The Ocean Race is considered one of the toughest adventures on the high seas – a regatta full of hardships and hardships. On June 9, 2002, the “Illbruck” achieved something historic: For the first and so far only time, a German ocean-going yacht won the chase around the world.
“It was gigantic what Kiel did back then. As if Germany had won the World Cup.” 20 years later, Tony Kolb is still very impressed. At the time, the robust boat builder and foredeck man was the only German sailor on board the “Illbruck”, which secured overall victory in the 2001/2002 Volvo Ocean Race with an international crew. A spectacular circumnavigation of 32,700 nautical miles, almost 61,000 kilometers, in 9 stages around the world. Destination port is Kiel.
On Sunday, June 9th, 2002, the inner fjord of Kiel is boiling. Tens of thousands are on and by the water, giving the “Illbruck” a triumphant welcome. “For us it was a moon landing. It was crazy, something very special,” says Michael Illbruck, describing the moment when his ship reaches the “Sailing City”.
Four years of preparation under the strictest secrecy
Michael Illbruck, a plastics manufacturer from Leverkusen, is the initiator of the German campaign. The preparation takes four years. The high-tech yacht is being built in Leverkusen under the strictest secrecy.
A tough selection takes place on the Spanish Atlantic coast as part of a training camp lasting several weeks. A suitable crew has to be put together, which, under the leadership of the US skipper John Kostecki, will tackle the hunt around the world.
The crew consists of twelve sailors from seven nations.
In the end, twelve sailors from seven nations go on the strenuous journey. “Sometimes you have to be the first to sail around the ton. You don’t just have to talk about it, you also have to do it,” explains Illbruck, who meets with his crew at the respective milestones.
Flooding, twister and collision with a shark
There he also learns first-hand about the shocking moments on the oceans. About water ingress in the forecastle when the “Illbruck” threatened to sink. From the Twister approaching to within 200 meters on the third leg between Sydney and Auckland. “An unbelievable water column. Like in a bad film. The Twister came closer and closer, this noise, the wind, an unreal moment,” is how skipper Kostecki describes the life-threatening situation. From the shark that got rammed at 25 knots boat speed and wrapped itself around the keel.
World record for Kolb and Co.
Michael Illbruck is proud of this crew, who professionally circumnavigate all moments of danger and can exploit the speed potential of the puristically equipped 20-meter yacht. On the North Atlantic leg from Baltimore to La Rochelle, Kolb and his eleven fellow sailors set a world record for monohull boats, covering 484 nautical miles, i.e. 896 kilometers, within 24 hours.
The last section leads from Gothenburg to Kiel, where the “Illbruck”, which is now moored in Rostock under a different name and can be rented, is the fastest of a total of eight yachts that have started. “It was fantastic to come to Kiel. So many fans, so many people, just fantastic,” enthuses Kolb, who met his future wife Kim that same evening.
Tony Kolb in front of the Volvo Ocean Race map in April 2001.
He emigrated to South Africa with Kim and their four children, where they lived on a farm near Cape Town. The former boat builder now sits on the tractor as a farmer. Dedicated to growing olives and vines, but still has in his mind the breathtaking images of this spectacular adventure.
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Sports current | 09.06.2022 | 2:11 p.m
