Dede De Luca, managing director of OneSails, talks to VSail.info about his group and the innovative Millenium sails.

VSail.info: Let’s start with a brief background on yourself and OneSails.
Dede De Luca: OneSails was born from the idea of two Italian sail lofts both with a history of more than 25 years. At the beginning of 2000 they were both part of the UK Sails group but we were feeling a bit restrained given the fact we had developed a lot of innovative technologies and had many new ideas. As a result, we decided to join our forces, create our own brand and become an actor in the sailmaking business. Again, the fact we had our own exclusive technologies made it natural to create a new company, OneSails. That took place while I was in Valencia for the America’s Cup working for Mascalzone Latino. During that period we were seriously pondering the idea and once the Cup was over in 2007 we launched OneSails.

VSail.info: So, is OneSails an Italian group?
Dede De Luca: Initially it was an Italian group but we are currently present in nine European countries with thirteen different sail lofts. We are continuously developing and growing with a considerable number of potential future partners not only in Europe but throughout the world. We are in discussions with a lot of sail lofts from all over the world but we have established a selective process. Let’s say we have to “date” a sail loft a long time before we “get married” to them. We are proud to state that 100% of our production is done in Europe and I think we are the only ones in the world that can claim that.

VSail.info: What is your main market? Do you focus on the racing yachts or do your clients mainly come from the cruiser market?
Dede De Luca: As a group of sail lofts we have an extensive and wide coverage. Our products range from the smallest sails, for the Optimists, where we won the European Championship this year, up to the biggest one-piece sails ever built in the world, for the Wally 143 Essence, the Wally 130 and the J-class Shamrock. For sure, since our exclusive products involve the highest technologies, our main customers are in the high-end range of megayachts, performance cruisers or racing yachts but our philosophy is based on the high quality, the attention to the smallest detail and pampering of our clients, regardless of who they might be. We don’t choose them. Even the Dacron sails, we make them with a stringent selection but we do make them. We have our internal production department and thus our sail lofts are specialized in different areas.

Of course, the products we promote, the image of the group we are portraying, our advertising campaigns, all focus on our high-tech sails, the one-designs where we win rather than the megayachts or the races. However, that doesn’t mean that all our research and development work can’t be applied to cruisers. On the contrary, we have products that are ideal for cruisers.

VSail.info: Do you carry out your own research and development?
Dede De Luca: Yes, we have our internal R&D department, staffed with engineers that work for us full time. Their task to improve our products and find new solutions, always working closely with sailors, specialized in the field. In addition, a very important aspect our engineers are working on and have already achieved significant results is to become environmentally friendly. All our sails, already today, are in theory recyclable…

VSail.info: Why do you say “in theory” recyclable? Aren’t they really recyclable?
Dede De Luca: No, that’s not the reason. I don’t want to make a statement that wouldn’t be true but no sail has been recycled yet simply because the organization to do it hasn’t been set up. If it existed, the sails could then be recycled. Our group is actively working and carrying out research in that direction.

VSail.info: Your group’s flagship product are the Millenium sails. Can you give us more details on that? What is, in your view, the main point that differentiates it from your competitors?
Dede De Luca: The most important difference lies in the construction technique of the membrane. In all the other sails, whether they are made of panels or with a mold, the two external films are bonded together with glue. In our case there is no glue and the laminate is fused in a thermoplastic matrix. Our sails, once assembled are put into a vacuum bag, then inside an oven, in one single piece, and are cooked at over 120ºC. As a result, the two mylar films that have been previously gone through thermoplastic treatment are fused.

This process has been patented and offers a series of advantages. First of all, it’s impossible for the sails to be delaminated. In fact, we offer a 3-year delamination warranty but in reality there simply sin’t any delaminated Millenium sail! Once the two films have been fused you don’t have the intermediate layer of glue that deteriorate with time. The first Millenium sail was made in 2003 and we haven’t ever had any request for refund. In fact, our aim is, starting 2013, to offer a life-time warranty in regards to delamination.

The second advantage Millenium offers is that the carbon fiber remains dry and isn’t impregnated with glue. This is a big advantage for all type of fiber and carbon in particular. As a result, the sail becomes much less fragile. It is well known that one of the biggest problems with carbon fiber sails is that after extensive use the carbon breaks and the sail loses its initial shape. In our case, this problem is considerably reduced, almost eliminated, due to the fact the fibers remain soft and much less fragile.

Thanks to this innovative process we are the only ones that can use high-module carbon. You might not know it but during the America’s Cup in Valencia, North Sails carried out tests but the sails broke down because high-module carbon is more fragile than normal module and once impregnated with glue it becomes impossible to manage on flexible laminates such as a yacht sail. In our case, the absence of glue makes possible the use of high-module carbon in sails.

VSail.info: What about the weight? Are the Millenium sails lighter?
Dede De Luca: Yes, with the same structure, they are lighter because, fundamentally, you have less material. We all have the film, we all have yarns, we all have the scrim that keeps the membrane together but we don’t have any glue. On the other hand, any other sail made by any other company has, in addition, glue and the increase in weight is noticeable. The most eye-opening example is the weight of a J-Class mainsail. If it’s made of Dacron it weighs 974kg, while in 3DL Marathon it still weighs 460kg, compared to just 284kg for a Millenium. Obviously, the bigger the sail the bigger the difference will be in absolute numbers but even in smaller sails you will have a reduction in weight.

Another very important aspect of the Millenium sails is that they are in one piece. Yarns go from one angle to another uninterrupted and this something only we and North Sails have. Nevertheless, for sails over 35-35 meters we are the only ones that can build such sails because in the case of North Sails they are too big to fit on one mold and as a result they have to do it in two pieces. For that reason we hold the record of the world’s biggest sail in one piece.

VSail.info: We are going through a world financial crisis and as result everybody is now budget conscious. How competitive are you in terms of pricing?
Dede De Luca: We are definitely competitive even if it’s difficult right now to have firm information on the pricing of our competitors. They apply rebates, special terms or even lower prices depending on the geographical location of their clients. It’s hard to have a clear picture but in general lines are prices are approximately 15% lower than North Sails. This is also a correct positioning in the market because even if we can compete on equal or better terms as far as the technology is concerned we realize we are less known. There is no doubt North is a formidable power in terms of marketing, brand awareness and market penetration and it is normal 3Di and 3DL are known much more than our sails.

We have ambitious expansion projects, firstly with the addition of sail lofts worldwide and the continuous improvement of our products. Once we have the necessary power and brand awareness in the market we will try to enter the stronger and more challenging markets such as the Volvo Ocean Race, the America’s Cup or other major events and classes.

VSail.info: Now that you mention the Volvo Ocean Race, could Groupama, Abu Dhabi or Camper have chosen Millenium sails a year ago for their projects?
Dede De Luca: For sure yes and I’m convinced they would now have less problems. We have carried out tests, we have had boats that sailed around the world. We have a lot of data regarding the performance, durability and shape-holding of our sails and I’m absolutely sure we could have done an excellent job. As I said, our main problems are “political” and of marketing. We still lack the necessary force to present ourselves in such kind of projects and be taken seriously into consideration.

A few years ago we had some contacts with Oracle because Russell Coutts had tried our sails on the RC44 and had a very positive impression. It’s a difficult world though and it proves tough to change a situation that exists since decades. It is still considered a risk and for a lot of people it is seen as jumping in the void. A lot of people are afraid to take the risk and we need to grow in terms of image before we can overcome these hurdles.

The world's largest one-piece sail on the Wally 130. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi

VSail.info: Now that you brought up Russell Coutts and Oracle there is a question I always ask every major actor in the sails business. Regardless of what opinion you might have of the current America’s Cup, what do you think of the wing as a technological evolution? Will it replace the mainsails?
Dede De Luca: I think it will be very difficult for the wing, the way it is conceived in the AC45′s and AC72′s, to have a future simply because it’s impractical. When the organization itself has difficulties handling the wings, try to imagine a weekend sailor… How can they handle such a complex technology? Nevertheless, there is some interest in the wing concept and without any doubt as the technology evolves and new ideas are tried there will be some developments but not with the technology currently in use. That one is impractical and traditional, soft sails will be with us for many years ahead. I don’t know how many exactly but I still haven’t seen a wing concept that is practical to use and handle. Even if they come with a concept that is easy to handle, the increase in performance isn’t spectacular in order to justify it, especially if it’s twice as expensive.

VSail.info: What is the main focus of your R&D department now? Improve the existing technologies or provide the same technologies but at a lower cost?
Dede De Luca: Lowering production costs is always a target. It goes without saying. However, we have always been innovative and we like trying new ideas. We are strongly convinced that our potential will be realized by trying out new ideas but, unfortunately, I can’t reveal you anything! We always keep in mind though that you have to find the balance between technological advances and competitive costs. There is no doubt that what client are asking for, today, is to spend less but our philosophy is that by creating new, innovative products at the right price, clients will return.

VSail.info: North Sails boast about the 3D sails. Are you doing any research in that directions as well?
Dede De Luca: You have to distinguish between the final result and the construction technique. North’s construction is done with a mold while ours, as well as that of all other sailmakers, is done without a mold. However, that doesn’t mean North’s sails are three dimensional while ours aren’t! Everybody, including them, start their construction based on laminates that are flat. Imagine having a flat piece of paper and an egg. No matter what you do, if you try to wrap the egg with the paper you will have wrinkles. As a result, if we put a single, flat sheet on the mold, it will not fit, unless it’s thermally deformable, which is not. So, what do they do? They put stripes on the mold and they create the base. In a similar fashion, if you cut the paper sheet in narrow stripes with curved boundaries and you glue them together you can wrap the egg. The same concept holds true for the mold where they put flat surfaces, glued together. They then add the yarns and the second layer, taking a three-dimensional shape.

This is exactly what we do with the only difference that we don’t use a mold but a plotter. The curves on the support are plotted on flat panels that are then joined and the sail takes the desired shape. As a result, all sails are three-dimensional and all of them are assembled from flat surfaces. The only difference lies in the construction technique. The aspect where OneSails and North differ from the rest is that the yarns are continuous, from one angle to the other. This is an important prerogative of the Millenium and 3DL sails because that’s where the loads are concentrated and yarn junctions always show problems. Again, the shape of a sail only depends on the skills of its designers and the way it is built is a completely different issue.

The world's largest one-piece sail on the Wally 130. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi