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KOSTECKI & CAYARD — W
ith the main events of America's Cup 34 now only three months away, we thought it appropriate to check in with two of the summer showdown's most respected warriors, John Kostecki, tactician for Oracle Team USA, and Paul Cayard, CEO of Artemis Racing. Being two of the most accomplished sailors ever produced by San Francisco Bay, both have resumes longer than the wake of an AC72. Their accomplishments span decades of sailing in a wide variety of boat types, including Olympic one designs, around-the-world racers and America's Cup innovations. But despite all that, neither has forgotten the simple pleasures of his sailing roots, poking around in sailing dinghies when only in grade-school.
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ORACLE TEAM USA / PHOTO: GUILAIN GRENIER
JK — No, not then. But in my early n addition to winning an Olympic silteenage years going to the Olympics was ver medal in the Soling class and helming a big goal of mine. Illbruck Challenge to a win in the '01-'02 L38 — In addition to your father, who Volvo Ocean Race, John Kostecki, 48, has were your early sailing mentors? won 10 world championships in different JK — I had several growing up. During sailing classes. the '80s there were a lot of great sailors Lat 38 — John, naturally, we'd like around San Francisco — Tom Blackto get your insights into this year's Cup aller, John Bertrand, Paul Cayard, Craig action, but first our readers would probHealy, Steve Jeppesen, Ken Keefe — who ably enjoy hearing about the beginnings were all in the same of your sailing career. age bracket more When and where did or less, and really you start? grew together. I was Kostecki — My quite a bit younger family moved out than some of those here, to Marin Counguys, and I'd always ty, when I was three looked up to them. years old. My parents Eventually I got to were just starting sail with them all to learn how to sail and against them all. when we moved. They It was great. They rebought a Lido 14, ally helped me in my and I started sailing career. with them when I was L38 — How was it three. Coincidentally that you ended up in that was Larry ElSolings? lison's first boat too. JK — Back in the When I was about early '80s I started six my parents moved transitioning more up to a Cal 20, which to small keelboats. had a big one design But in '83 I started fleet on the Bay at sailing 470s with Zac the time, so I sailed Berkowitz. But physwith them on that ically, as a helmsboat. Then when I Oracle Team USA tactician John Kostecki man I was a little too was about seven or big. So we struggled in the 470 class, and eight, I joined the Richmond YC Junior a lot of that had to do with my size. In Program and started sailing there. That the lighter air we wouldn't do that well. was the first time I was able to sail more When I was down in Long Beach at the or less on my own, in El Toros. But I pre-Olympic classes regatta in 1983 — always continued to sail with my father, the year before the games — Bob BillingJack, on Cal 20s and small keelboats. ham was sailing Solings, I think with L38 — Do you remember those early Don Cohan. It was during that regatta days as a really joyful time? And did you that we started talking about me maybe like the racing aspect of sailing from the sailing the Soling (a 26-ft, three-person beginning? boat) because I was complaining about JK — Very early on I just enjoyed the always having to diet and I wasn't havsailing. But when I joined the junior proing any fun. Shortly thereafter, we put gram is probably when the racing aspect together a program to do the '84 Olympic really started intriguing me; that's when trials in the Soling, with Bob and Mark the competitive juices started flowing. Heer. I was the helmsman. L38 — We'd bet you never dreamed We went to the '84 trials and didn't back then you'd someday make it to the qualify, but that sort of jump-started our highest levels of the sport.
campaign. Shortly thereafter we started winning a lot of the U.S. and international events in the Soling class. I think we won the '86 World Championships. L38 — Then, of course, you won the silver medal at the '88 games in South Korea with Billingham and Will Baylis. Going to the Olympics must have been a huge eye-opener in terms of all the possibilities that the sport held. JK — For sure. During that period we traveled the world, and made friends all over. So it was definitely an interesting time of my life.
"Yeah, things happen a lot faster, but you adjust to it. For me now, this pace seems like the norm." L38 — How did you migrate to big boat racing. Was it because you'd made a name for yourself and had become a desired commodity? JK — Yeah, after the '88 Olympics I sailed larger boats in the Big Boat Series and other local races. I also sailed the six meter for St. Francis YC in international events. I started sailing maxi boats in the early '90s. L38 — And how did the Illbruck connection come about? That was really getting into the big time, wasn't it? JK — Actually, Russell Coutts, who is our leader here at Oracle Team USA, was sailing with the Illbruck family on their one-tonner, and he had some conflicts. So Willi Illbruck asked him to recommend a replacement. He recommended me, so I did the '94 season with them, and we ended up winning the One Ton Cup, which is like the world championship in that class — it was quite competitive back then. So that was the beginning. Then Willi turned his company and his sailing operation over to his son Michael in '97. During the '97-'98 Whitbread Michael approached me and said his company wanted to sponsor a boat in the next Whitbread — which turned into the Volvo Ocean Race. They asked me if I was interested, and I said, "Yeah! I'd like to take it on." I'd already been involved with Chessie Racing in the previous race. L38 — And, of course, you won the race, which made you a huge celebrity in Germany. But we're curious: Buoy racing and around-the-world racing are so
AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • Page 92 •
Latitude 38
• April, 2013
