Conversation With American Magic President (and Annapolis Sailor) Terry Hutchinson
“I grew up sailing Penguins and Dyer dinghies on the West River just south of Annapolis. It was there that I developed a deep love of the sport and an unabating appreciation for paying attention to every detail about sailing,” the 56-year-old Annapolis native told SpinSheet recently while he enjoyed a short visit to his hometown in between his globetrotting duties heading up the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic America’s Cup Challenger program.
Hutchinson credits his love of the water for his success in the super-competitive world of big boat racing. “Just to feel the wind… it’s good for the mind. Big boat or small boat, a lot of the basics are the same. It’s good to be back here if only for a few days. My days on the Bay formed the basics of my sailing fundamentals.”
Credit goes to the sailing mentors of his youth, including America’s Cup winner and sailing commentator Gary Jobson and Jonathan Bartlett, who taught at Severn Sailing Association for many years.
Previous America’s Cup campaigns have seen Hutchinson, a two-time US Sailing Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, calling tactics. This time, his role has been redefined. He still carries the skipper’s title but will not be part of the sailing crew, while his role as president of sailing operations sees him facilitating communication between the sailing team and design team. As much as Hutchinson yearns to be on the boat, he knows he is more valuable to the team in his new role providing input and resources each step along the way.
“We have to do whatever it takes to win, full stop,” says Hutchinson. “Achieving the goal will be a culmination of 25 years of work, and the champagne will taste the same!”
SpinSheet readers will recall those heart-stopping moments in March 2021 when the New York Yacht Club entry in the 36th America’s Cup staged in Auckland, New Zealand, almost sank after a bone-jarring gybe tore a hole in the boat’s hull. Hutchinson was lucky to have been cut out of his cockpit by teammate Cooper Dressler. Despite a heroic 10-day rebuild, the boat never regained its form. The Americans ended up watching the Kiwis defeat the Italians 7-3 from the shore.
As I write this, Hutchinson and his team have little time until competitive racing in the form of the last preliminary regatta in Barcelona August 22-25 begins. That will be the first time the fleet of six foiling monohulls dubbed AC 75s will line up against each other in all-out racing mode.
“We are all competitive. These boats are full-go all the time. Nobody is going to hold back. By the end of the regatta, we will all know where we stand in the fleet,” Hutchinson says.
American Magic helmsman and dual US-Australian citizen Tom Slingsby agrees. “Bring’em on,” Slingsby told SpinSheet as he prepared for another SailSP event as Australia’s helmsman.
“We are going to go flat out, do well in that preliminary regatta, and take each race one at a time as we build confidence in the team and boat.”
Slingsby is well known for his “red mist” attitude both on and off the water. “He’s a fierce competitor, “ Hutchinson says, “but he knows the difference between pushing the envelope too hard and setting a pace that the other boats need to emulate.”
Immediately after the preliminary regatta, sailing starts in earnest in the Chase for the Cup with a series of Round Robin races starting on August 29 and continuing through September 8. Four Challenger teams will emerge from this round; next up are the semi-finals and finals, a series of match races that will ultimately decide who will race against Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th edition of the America’s Cup due to kick off October 12.
Hutchinson says this is serious stuff: “Make a big mistake and you’re out of it.”
When asked which team would be American Magic’s biggest competitor, Hutchison thought a minute and said, “We are our biggest competitor. The team we put on the water in 100 days will be a different team than we are today. We have a lot of work to do, getting familiar with each other and with the boat. This is all about focusing on winning.”
Hutchinson is firm in his resolve to win the Cup. You can see it in his measured responses to my questions. I told him I hoped the team did well in Barcelona.
“Hope is a nice value,” he shot back with the steely-eyed focus of grim determination “But it’s a horrible strategy. That’s why we do everything we can to eliminate the possibility of failure on the water and off. “
American Magic’s Patriot is a different boat than its predecessor. Lower in the water with pods for four cyclors who will be facing backwards in a recumbent posture, the boat is smaller than its competitors, the result of over 100,000 hours of design and build.
“We have focused on what we think will make the boat faster. In the evolution of the boat’s design, we have settled on a ratio of 13 percent aerodynamics and 87 percent hydrodynamics. Our centerline bustle helps the boat get up and going with minimal drag.”
Hutchinson is outspoken about the Amerca’s Cup racing schedule. “I don’t see how the Challenger of Record (The Royal Yacht Squadron/INEOS Britannia) agreed to a timeline that clearly favors the defender. Starting the Round Robins only a day or two after the preliminary regatta doesn’t give us much time to make adjustments.”
Hutchinson advises Chesapeake sailors who want to watch the cup in person to make plans early.
“We would love to have a contingent of locals cheering us on. Plan now to get a spot to see us bring the Cup back to the United States.”
Tune into ESPN for live coverage of the Preliminary Regatta starting August 22. Highlights and reruns can be viewed on YouTube or the America’s Cup home page.
