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The Anarchists
Talk BIG Boats with John Kostecki
SA:
The
Illbruck’s have long been associated with the Judel/ Vrolijk design team. Why switch
to
Farr for the Volvo 60?
JK:
Farr Yacht Design has
a proven track record in the Volvo 60 class, producing the winner for
the last around-the-world race. Since we acquired sisterships EF Language,
winner of the last Whitbread, and EF Education, as training boats, it
gave us a great baseline to build from. The illbruck Challenge continues
its association with Friedrich (Fietje) Judel in our America’s
Cup program.
SA:
You’ve said that your Volvo
60 is a “different” boat. Can you tell us a bit about that?
How is it different from your practice boat (previous winner EF Language)?
JK:
We spent two years sailing
with the EF boats and all team members contributed their thinking to
how we could advance the boats. On our team we have people from six
different campaigns from the last Whitbread race. We have used that
experience and some extensive research to design our race boat.
SA:
There is little question that
a race around the world takes exceptional physical and mental abilities.
Outside of on-the-water training, how does the team, and in particular
you as the skipper, prepare for this race?
JK:
The team has been training
together for two years now, not only on the water but in a physical
training regimen managed by our fitness trainer Sven Riedesel. So physically
we are preparing to be in the best shape possible for the stamina and
endurance required for success in this race. We meet as a team every
day and prepare on all fronts from meteorology to medical training to
sail design. As skipper, I keep an eye on the big picture to make sure
that as a team we go into this as prepared as possible in all areas
of the program.
SA:
You didn’t do all the legs on
the last Whitbread. How do you plan to cope with the experience
of weeks in the Southern Ocean?
JK:
Earlier this year we spent
October through January in the Southern Ocean, starting in Fremantle
and sailing to Auckland and then over to Sydney for the Sydney Hobart
and back to Auckland -- almost 7,000 nautical miles. This gave us some
great experience and allowed us to test various on-board systems. We
did this with the entire race crew which allowed us to gel as a team
for long periods offshore. Also, we have extensive Southern Ocean experience
within our race crew who collectively have competed in 12 previous Whitbread
races.
SA:
Perhaps the most compelling
aspects of the last Whitbread Race, for the armchair sailor, were Paul
Cayard’s captivating emails. Will you do something similar for
this go around, as you did during your recent testing from Perth to
Sydney?
JK:
Yes all of the teams will be
contributing emails from on board to the Volvo Ocean Race site www.volvooceanrace.org
and we will do the same for our team web site at www.illbruckchallenge.com.
In our offshore sailing earlier
this year, we found traffic
to our site more than doubled when the guys were sending their daily
reports. With digital on board cameras, there will be plenty of images
as well.
SA:
Let’s switch to the 2003 AC.
How will your AC program run? Will you be expected to wear many
hats, as Paul Cayard did the last time? Will you be the principle
helmsman and leave the day-to-day stuff to someone else?
JK:
Well we are really lucky in
that Glenn Bourke just joined our team as CEO. Our team has grown since
taking on the America’s Cup in addition to the Volvo, so now Glenn will
manage the overall program while I can focus on the sailing program.
Glenn has done the Olympics and America’s Cup as a competitor and also
ran the sailing at the Olympic Games in Sydney so he knows all aspects
of a successful program.
SA:
Much is being made about what
people are getting paid to go Big Time Racing. We recently heard
Peter Gilmour state that “average” crew can make as much as $15,000
per month for an America’s Cup campaign, and $9,000 for the Volvo race.
Are these numbers accurate?
JK:
I can’t address what One World
or other teams might be paying, but certainly the sport has evolved
to a point where professionals can earn a steady living. The illbruck
company was one of the first companies to see the marketing value in
being affiliated with a professional sailing team so our program has
evolved over many years.
SA:
You’ve clearly performed your
way into sailing’s elite. We are always fascinated to hear what
makes the top people tick. What, in your estimation, are the reasons
why John Kostecki is the sailor he is today?
JK:
Certainly in big boat sailing
it’s all about the team you are sailing with. Over the years, I have
been fortunate to have been part of great teams. In building the illbruck
Challenge team, we looked for the best person for each position not
only on the race crew but on the shore and support teams as well. Being
surrounded by the best people in the sport who are team players and
committed to the same goals makes success inevitable.
SA:
Who
are the top three sailors that you’ve competed against, and why?
JK:
Throughout my career, I have
competed in the Olympics, one-design world championships, the America’s
Cup and the Whitbread, giving me the chance to race against many of
the top sailors in the world. The talent in all of these different sailing
disciplines runs deep and I have taken a little bit from every competitor
I have ever raced against.
SA:
While many look at your exploits
with great admiration, we are guessing that the life of a professional
with your credentials is fairly grueling. Take us through a typical
month. How much time are you spending in airports these days?
JK:
It’s not as glamorous as it
may sound to those not involved at this level. In this phase of our
program we have a rather steady routine here in Charleston SC where
we do our physical training each morning, then out on the water for
several hours and then review the day together as a team. Last month,
we raced both our boats to Baltimore so that changed the routine for
a week or so. We did some media and PR events in the Chesapeake which
is all part of a professional campaign.
I try to avoid airports as much as possible!
SA:
When you are not racing, what
do you do? You’re doing some training in South Carolina.
Come clean, you’re just there to take advantage of the great golf, aren’t
you?
JK:
I love to ride my mountain
bike or go snowboarding with my friends.
I wish we had the time for
golf!
SA:
You
appear to be one of the most composed sailors out there. However, I’m
sure there are times when you’ve gone ballistic. What really pisses
you off?
JK:
Racing sailboats is difficult
and challenging and I feel to be successful you must be as
composed as possible. I try not to get rattled!
SA:
how
long do you plan to continue this career? And what do you think you
would do if you weren’t doing this?
JK:
I
always plan to race sailboats. It has been my primary activity in
my life and I would like to continue racing for as long as possible.
If
I was not racing sailboats, I would be competing at something else
in the sporting world.
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