Kudos to Terry Hutchinson

Emirates Team New Zealand cruises quietly
prior to the start of a Louis Vuitton race
with Desafio Espagnol in May 2007.
Click for a closer view.

Terry Hutchinson (USA) was afterguard member and tactican for Emirates Team New Zealand for the 32nd America's Cup.

He was hired by Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton (NZL) during a remarkable 24-hour trip from the United States to Auckland, New Zealand, during the planning stages of the New Zealand challenge.

As a key player for New Zealand, Terry grew tremendously, personally and professionally, during the great event. As Kiwi tactician, he forged a relationship with the New Zealand afterguard, including skipper Dean Barker (NZL). As a sailor, he was totally focused and totally motivated. As a competitor, he gave every race his 1001 percent effort. And he was successful.

In some ways, he was a lot like his bete noir, Brad Butterworth (NZL) of Alinghi, the world's canniest sailor. Terry took risks, too, just like Brad. But maybe Brad knew more, had done more, and could handle more. Yet Terry was a serious competitor.

And Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Cup.

They could have won the America's Cup, too, but didn't.

They lost the one race to stay alive by one second. And given the tumults and tempests that impact any America's Cup race, how could any tactician, any skipper, or any navigator realistically plan to avoid a situation like that? It's impossible.

So for reasons best known to Terry and Team New Zealand, he will be moving on.

During the last race, it was tragic to hear Terry (via onboard sound and video) apologize to his crew members for yet another left-side-of-the-course decision that temporarily doomed ETNZ. But they rallied him in a heartbeat and cheered him aggressively. All part of Grant Dalton's genius, on-board management philosophy, "steady state".

That race tore you apart. We saw a great skipper, Dean Barker, doing his damndest. We lived through every ounce of tension with a very human tactician, a focused afterguard, a great crew, and a great team. All of them on a great boat.

Best wishes to Terry Hutchinson for the next steps in his America's Cup career, and megabest wishes to the team lucky enough to bring him aboard.

Whaia te kaha!