NEW OD CLASS LEADER FOR THE MELGES 20

Giulio Desiderato Appointed New Melges 20 Expert

Giulio Desiderato joined North Sails three years ago after finishing up an Olympic 470 campaign. He’s based in the Carasco, Italy, about an hour east of Genoa. Giulio’s various teams had an excellent sailing season, winning the Melges 32 European ranking on Giogi, the J/70 Italian circuit on Calvi Network, and the circuit title in the Melges 40, coaching Stig. “It was a really good year for me,” he says.

Giulio claims his strength is more in sailing than sales. “It’s easy for me to understand what the sailor needs and what the owners need. Looking at my calendar more or less from March to October, every weekend I’m on the water. So that is one of my strong points.”

Giulio sails in a lot of different classes, but he really likes the Melges 20. “That is probably the One Design class that reminds me most of the 470, so I’m happy every time to sail with the Melges 20. The boat is technical because it doesn’t have backstays or a main traveler. In the Melges 20, the tuning of the mast is really important, and to manage the diamonds . Okay of course the 470’s are lighter, so it’s a different feeling, but you can really push the boat like a dinghy. And boat handling is critical. This is the reason that I really like the Melges 20.”

North Sails clients have been doing well, Giulio says.

“It’s been a really good season. Looking at the 2018 World championship, 20 of the 36 boats were sailing with North. And in the top five, there were three boats with 3Di. A good result, especially in such a competitive class.”

At the beginning of the 2018 season, Giulio’s team began to use 3Di sails. “We had a really good 3DL set, but we decided to switch because the future is in this direction. From the beginning, the designers realized a really good all-around mainsail. For sure the material is more stable compared to the 3DL.”

Giulio’s team finished 12th at the worlds, a good result for them. The Russian Alex Team finished fourth with a complete 3Di inventory. “We are investing a lot of time and energy, the sailors and the designers. We are focused on this class. Giovanni Cassinari, one of our top designers, is going to work on these sails for next year.”

The top two teams at the 2018 Worlds, Pacific Yankee and Brontolo Racing used 3Di mains and 3DL jibs.

“We are quite close to a really competitive 3Di jib,” Giulio says. “We are working in the right direction.” And because of its excellent durability, he adds, “3Di gives a big help for owners that sail a lot of regattas.”

Which is why Giulio’s recommended upwind inventory for the 2019 season is all 3Di. “Mi-2 for the main, and the Ji-2 jib.” Downwind, he recommends both the V-4 and R-2. “The class rules allow sailing with two different kites and you can choose based on the given wind conditions. The V-4 is good for reaching, so really light wind and from 12 knots up to the limit of the class. The R-2 is for medium wind when sailing in the deep mode is most ideal.”

On the rare weekends when he’s not at a regatta, Giulio likes to surf even though he’s “not a good surfer,” he claims. “The important thing is that you’re spending time on the water.”