How to win the Volvo Ocean Race pt2

James Boyd completes his review of 'how illbruck did it'

There was also their A2 masthead reacher they used in 14-22 knots, which was developed to work in conjunction with their fuller hull shape forward. "I think it benefited our boat because of the fullness in the bow and reaching we were always really hard pressed with that sail and when we have our boat hard pressed it seems to get up and plane faster," added Kostecki. "That seemed to work for us, that sail. It was the one we passed Dalts with coming into Cape Town. We just rocketed by him."

Then there was Mark Christensen's favourite, the hardcore fractional reaching sail - the A9. "That wasn't changed at all from EF," saidKostecki. "The ASSA ABLOY boys tested that sail, but didn't like it. We used it in the Southern Ocean a lot. That was an ocean winner for us. That's when we got the fastest sustained speeds with the boat."

Interestingly a particular cause of concern the team had was the durability of the sails and the desire to ensure that with a limited sail wardrobe they would last the course. Halcrow admits that their wardrobe is generally a grade heavier than what they could have fitted, although they brought on lighter sails later in the race when the risk of sail damage was less. A majority of the sail wardrobe was built in 3DL, although there was some lightweight Cuben fibre some of which they ended up blowing up (like a lot of the other boats did too).

So come September 2001, illbruck hit the start line of the Volvo Ocean Race running. They had all the pieces in place - the most heavily developed boat and sail program. But also a crew with many thousands of miles of ocean racing as a team already under their belts. They went on to win a convulted leg one, after pipping Grant Dalton to the post coming into Cape Town. Despite nearly sinking at the start of the second leg, they made a furious come back and overtook SEB in Bass Strait before sailing up the coast to Sydney.

On the 'shorter' more tactical leg three, including the Sydney-Hobart and then around the top of New Zealand's North Island to Auckland, ASSA ABLOY began to show her potential and made a break. Illbruck finished fourth two minutes behind Tyco and two minutes ahead of News Corp.

Leg four was a classic illbruck leg, dominating the proceedings from half way to Horn, and leading the fleet into Rio. Up to Miami she led for most of the way only to be foiled at final hurdle and be pipped at the post by ASSA ABLOY, to come in second. Another short leg up to Baltimore, another tactical game coming up the Chesapeake to finish and another fourth place for illbruck - a chink in the otherwise impenetrable armour was forming.

Skipper John Kostecki, with mastermind and financier Micheal Illbruck