John Kostecki began his sailing career in the waters of the San Francisco Bay in CA. In the 1988 Olympics, in South Korea, Kostecki and his partners won a silver medal in the soling class. The same year he went on to win the J/24 World Championships and the Soling Class World Championships and was name the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.

Kostecki gained popularity during 2001/2002 in Europe as skipper and helmsman of the German yacht Illbruck in the Volvo Ocean Race. He led the Leverkusen based team to an overwhelming victory.

In 2002, John was again named the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year after he and his crew set the world 24 hour speed record for monohulls.

In 2008, the then three times America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, who had just been appointed CEO America’s Cup Team BMW Oracle Racing, hired Kostecki for his afterguard.