RC44: Artemis Wins RC44 Al Maktoum Cup

by Jennifer Hall

It was a consistent week on the water for Torbjorn Tornqvist’s team onboard RC44 ARTEMIS at the Al Maktoum Sailing Trophy in Dubai. Following on from ARTEMIS’ success in 2009, having won the fleet racing element of the RC44 Championship Tour, the team put in a solid performance in both the fleet and match racing this past week to win overall.

Having recently joined the team as helmsman, this was Terry Hutchinson’s (USA) first RC44 regatta with ARTEMIS. Hutchinson’s one design racing experience was evident as ARTEMIS lined up against eight top teams in the RC44 Class to tie for second with No Way Back (DEN) in the match racing.

As the week went on and the fleet racing commenced, ARTEMIS continued to perform with owner Torbjorn Tornqvist at the helm and Hutchinson on tactics. Commenting on the conditions on day two of the fleet racing with winds gusting to 25 knots Tornqvist said: “The wind was strong but we were within the limits of the boat and I never worried. We had no failures and could concentrate entirely on our racing."

On the final day of the Al Maktoum Trophy the conditions were challenging and ARTEMIS battled with Chris Bake’s Team Aqua who won the fleet racing, while ARTEMIS placed second, translating to an overall win of the regatta for the team.

"It is a solid start to the season for Artemis. Our hope was for a podium finish so to leave Dubai at the top of the podium is an extra bonus. That said, it is a long season and we need to focus on the big picture recognizing there are great teams competing and it will be the consistent ones that prevail. For now we are happy, but will show up at the next RC44 regatta in Austria focused on improving," said Terry Hutchinson.

The crew onboard the RC44 ARTEMIS included: Torbjorn Tornqvist (Owner/Helmsman), Terry Hutchinson (Tactician), Kevin Hall (Navigator), Sean Clarkson (Main), Craig Monk (Grinder), Morgan Trubovich (Trimmer), Andrew Palfrey (Trimmer), Jared Hendersen (Pit), Andy Fethers (Bow) and Mark Newbrook (Floater).

From Dubai, the team travels to Auckland for the Louis Vuitton Trophy where ARTEMIS will line up against seven of the world’s top teams for two weeks of match racing in America’s Cup Class boats. The next RC44 regatta for the team will be the Austria Cup from April 20 – May 4.

Artemis Racing
RC44