"Pinta Smeralda": Willi Illbruck's last monument is a cruising boat

It is 1993 and Germany wins the Admiral's Cup off Cowes, the unofficial world championship of ocean racing, by the narrowest of margins. This was a minor sensation, as it had been ten years since the last German success in the prestigious regatta series, which became sadly famous in 1979 due to the loss-making Fastnet Race. This time, nobody had the German trio seriously on their radar.

One of the three winning boats is Willi Illbruck's "Pinta". A yacht of the same name from Illbruck was also in the German winning team in 1983. "Pintas" were well-known names on international regatta courses. Just like Willi Illbruck himself, who belonged to the last great generation of gentleman sailors before the sport became professionalised.

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The grand seigneur founded a company near Leverkusen in 1952 and developed it into a global corporation. This obviously required a good nose for current developments. And Illbruck sensed that the era of IOR boats, the measurement formula that produced very special, almost absurd racing goats, was coming to an end. Although he still won the One-Ton Cup in 1994, that was the end of the racing yacht called "Pinta" for Illbruck. The new International Measurement System, or IMS for short, was already on the horizon at the time.

A ship for Illbruck and the family

On 9 June 2002, however, a yacht from Illbruck under US professional John Kostecki once again entered the Volvo Ocean Race off Kiel. As the winner. A sensation for sailing Germany. At that time, however, son Michael Illbruck was already at the helm of the company. The ship is no longer called "Pinta", but "Illbruck". Even though father Illbruck is no longer racing around the buoys, he has not let go of sailing. A boat was apparently already maturing in his head in 1994. As so often in his sailing career, the path led the former business captain to the designers at Judel/Vrolijk & Co. "Rolf (Vrolijk) himself was in charge of the project at the time, I still remember that," reports Torsten Conradi, now Managing Director of the Bremerhaven-based designers. "The boat was innovative in terms of size back then."

Freed from the recently post-sensible excesses of the International Offshore Rule (IOR), according to which the Admiral's Cupper was built, Illbruck wanted a ship for himself and his family. Light, just as easy to handle by a very small crew, room for children and grandchildren and equipped with a lifting keel. But also performant and therefore perfectly suited to satisfy Illbruck's unbroken penchant for fast sailing.

The hull shape is based on the IMS, i.e. the new surveying formula that was becoming en vogue at the time, according to the design commentary by the Bremerhaven-based company. And Illbruck apparently already has an idea of where he would like to sail it. The ship is called "Pinta Smeralda", because that is exactly where she is to find her home on the Costa Smeralda in north-east Sardinia. She will be the last yacht from Illbruck to bear the name "Pinta".

Rolf Vrolijk gets to work. An elegant 60-foot design with space for enough cabins below deck, airy, light and bright. A lifting keel with crash box, an easy-to-use rig with furling sail in the boom, fully hydraulically operated and a large cockpit for a good time at anchor in the beautiful La Maddalena archipelago. Light and fast, of course, because Illbruck really doesn't want to travel slowly under sail. That's why the boat is built by Marten Marine in New Zealand with a honeycomb core and carbon fibre hulls similar to a cupper. "They were very good at the time and also cheaper than a shipyard here. And the result proved them right," says Conradi. She is completed in 1997.

Full comfort for two on 60 feet

It is not known whether Illbruck spent the desired time on board with his family. However, Willi Illbruck died in 2004. At some point, "Pinta Smeralda" is sold to Hong Kong. There, her current owner finds the ship, falls in love with the lines and the quality of construction, and the dental technology entrepreneur brings the ship home to the Netherlands.

A refit is due: The crash box on the keel has already been used and needs to be replaced, and some changes to the hydraulics make the system even more solid. The electronics and upholstery are tackled and a brand-new engine of exactly the same design is found by chance at a yacht service centre and installed. Owner Björn Ginsberg cares for and enjoys his "Pinta" through and through. Above all, the fact that he and his wife can sail the rather large boat on their own is a joy. No lengthy crew search, no paid staff: simply full comfort for two on 60 feet. That's comfortable.

Even on the jetty, the ship exudes a superior composure, as do sportsmen who know that they will be underestimated. The 30-year-old design has aged superbly. Timeless, sporty, elegant. "Pinta Smeralda" is more reminiscent of the forerunner of the later "Illbruck", even though it was designed by Bruce Farr, than of a lumbering cruiser. The wide stern and large cockpit open at the back, wide gangways, a crouched superstructure and the open foredeck are true sportsman attributes, but the teak deck is not. You don't tend to see the deck step on racers these days either. Nevertheless, this is a wolf in sheep's clothing, with a large carbon rig and a draught of up to 3.80 metres. Time to finally go sailing!

Great weather: around 15 knots of wind, a few gusts up to 20 to add salt to the soup and sunshine. It couldn't be better. It's a bit of a shame that the ship is moored on the Haringvliet and not in its namesake area. Although the inland sea in the Netherlands is very beautiful, it is somehow too small an area for the ship; the Mediterranean would somehow be better. No matter. The perceived narrowness is due to the speed that the "Pinta" conjures up on the water. In the wind, with the self-tacking jib it is easily eight knots, and with a bit of trimming more would be possible. But the owner doesn't want to do that: "It's not worth it, there's no room here anyway."

The yacht also provides good feedback: pleasant pressure in the rudder and ship as well as in gusts, the very direct conversion into speed and slight heeling make steering a pleasure. At the same time, "Pinta" is very stiff. 41 per cent ballast, most of it in a depth of just under four metres, and a width of a good five metres are on a par with the powerful rig. That's the joy of sailing. This is also fuelled by the certainty that changes to the cloth do not require any effort. Pressing a button is enough, even for the fore and mainsheet.

First sporty ambitions, then comfortable cruiser

This would also apply to the work at the wheel, because of course the autopilot is also powerful enough for the 19 tonnes of displacement, but turning the wheel yourself is a real pleasure. The position of the two ash-laminated steering wheels with carbon spokes at the front of the cockpit is unusual. Under the large sprayhood, however, there are two places where you can keep a very sheltered lookout on long passages. These are installed close to the companionway so that you can quickly reach one of the command stations if necessary.

From the wheel, the helmsman has the best view of the headsail, can steer precisely according to the lines and is also protected from the elements by the sprayhood. In regatta mode, you can sit upwind on the well-designed coaming or at the very front on one of the cockpit benches. A fantastic steering position.

It also allows you to remain part of the outdoor life. Thanks to the consistently lightweight design, the boat could certainly be manoeuvred with ease on the odd regatta. Without the bimini, the view into the sails is even better and sporting ambitions could be realised with a crew on board. The party trick of the "Pinta", however, is that the next day she is once again the fast and comfortable cruiser that she was built to be, which can also penetrate smaller bays thanks to the lifting keel and easily make large distances when the destination is just over the horizon.

Owner Björn Ginsberg saw this and much more in the "Pinta Smeralda" at the time. When the opportunity arose, he seized it. He is a perfectionist with a love of detail and immediately sets to work to breathe new life into the yacht, which had become somewhat run-down after its time in Hong Kong: "If I hadn't bought her back then, she would now be lying at the bottom somewhere in the South China Sea. Such a beautiful ship, but she really needed attention." And Ginsberg gave her that.

Lightning strikes twice after refit

In addition to the renewed crash box and the replacement engine, the sea valves, the electrics and the electronics were freshly installed on board. Everything is new. As with most things on the ship, there is a story behind the displays in the cockpit. "B&G no longer makes these gauges. But I found a company in England that still had the injection moulds. They then rebuilt them for me and fitted them with modern electronics inside, so everything remains original," reports the owner. Another anecdote about the attention to detail concerns the toilet in the owner's area. It is located at the very front of the bow. After a somewhat rough cruise, a hairline crack appeared in the foot under the toilet. It wasn't leaking, of course. Nor was it visible because it was at the rear. Nevertheless, the throne was replaced. And, of course, painted to match the owner's car.

The table in the cockpit is also special: the wooden insert seems to float in it. There are no visible points of contact with the stainless steel construction around it. The weld seams on the pipes are also polished to perfection, giving the impression that it was created from a single mould. "It really took the stainless steel fabricator some time, but the result is really great. Unfortunately, he went bankrupt a little later, but I don't think that was due to our table," says Ginsberg. The electronics have now been replaced a total of three times. After the first refit, lightning struck twice in total. As we all know, electronic devices don't like that. Now the Hercules 500 system from B&G has been installed plus an on-board computer. Weather routing software is a matter of course. The navigation corner is somewhat reminiscent of that of more modern ocean racers.

A little less high-tech, but still involving a lot of effort: the upholstery. They give the otherwise rather cool interior a warm touch. The manufacturer had not yet supplied the combination of leather and fabric in this form. "It took them a while to get it the way we wanted it, even with the corners and such. They do it more often these days, they told me," says the owner. There is a Corian cover in the sink. When you pick it up, you think it's made of lead. "The generator and hydraulics are installed on the port side and to avoid having to work with ballast, we thought why not simply make the worktop as thick as possible from Corian to compensate for the weight? And that's how it was done." There is a story behind almost everything on board.

At the time, Illbruck apparently only allowed on board what was good and expensive. From watermaker to winch, from dishwasher to sheet: only the very best. And that's how it was built, by the way. Two watertight bulkheads in the bow and stern, as well as the main bulkhead made of carbon with a honeycomb core and a special sound-insulating layer glued in the centre under vacuum. This also applies to the teak deck, except that the lower layer is also made of carbon fibre rather than marine plywood. It almost goes without saying that the water-cooled exhaust was also specially made for the ship and is also made from the sixth element of the periodic table.

15 knots speed seems absolutely realistic

Keyword customised: This applies to many things on board. The dishwasher, for example, or the cockpit table already described, the instruments, oh yes, and the hull-shaped supports in which the ship can be gently transported on the low-loader. All this only exists once. The future owner must be fascinated by this uniqueness, because it is simply impossible to replace a single part. If something fails, this means research, persuasion and usually also high costs. However, if you understand the appeal of something special, then the boat for sale in Holland may be just the thing for you.

But unlike other luxury items, the "Pinta" is not only extravagant, it can also sail. As the Haringvliet narrows and the return journey is imminent, the still coiled Code Zero rises. Many windings later, a good 200 square metres of cloth are tugging at the ship. There is another gennaker with 320 square metres, but it stays in the back box. Too little space here on the water for such manoeuvres. No matter, because the Code Zero gets off to a powerful start: ten, eleven, then twelve knots - the 15 knots predicted by the designers seem absolutely realistic. The gust comes, then a little pressure, a little drop and off we go. The 18 metre rudder reacts to every rudder deflection - the blades are also made of carbon, as are their shafts.

Imagine that the ship is sailing on the sea and the waves are helping from diagonally astern, wind, pressure, wave, planing, then with the bow into the next water mountain or better over it, splashing water and again from the front. Madness. On a solid yet lightweight boat with plenty of sailing power, you are well protected in the cockpit and manoeuvre your own home through the sea. Inevitably, images of the Volvo Ocean Race come to mind of "Pinta's" successor, the "Illbruck". But this daydream soon comes to an end, as the Haringvliet dam awaits relentlessly at the end of the test waters. And even a carbon yacht should not mess with it. So: the Code Zero and the main are wound away quickly and it's back to the jetty. By the way, a powerful bow thruster helps here. One from Max Power. Extendable.

Customised, everything perfect

The "Pinta" leaves an impression. The history, the construction, the performance under sail, the special features, but also the simple elegance on and below deck. The round hatch covers, whose gap dimensions still fit perfectly even after 30 years, the long galley, which really leaves nothing to be desired, the large seating area, lavish wet cells and the keel box, which is very skilfully fitted into the layout - everything has been well thought out. Not even the engine, which is positioned in the centre of the saloon for a better centre of gravity and more space in the aft cabins, is noticeable at first glance. It comes as no surprise that the sound insulation is also perfect. In addition to the owner's area in the bow, there are three further cabins for guests and a wet room.

What is really fascinating, however, is the consistency with which Illbruck found the balance between things that worked well on his racers and the desire to build a real cruiser for the family. The archetype of the performance cruiser, so to speak. With a little help from the Mistral, for example, a trip from Sardinia to Mallorca would be possible in just one night, and an Etmal of 200 or more miles is realistic - with every possible comfort, including air conditioning. And so "Pinta Smeralda" is both the first and the last of its kind. Willi Illbruck's last "Pinta", but also the first yacht to combine very fast but easy sailing with all the possible comforts of modern life at sea. And so it is as worth mentioning as it is curious: Willi Illbruck created his last monument with a cruising boat of all things.

Victories for the history books

Willi Illbruck and his various Admiral's Cuppers called "Pinta" belong to the golden era of yachting, when the International Offshore Rule, the world's standard measurement system, produced large fields and great sport, albeit neither the most beautiful nor the fastest boats. In 1983, a "Pinta", which was built together with its sister ship "Container" as the world's first honeycomb sandwich boats, won the Admiral's Cup, the pinnacle of the IOR scene.

Illbruck's crew under skipper Russell Coutts was able to repeat this success ten years later with a smaller one-tonner. Other major victories included winning the prestigious One Ton Cup with the same boat in 1993 off Cagliari and in 1994 off Marseille. Skipper at the time: the US sailing professional John Kostecki, who led the initiative of Illbruck's son Michael in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Willi Illbruck was one of the owners who professionalised ocean sailing in Germany at an early stage, and his son continued the theme and set new standards with his ocean racing team in terms of technology, preparation, internationalisation and budget. The boat and its sister ship were built in Germany by a European team of boat builders in a specially constructed shipyard and extensively tested against each other before racing. The victorious "Illbruck" is now based in Rostock with the team event provider Speedsailing.

Technical data of the "Pinta Smeralda"

• Design: Judel/Vrolijk & Co.
• Shipyard: Marten Marine (New Zealand)
• Year of construction: 1995
• Torso length: 18,30 m
• Waterline length: 16,50 m
• Width: 5,05 m
• Draught (lifting keel): 2,50-3,80 m
• Displacement: 19,5 t
• Ballast/share: 7,9 t/41 %
• sail area: 202,0 m2
• Sail carrying capacity: 5,3
• Engine (Yanmar): 105 kW/140 hp

Construction method

Sandwich made of Honeycomb core (Nomex) and layers of carbon and Kevlar. Deck made of Nomex core and prepreg carbon. Bulkheads: Carbon with Nomex core plus sound-insulating layer. Lifting keel with lead bomb and stainless steel fin, two hydraulic cylinders, one redundant. Fixation with wedge