Another win for illbruck

Ed Gorman was on the dockside in La Rochelle for the arrival of John Kostecki's team

So what was the key to Illbruck's success this time? According to Kostecki, there was a moment not long after the exit from Chesapeake when they managed to position the boat in the strongest part of the Gulf Stream and, with the right sail up, sailed away from the fleet. They quickly put 10 miles on their nearest pursuers and were never caught from there.

Kevin Shoebridge, skipper of Tyco, who finished third into La Rochelle, saw it slightly differently. Both he and navigator Steve Hayles reckon they were right on illbruck's tail during this phase - in the same Stream conditions, about four miles back. According to Shoeby, illbruck set an asymmetric fractional spinnaker - a Code 5 which they use in 20-25 knots with a true wind angle of 120-130 degrees - and they then did a horizon job in one sched. It was more a case of a dynamite reaching sail than anything to do with the Stream. "They seemed to get a 10-mile jump that day and that was it," said Shoeby.

McDonald gave another clue to illbruck's class at the head of this super-competitive fleet. He said that once the German boat had got ahead, for him and his crew on Assa it was a case of waiting for Kostecki and his team to make a mistake. But they were waiting right up to the time they cracked open their first beers on the dockside in western France. "They ( illbruck) were in the right place at the right time, all the time," said McDonald. "They sailed the perfect race," he added.

Someone else with informed views on illbruck's performance is Glenn Bourke the chief executive officer of the syndicate. He reckons the disappointments of legs five and six had the effect of re-focussing the team and spurring them on even more for the transat. There were a few changes made on and off the boat in Baltimore and then it all just fell into place. Bourke says the collapse of the team's America's Cup campaign has only defined more tightly their determination to carry off the first Volvo Ocean Race.

As the champagne corks began to fly and as Kostecki lifted another crystal trophy to the skies, Bourke observed: "It's about this time in most normal sailing regattas, three-quarters of the way through, that boats start to shine and that's what's happening here."

For results and finish times see page 3...

John Kostecki (left) with Michael Illbruck