Our history

A story of triumphs for the sail loft
in Trezzano sul Naviglio

Veleria Viganò today has its headquarters in Trezzano sul Naviglio, in the province of Milan, and is a family business handed down with passion from father to son. Its story begins with Paolo, father of Roberto and Virgilio Viganò, one of the leading boat dealers in Italy and an excellent skipper.

The Viganò brothers, having inherited from their father a great love and competence for the sport of sailing, began their first competitions at the young age of 12. From their very first races they conquered the top of the rankings and won ten Italian and two European championships as racers in the 470 class. They alternated this activity on the open sea with the dinghies of their father's boatyard, thus gaining an incredible nautical experience both as navigators and as racers.

Sale and repair of sails

The founding of the sail loft and its first successes

Veleria Viganò was founded in 1976. The business specialized in cutting sails for Olympic classes such as the Flying Junior, the 470, the Flying Dutchman, the Strale and the 420 and in a short time managed to establish itself among the most qualified Italian sailmakers. Over the years, the research and experimentation work carried out for the development of new technologies such as Furlingsistems and airfoil sails in rigid material has been of particular importance.

From its headquarters in Trezzano sul Naviglio, in the province of Milan, Veleria Viganò began the first collaborations with professional crews, testing their own products directly in the field, including the Minitonners (a very widespread class in Europe at the time) with which the crew followed by Veleria Viganò managed to qualify for the European Championship in Spain.

The 80s: competitions and collaborations that made history

In 1980 Italy participated in the Little America's Cup and Veleria Viganò was asked to contribute to the development of a completely rigid sail, the experimentation of which lasted for three editions of the trophy. The company's technical skills were further put to the test during the Formula 40 regattas, when the sail loft of Trezzano Sul Naviglio, in the province of Milan, contributed to the construction of a twelve-meter catamaran that achieved amazing results both in regattas and in professional crewing. The 80s were a golden period for Veleria Viganò, who after the successes of Formula 40 undertook to create a Formula 28, a boat reserved for professionals. The latter was built in just over a month thanks to the hard work of a highly qualified staff and was ready to race in the European championship.

A close collaboration between the sail loft and some influential IMS owners began after a short time. The successes were not long in coming: the Xyacht of Veleria Viganò won the Italian class championship and the Livorno Academy Trophy with over one hundred and ten boats at the buoy, a third place at the Sardinia Cup and a long list of victories in the waters all over Europe.

Investments in new technologies for latest generation sails

From the 90s leading up to today, the sailmaker's commitment has been directed towards the design and manufacture of top quality sails. Viganò was in fact among the very first Italian companies to invest in new technologies in this sector. Computerized design and assisted fabric cutting and the use of a Plotter radically advanced the quality of its products.