illbruck Volvo 60 shipping to the USA

by Jane Eagleson on 25 Apr 2001 The new custom-built illbruck Volvo Ocean 60 arrived in Bremen, Germany early this morning after an overnight journey from the illbruck Automotive facility in Leverkusen-Neuenkamp where the boat was built.

The race boat will be shipped Friday to Charleston, South Carolina where the illbruck Challenge sailing team will tune-up the new bright green-and-white hulled racing yacht in their final months of training for the Volvo Ocean Race around-the-world which starts September 23 in Southampton, England.

The precious cargo, the result of almost seven months of work and some 27,000 man hours by illbruck Challenge boat construction manager Killian Bushe and his team of boat-builders, was transported on a flatbed truck with a police escort last night to the Duebbel & Jesse shipyard in Bremen.

The boat was given a warm farewell from local residents and illbruck employees who lined the street to see the race boat safely on its journey at 10 pm last night. The long and wide load of the 17.2-foot wide racing yacht required special permission and a police convoy to travel the streets and autobahn to Bremen, 300 kilometers north of Leverkusen.

The racing yacht will be loaded below deck of the freighter 'Star Fraser' on Friday and shipped to the United States. Once the race boat departs from Bremen, it is not expected to return to Germany until the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race around-the-world in Kiel in June 2002.

'Killian and his team did an outstanding job in building this boat,' said Thomas 'Beppo' Michaelsen, illbruck Challenge, Director of Operations. 'The months of hard work shows in the fine detail of the custom work and the brilliant finish of the hull. Before we started this project, we knew Killian had a reputation for being a perfectionist and now he has lived up to it. While the true test will come when illbruck sails next month, early signs are that this boat is all we hoped for,' Michaelsen said.

'After many months of hard work and dedication by the boat-building team, it was a great moment to see the boat roll out of the shed. Now we will all look forward to the maiden voyage next month,' Michaelsen said.

illbruck Challenge thanks the following suppliers who contributed to the construction of the illbruck Volvo Ocean 60: Geo. Gleistein (ropes), International Farbenwerke (paint), DIAB (foam for sandwich construction), Webasta (heaters), Niro Petersen (stainless steel equipment), Duebbel & Jesse (shipyard in Bremen).

illbruck Challenge is a competitive international sailing program that over the past 30 years has earned success at many of the world's top regattas. The illbruck Challenge is now pursuing the world's two pinnacle sailing events: the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier ocean race, and the America's Cup, the world's top match racing event. The illbruck Challenge is representing the Duesseldorf Yacht Club in Germany's first-ever Challenge for the America's Cup, the competition for the oldest international trophy in sport. The nine-leg Volvo Ocean Race around the world starts September 23, 2001 from Southampton, England and finishes in June 2002 in Kiel, Germany.

illbruck GmbH is a privately held international company with autonomous business units including Automotive, Sealant Systems, Sanitary Technology, Architectural Surfaces, and Filtration Systems/Insulation Systems. Founded in 1952, illbruck has 35 locations in15 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany. The illbruck Challenge embodies the philosophy of the illbruck company: success through motivation, flexibility and team spirit. The illbruck Challenge is the image medium and primary vehicle for illbruck's global and internal corporate identification.


www.illbruckChallenge.com