If you need a boat in Procida, Sailitalia will take care of it.

Mimmo Longobardo is waiting for me at Giorgio’s, a simple, cozy little restaurant in Procida’s Marina Grande, opposite the Marina’s docks filled with his boats.

Thirty-seven years ago I sold him a boat, and now I come to ask him for help with the VELA Cup, which we are organizing here the weekend of Sept. 27-28 in cooperation with the Marina di Procida of the Marinedi group. Bleached hair and beard, a few extra pounds, yet I recognize him at once; we embrace, perhaps a little excited.

We are bound by the San Marco: for me first boat, where my son Marco was born; for him Number One dime (Scrooge McDuck’s mythical first cent), from which Sailitalia was born (
www.sailitalia.com
). “I remember it well on that March 19, 1987. A Gib Sea 39, three cabins and two bathrooms, 85 million liras scraped together with a loan and a lot of courage, perfect. With the help of Fiona, my German partner, we aimed for the foreign market, and it was a success. The first summer went so well that we went to the Genoa Boat Show and bought another one, and the next year we were already Gib Sea dealer“.

The secret of Sailitalia

Then exponential growth that led them to be number one in Europe and among the most important private companies on the island, where it set the standard. Beneteau dealers, Mooring and Sunsail franchises, sole importers of Leopard catamarans. A fleet that is also growing rapidly thanks to the “management formula” and now has one hundred boats, from 36 to 55 feet, located in the three bases of Procida, Porto Rosa in Sicily and Cannigione, Sardinia.

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But what is Sailitalia Mimmo’s secret? “Boats that are always very young, the average of our fleet is no more than five years old; 24-hour assistance, with emergency response and replacement boat, a spare parts warehouse that allows us to solve any problem.” This is where Michele, Mimmo’s brother, the technical director in charge of the fleet’s scheduled maintenance and well-stocked warehouse, comes in, showing me with justifiable pride, “By now we know in advance what will break, and we always keep it in stock.”

Management formulas

But I am intrigued by the “management formula”: “You can enjoy the boat two weeks during the season, even abroad, and every day from November to March; we take care of the rest. No cost, no worries, and the guarantee of having a boat that is always in perfect condition. With a guaranteed annuity depending on how many years the contract lasts: it can be up to 50 percent of the boat’s value if you commit to seven seasons. Finally, on the last minute, you can take as many weeks as you want“.

Ownership has given way to various forms of chartering in boating as well, and the reason is quickly explained: simply add the depreciation of the purchase cost to the annual maintenance costs, divide by the actual days of use, and compare the result with the charter rate for an equivalent boat. Irene, Booking manager, spoke: “Our clientele, 75% foreign, has very clear ideas and a high rate of loyalty; we respond with absolutely personalized service. From flotilla sailing to the luxury formula, which on a gorgeous Leopard catamaran even includes a fully stocked galley complete with chef and hostess“.

If you don’t have a boat at the VELA Cup in Procida?

We walk to the Naval League sailing school, where Mimmo goes to enroll his seven-year-old twins, and talk about the VELA Cup: “Beautiful idea, the VELA Cup in this wonderful island will be an extraordinary event and we will certainly register our own crew. Then we can raffle off a week’s charter, give availability on the last minute to those who want to come but don’t have a boat–in short, count on us“.

Thank you Mimmo, it was a pleasant chat, in an office that exudes passion and expertise, with many young people at work. How nice when entrepreneurship in the South works!

Fabio Ratti

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