Wilhelm Gustav Illbruck, known as "Willi", has died after a long illness. He was the grand seigneur of ocean sailing par excellence, a driving force, doer, committed owner ("Pinta") - and, among other things, two-time Admiral's Cup winner, in 1983 and 1993.
Illbruck was a self-made man who, after returning from Soviet captivity, worked his way up from the bottom to become the head of his plastics factory near Leverkusen. Sailing was the second centre of his life - Willi Illbruck was the first person to be awarded the YACHT Pro navigare award for his sailing achievements.
He was one of the first owners in Germany to subordinate himself to the team spirit and not immediately reach for the tiller to show off as skipper. His success proved him right: in addition to his two victories in the unofficial World Championship in offshore sailing, he also won the One-Ton Cup in 1993 and 1994, which was highly significant at the time.
In 2002, the then Federal President Johannes Rau honoured his entrepreneurial achievements with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Willi Illbruck is survived by his wife Christiane and their two children Michael and Sabine. His son followed a similarly successful path as his father - he led the "Illbruck" to victory in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001.
