each stitch has its own technique: “There are various sewing machines: there is one for cushions, one for assembly, one for upholstery. We start from scratch, because our work is 100 percent handmade,” he explains.
We start from scratch, because ours is 100 percent handcrafted work

The relentless evolution of the sailing industry

“Our industry, in recent years, has had an exaggerated evolution. With Covid we had a boom: the boat was one of the places where people felt safest.” Research is relentless, both on materials and in the shape of sails. “In upholstery, then, before there were fifteen materials, today there are fifty,” says Massimo. “By now the most advanced sails are made in one-piece on 30-40 meter boats. They are giant sails, made with a technique whereby the line is continuous, unlike sails made of panels.”  But a major difficulty is faced here, namely the lack of space: “We have to resort to other sailmakers who provide us with decks large enough to process sails of this size. Here on the island we don’t have the space: there are no sheds, nor the idea of building them.”

Support from the island’s CNA

Lacking spaces is not the only instance Massimo brings forward, thanks in part to the support of CNA Isola d’Elba. Portoferraio lacks a marina, Massimo laments: “So many boats pass through, but so few stop, but above all, we totally lack a winter catchment area. This prevents us from devoting ourselves exclusively to sails, and we have to make up for it with something else, namely upholstery.”

Sailmaker stepping in for crews’ inexperience

Elle Sails’ work is inherently intermittent when it comes to dealing with an emergency. Often due to inexperience and approximation. “We are called in to repair sails damaged by inexperienced crews maneuvering incorrectly or by sails being carried on further than they should be,” says Massimo, who points out, however, that the situation has improved over the years. “In years past there were a lot more repairs being done, it means that in general charters have also increased in quality.”

Irina, the seamstress who had to unlearn the trade

Working with Massimo is his wife Elena, who also makes bags from recycled materials in her spare time. And Irina, a former costume designer. “She had to learn to be less precise than when she was making costumes. I mean, she had to unlearn!” jokes Massimo.

Sailing is more sustainable

In an age when sustainability is at heart, it is sailing that has the upper hand, in the derby with motor boats. “On charter, it’s all about sailing, both because there is a greater focus on the environment and because renting a sailboat costs less. But the focus on green is especially there on sails, some made from recycled materials.” With Elle Sails Massimo can boast a kind of monopoly on the island, but what he values are partnerships and partherships, rather than competition. “I like competition, it’s stimulating. But especially when someone opens I immediately try to collaborate with them, to have a relationship.” Next door to the workshop is Tappezzeria Laura: “We’ve been collaborating there forever. For me there is no such thing as a price war. Least of all putting those who have the same trade as me in a bad light.” A philosophy that pays off, considering that word of mouth is the only showcase through which Massimo makes himself known.