In England they call it “The Big Repair.” For years, at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, HMS Victory—the flagship from which Horatio Nelson won the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805—has been at the heart of the world's largest historic ship restoration project. More than 3,500 tons of vessel, 70 meters long and 16 meters wide. And it matters little that the Union Jack flies from her mainmast: the man leading the work is Italian master shipwright Leonardo Bortolami. At 42 years old—born in Padua but long since adopted by Lombardy—Bortolami will, from September, be among the instructors at the new School of Master Shipwrights organized by the Fondazione Officine dell'Acqua in Laveno Mombello, on Lake Maggiore. It is a one-of-a-kind program in Italy dedicated to training future generations of naval carpenters and preserving one of the oldest and most prestigious trades in Italian seafaring. For Bortolami, it is a return to his roots, because it was on the shores of that very lake, on the Varese side, that he learned the ancient secrets of wooden shipbuilding. «I carried out restoration and maintenance work on historic and traditional boats,” he says. “My family and I moved to the Varese area precisely because there was plenty of work there in the sector». Bortolami's passion for boats began long ago. «My father owned a small wooden boat, and I remember helping him with maintenance work when I was a child. I think that's where it all began». Over the years, that curiosity became a profession: first studies in architecture and yacht design, then a PhD, and finally training as a master shipwright. «Every decision I made had a single goal: to turn that passion into my career» And he succeeded. His first professional experiences on Lake Maggiore were the natural continuation of that path, as was his first job abroad—in Scotland, to be precise. «Between periods in Varese, I also worked at the Scottish Fisheries Museum, north of Edinburgh, where I restored the last surviving example in the world of a traditional herring fishing vessel typical of that region». The opportunity of a lifetime arrived in 2023 in the form of a job advertisement on LinkedIn. Portsmouth was looking for a Head Master Shipwright for the restoration of the legendary HMS Victory. «I applied without getting my hopes up too much. I thought there was no chance they'd choose me». But the call from across the Channel did come. «It wasn't easy to reorganize everything and leave. But my wife told me an opportunity like that was simply too good to pass up». So they packed their bags. «The first time I stepped aboard the ship, I felt an overwhelming emotion. I couldn't believe I was laying my hands on something truly unique in the world». Completed in 1765, HMS Victory was the ship from which Admiral Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, losing his own life in the process. «My favorite part is the lower gun deck» Bortolami says. «The original planking is still there, bearing all the marks of more than 250 years of history». It may be the job of a lifetime, but it comes with no shortage of responsibility or challenges. «Normally, a master shipwright replaces the timber and the old structural elements of a boat. In Victory's case, we have to preserve as much of the original material as possible. It requires a completely different mindset». At the Portsmouth dockyard, Bortolami leads a team of around twenty professionals, including master shipwrights, carpenters and laminators. Finding such skilled workers in post-Brexit Britain is no easy task. «If you come from abroad, you need a work visa or a company willing to sponsor you» he explains. «Unfortunately, the Royal Navy Museums cannot cover all the costs required to sponsor visas for shipwrights, so recruiting qualified personnel is very difficult». The restoration project—backed by a total investment of £42 million—will continue until 2033, when Bortolami will be 49. He admits that the desire to return home is there. «I often ask myself what I'll do once Victory is finished. I see it as one of those jobs that represents the pinnacle of a career. In the future, I'd like to be involved in projects of this significance, but I don't think Italy offers anything comparable». There is still time to make that decision. For now, Bortolami's mind—and his hands—are entirely devoted to the HMS Victory project in all its grandeur. «I've been coordinating the carpenters at this wonderful dockyard for several years now. I'm beginning to think that, with great humility, I've earned a small place in history as well» the master shipwright concludes. History—with a capital H.