Italian boatbuilders are the focus of a new documentary series by Women in Boatbuilding and Annie Means.

It follows the success of the British boatbuilders’ tour, which was launched on the Women in Boatbuilding You Tube channel in 2023.

Italian boatbuilder Gaia Brojanigo was the inspiration and driving force behind taking the tour to Italy.

Gaia is a boatbuilder in Milan and a passionate campaigner for the importance of wooden boatbuilding in Italy.

Her own boatbuilding social content aims to bring the craft of wooden boatbuilding to a wider Italian audience and inspire Italians to build and sail.

After enjoying the ‘British Boatbuilders Tour’ series, Gaia approached Women in Boatbuilding with the idea of creating an Italian version.

US filmmaker and multimedia marine journalist Annie Means was eager to collaborate on the project once again.

The ‘Italian Boatbuilders Tour’ interviews Fanja Raffellini, Sara Castiglia, Lola Fabbri, Camilla Morelli, Silvia Scaramuzza, Eva Bonacina, and Gaia Brojanigo, who are working in various roles across the country.

Following the format of the original tour, all boatbuilders were asked the same questions, with a focus on their skills and work.

“Preserving the beautiful traditional craft and skills is a priority for these boatbuilders, who each have a unique role and story to tell,” said the founder of Women in Boatbuilding, Belinda Joslin.

“From Camilla Morelli, a traditional Venetian sailmaker, to Fanja Raffellini and her work at Vela Tradizionale, they are all working to preserve Italian maritime heritage.’”

Many also discussed their gender in relation to their working environments and the challenges within the Italian wooden boatbuilding sector.

“To quote one of the Italian boatbuilders, ‘I don’t want to start with a complaint, but it’s a statement of fact,’ it was truly difficult to find women for this docu-series,”  explained Gaia Brojanigo.

“There are certainly more out there, but I encountered little cooperation from large companies, and clearly, the network connecting people in our profession is very thin, at times almost intangible. I hope this video not only opens minds to welcome the other half of the sky to our trade but also that will bring us all together “women men and young people” to give new life to this craft, which is held
together by just a few people—like the women who appear in the video, who work and fight every day to preserve the Italian maritime heritage,” she added.

The aim of the tour was to share the skills and experiences of some of the women and the work they are doing, to inspire others and further grow the community of women working hands-on in yards around the world.

To watch the documentary go to the Women in Boatbuilding You Tube channel.

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