Left of picture: Terry Hutchinson. Er... hello! Anyone listening?? I said that's Terry to the L-E-F-T of the picture!
Terry Hutchinson is one of our favourite people on the pro race circuit. Always humble, very honest, and very forthright with his opinions. We’ve called on Terry’s expertise for a number of articles on SailJuice.com in recent weeks, and we’ve a few more coming soon.
You can get some of Terry’s wisdom here: http://www.sailjuice.com/search?searchtext=hutchinson
In the mean time, here’s an excellent interview by fellow Brit-pack sailing journo Justin Chisholm, himself a very accomplished Melges 24 sailor, a boat at which Terry H is very adept at sailing, and who must rank as one of the favourites for the World title later this year in the USA.
Here’s a grab of the interview below. I like the self-assessment of ‘moderately difficult’! I can’t imagine what you mean Terry! Don’t be so hard on yourself! For the whole of the piece, go to OffshoreRules.com
OR: Who do you see as the main contenders for the 2009 Medcup Series?
TH: There will be plenty of competition. ETNZ, Artemis, Matador have all built new boats. On top of that there are the teams returning from last year like Desafio Espanol, Mutua Madrilena, and so on. It is hard to say who will be on the podium but inevitably it will come down to the team that prepares the best and avoids the big ones that will prevail at the end of the season. I think we have a great opportunity onboard Quantum Racing but we will be taking it one race at a time.
OR: When do you believe you add the most value to a campaign – when you are steering or coach/tactician for an owner-driver?
TH: I would say that I can have more influence on the big picture in the role of tactician. It is very difficult to do a good job driving and focus on everything that you need to make the boat go as well as also run the program. Last year as helmsman I relied heavily on the team to do their jobs. But it reiterated the point that to do it properly requires 100% focus.
OR: How do you see your own role on the Quantum Racing TP52 program?
TH: Last season I was the helmsman but I was also in charge of a lot of the logistics and organization. As much as anything I also kept an eye on the big picture to make sure that we were doing the things necessary as a team to be successful. I also took the lead in choosing the sailing team. It was important to have the right blend of people for our team.
OR: You are known as someone who demands the most from those around him on a race boat. Do you regard yourself as easy to sail with or difficult?
TH: I am probably not the right guy to ask. If I had to call it I would say I was ‘moderately difficult’ to sail with.
OR: Looking further ahead, if/when the America’s Cup emerges from the courtroom do you see yourself signing up for one of the syndicates?
TH: The operative words here are ‘if /when’ but yes I certainly hope to be involved in the next America’s Cup. Obviously it would be premature to discuss any details right now but I look forward to answering that question for you at some point in the future.
Go to OffshoreRules.com for the rest of the piece…
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