As mid-October rolls around, the bases for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, and American Magic resemble ghost towns. The only signs of life are the shore teams preparing to pack up and crane chase boats onto dry land. Having been eliminated from the Louis Vuitton Cup, all three teams now watch as INEOS Britannia ultimately faces a crushing defeat against Emirates Team New Zealand, finishing 7-2 in the 37th America’s Cup Match.
It’s at this deserted scene that I meet with Terry Hutchinson, the skipper and president of sailing operations for American Magic. He meets me at Gate M29, the high-security entrance to their Barcelona base, and guides me through a second gate and into the team’s bike-storage area. Normally bustling with activity, it’s surprisingly spacious, as many of the sailors and crew have been sent home after an exhausting three-year effort.
Our next stop is the front office, filled with boxed computer monitors lying among a jumble of cables and plugs. As we enter the hospitality area, it’s clear that visitors are scarce, yet television screens continue to play footage of the team’s AC75 Patriot sailing beautifully. The boat is currently in the shed, decommissioned and wrapped up for its journey to Pensacola, where the team plans to regroup in January for another potential Cup challenge.
If American Magic chooses to challenge again, it will mark their third attempt. The Auckland 2021 challenge was marred by a disastrous capsize, and while Barcelona went slightly smoother, it was still plagued by bad luck. Many believe their campaign had the potential for a much stronger performance leading into the final match.
Hutchinson has just returned from a reflective trip to Normandy, France. He candidly admits that the loss to Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli during the Louis Vuitton Cup’s second round-robin races still stings, but he’s working diligently through exit interviews with his team and preparing a detailed “debrief document” for key figures Doug DeVos and Hap Fauth.
“We’re assessing where we excelled and where we fell short,” he explains. “It’s challenging, especially since we can clearly see both our strengths and weaknesses, including some dysfunctions in interpersonal team dynamics that we could have addressed better.”
Terry takes responsibility for the team’s performance, acknowledging that their failure to reach the match wasn’t due to a sluggish boat. “In fact,” he notes with a hint of longing as he gazes at a monitor showcasing the sleek AC75, “it’s hard not to feel we underachieved once again.” He believes their vessel was potentially the fastest among this latest brigade of challengers.
On the bright side, Hutchinson highlights the team’s operational efficiency and solid financial footing, alongside the impressive capabilities of their boat.
However, bad luck can be vindictive. The unexpected accident that sidelined starting helmsman Paul Goodison, who suffered broken ribs after falling through an open hatch, occurred during a critical moment in the series. His replacement, Lucas Calabrese, proved to be a skilled sailor, but the sudden demands placed on him in the heat of competition were quite overwhelming.
“He found himself in a challenging position against a well-coordinated competitor with six years of teamwork under their belts. We can’t ignore the impressive job they did throughout the series, particularly Tommy (Slingsby, the starting starboard helmsman) who nailed the start and won the first cross.”
In his first Louis Vuitton Cup outing against Luna Rossa, American Magic surged ahead into the second weather gate in both races only to lose in the final moments. After that, they faced two challenging races, losing by just 2 seconds in one instance and 7 seconds in the other. The former was particularly painful, as Hutchinson explains it was caused by a momentary lapse in control—a situation referred to as a “wobble” in Cup speak.
“That just comes down to experience in the boat,” Hutchinson remarks. “When you’re racing at such high speeds, it’s crucial for the trimmer, helmsman, and flight controller to be perfectly in sync. It’s quite tough to find that rhythm when you’re suddenly thrown in.”
Calabrese had spent just 10 days sailing on Patriot during the earlier stages of the campaign, yet Hutchinson notes he consistently demonstrated top speed. “He was always pushing the boat to its limits.”
It was frustrating to witness the British and New Zealand sailors competing, feeling all along like “the wrong boat made it to the final,” Hutchinson reflects. Yet he remains uncertain about what steps he and the team could have taken that might have led to a different outcome.
The Patriot clearly presented various strengths, particularly with its aerodynamic design, and the sailing team was robust, backed by three years of dedicated training and development.
“Without a doubt, I believe we’d be in a different situation today if Goodie hadn’t had that accident,” he states. “That’s not to dismiss Lucas, though; he stepped into a challenging situation and displayed remarkable mental resilience.”
As the third-generation AC75, Hutchinson explains that Patriot had a unique ability to crab to windward. Mastering this maneuver involves a complex interplay of forces impacting the AC75. “Crabbing can be tricky because it can make the boat ‘cranky’, yet it’s incredibly powerful when executed properly.”
Moreover, Patriot distinguished itself within the fleet by incorporating recumbent cycles within the hull. “I take pride in that innovation,” Hutchinson shares. “Some may claim we lacked power, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Power levels are generally comparable across the boats. The real challenge lay in how we allocated that power—specifically, the systems within the boat, including the number of pumps compared to our competitors. We need to enhance our mechatronics, control systems, and function mapping.”
The advancement of science and technology has propelled Cup boats into an era of rapid evolution. With the rise of simulators, sensors, logic systems, HMIs, and especially AI, teams face intensified challenges when it comes to improvement during races. While each team has the opportunity to enhance their performance with every race, so does everyone else; quick fixes and overnight solutions have become a thing of the past.
Going forward, Hutchinson emphasizes the necessity for a shift from primarily on-water development to increased hours spent in simulation. He is adamant that this represents a significant misstep.
“It’s immensely challenging now,” Hutchinson remarks, regarding the difficulties of making adjustments during competition. Once the Cup races begin, there isn’t enough time or enough races to implement changes effectively. “For the resources being invested, we really need to see more racing.”
Should American Magic choose to challenge again for the next Cup, Hutchinson advocates for a series of preparatory regattas—aiming for four or five—that would allow teams to gain valuable racing experience. “This approach would give all teams a chance to develop, while making the racing leading up to the event much more competitive. It’s essential that all teams are racing together, including the defender. The America’s Cup carries significant historical relevance, but it also needs to evolve to remain significant. It must not simply mirror another SailGP.”
As American Magic holds a notable position alongside the New Zealanders and INEOS Britannia as the Challenger of Record for the 38th Cup—details regarding timing and location yet to be determined—Hutchinson and his team find themselves in a period of reflection. They will march back to Pensacola, unpack their tools, and get to work on the road ahead. Yet for Hutchinson, there remains much more soul-searching to do. He acknowledges the importance of finding ways to enhance speed—without necessarily needing to be out on the water.
“Definitely, our primary area for improvement hinges on more time racing and advancing in that environment,” he points out. Regrettably, that opportunity was squandered in Barcelona, given the early elimination. However, there’s a clear need for a pivot away from boat-based development to focus on more time in simulation. Hutchinson insists this is where they went off course, with in-simulator time now outweighing boat time.
Yet, the lingering challenge of his own leadership style and talent management remains. “We must investigate why we haven’t progressed further in competition,” he reflects. “I can identify the causes, but those reasons don’t completely address the question. In hindsight, knowing we had team dynamics to navigate with Tom and Goody, should I have taken different actions to foster an environment that encouraged an open competition for the helmsmen with various pairing experiments?”
He cites the example of INEOS Britannia, who opted to replace their starting port helmsman Giles Scott with the Olympian and America’s Cup newcomer Dylan Fletcher in the weeks leading up to the regatta.
“The toughest decisions are often the ones that can unsettle the team the most, yet they may also present the greatest potential for improvement,” Hutchinson reflects, carefully considering his words without explicitly stating that perhaps the chemistry wasn’t quite right. “We are all driven by results. I… I was eager to win this regatta… to take a moment to breathe. Now I find myself still holding my breath.”
That exhale may not come until 2027 or ‘28, but for the moment, we hold steady and move forward.