Unofficial translation of the Tulikettu article in Helsingin Sanomat, largest daily newspaper in the Nordic region and Finland’s most widely read paper.

After many trials and tribulations, Tulikettu Redkik Racing is set to achieve a long-awaited milestone on 18 October in Malta, when the Finnish offshore racing yacht lines up for one of the flagship events in the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) series. The Rolex Middle Sea Race, held in the spectacular waters of Malta and Italy, has been a key target for Tulikettu ever since Arto Linnervuo first announced the project back in Spring 2021.

However, a lot happened in those four years. The most dramatic moment came when Tulikettu mysteriously vanished in the North Atlantic just a year later. The delivery crew managed to rescue themselves onto another vessel, but Tulikettu was presumed lost.

After an extraordinary search, the yacht was eventually discovered off the coast of Portugal, battered but not beyond saving. Following extensive repairs, Tulikettu returned to the water – only to suffer another blow when the hydrofoil failed during its second race in the Caribbean.

Still, Linnervuo was not satisfied with the boat’s speed. Since then, Tulikettu has seen so many modifications that Linnervuo now speaks in terms of the yacht’s fourth and even fifth seasons.

This summer proved that Tulikettu has made a significant step forward. At the end of July, the yacht placed 28th in the race for monohull line honours out of more than 400 entries in the prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race – a landmark 100th anniversary edition featuring many of the world’s fastest monohulls. Within the highly competitive IRC Zero class, the most competitive class for large, powerful 52-foot keelboats, Tulikettu finished eighth out of 18.

Remarkably, the boat had only been relaunched a week before the start, after last being in the water in November 2024. The racecourse from the English Channel, via southern Ireland (Fastnet Rock) to France covered approximately 700 nautical miles, just under 1,300 kilometers took Tulikettu 81 hours to complete.

Before the Fastnet Race, Tulikettu underwent major structural upgrades. Third ballast tanks were added on both sides, the keel was deepened by 20 centimetres and lightened by 200 kilograms, and the rudder was moved 80 centimetres forward. The sails were also modified.

In a crosswind in the English Channel, when the conditions finally enabled deployment of the foil, Tulikettu was at her fastest, catching the leading boats in its class over 30 miles in just three hours. While other boats were sailing nine knots, Tulikettu’s hydrofoil propelled her to 20 knots.

Previously, the yacht had struggled in upwind, falling behind the leading boats. After the modifications, her upwind speed improved steadily by 0.5–0.7 knots. “This meant that after a long upwind leg, we arrived at Fastnet several hours earlier than we would have without the modifications,’ explains Linnervuo.

After the finish line, Linnervuo made his way straight to the beach bar still in his sailing gear, joining the skippers of the other leading boats in the same outfit. In the previous races, the other skippers had already changed their clothes for dinner when Linnervuo crossed the finish line.

“The race proved that the boat can be at its best among the 30 fastest monohulls in the world, if handicaps are not taken into account. We saw that the changes are starting to work,” says Linnervuo, who is now preparing for the Malta race.

In the 606-nautical mile (approx. 1,122 km) Malta race, Tulikettu will also be permitted to use an interceptor – a wedge-shaped protrusion running across the hull at the junction of the transom and bottom. This pushes the bow down while lifting the stern out of the water.

‘It’s like tricking the sea with the shape of the hull. It allows us to sail faster both upwind and when reaching on the foil, where the challenge has been the stern sinking as the bow rises,’ Linnervuo explains.

Tulikettu’s founding ambition has been clear from the start: to become the first all-Finnish team to win the RORC series overall and its most prestigious races.

In Malta, Linnervuo’s nine-person crew may not yet be outright favourites for victory, but reaching that level is now a realistic target.

“I really believe these goals are achievable. Sometimes it feels as though people are impatient and expect results too quickly, but this takes years of work,” he says.

Linnervuo admits he did not expect the journey to take quite so long. ‘I’ve been surprised by how adaptable this kind of boat can be,’ he explains, likening the process to developing a Formula One car.

The F1 comparison continues: like a top racing team, Tulikettu, a multi-million-euro project, is self-sustaining thanks to the backing of sponsors.

“I don’t see this in terms of money. The goal is to offer something completely different to the Finnish offshore racing community”’ says Linnervuo.

Tulikettu will remain in the Mediterranean over the winter to undergo further upgrades, including a significant reduction in mast weight, a new shorter and narrower rudder, and moving the forestay, the wire supporting the mast along the boat’s length, further back.

“There are still some major changes left to do. These will be carried out during the winter, and by summer 2026 we expect to get the very best out of the boat in pursuit of our goals,” Linnervuo adds.

New Zealander Andy Meiklejohn, an experienced sailor with numerous demanding ocean races behind him, has been instrumental in these modifications. He stepped in for his compatriot, Stu Bannatyne, who stepped aside due to scheduling conflicts but has since confirmed he is again available.

Tulikettu’s upgrades are driven by advanced 3D modelling, overseen by top designer Roland Kleiter, who analyses the 3D model and uses artificial intelligence. Every modification is first simulated on the computer before being implemented in practice – a process similar to the way Formula One cars are developed.

The wider Tulikettu crew is made up of experienced Finnish sailors. Nacra 17 Olympic sailor Sinem Kurtbay remains part of the team, though she switched to represent her other home country, Turkey, in a new Olympic campaign earlier this year and has therefore not been able to take part in the current season. Akseli Keskinen, who sailed with Kurtbay in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will continue with Tulikettu.

‘I’m doing this for Finnish sailing. I’ve told Andy that his job is to make himself redundant. We haven’t won anything yet and that hunger is what motivates and pushes us to keep improving,’ says Linnervuo.

Related Links: Tulikettu website / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact: partners@tuliketturacing.com

Tulikettu sailed on Friday for the first time since the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race, following an intensive off-season of development work and performance refinement.

As racing paused over the winter, the work behind the scenes didn’t slow down – Tulikettu Redkik Racing focused their efforts on pushing performance even further. The team used the off-season to carry out an in-depth, analytical review of the boat’s capabilities, building on the strong racing performances from the previous year. Confident that there was more speed to be unlocked, the race schedule was adapted and the boat was brought back to the UK to prioritise a focused performance improvement project. With significant gains in mind, the team set out to find the final refinements needed to secure their position as one of the fastest 52-footers, also upwind. Having already proven their speed in other wind conditions, their attention turned to optimising balance and efficiency to unlock even greater all-round performance.

A detailed performance study was launched in the wake of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, revealing key areas for development. As the first of its kind off the production line, Tulikettu was always going to go through an early optimisation phase – and the team embraced this natural refinement process. The analysis highlighted untapped performance gains, particularly in light downwind conditions and upwind performance. This narrowed the focus to improving balance, reducing displacement, and protecting the boat’s existing strengths.

Arto Linnervuo, Skipper and Team Principal, commented:

“We approached the refinement of our boat with a clear, analytical mindset, and the detailed computer modelling and engineering work gave us invaluable insights. These upgrades have enabled us to take a significant step forward and compete at the very highest level.”

To maximise the impact of this process, the team enlisted renowned external naval architect Roland Kleiter of KND Marine – a top-tier performance and VPP analysis consultancy working with some of the biggest names in offshore sailing. Using advanced software simulations, KND ran a comprehensive test matrix, modelling a variety of configurations including keel fin changes, rudder positions, and water ballast adjustments to pinpoint the optimal setup for the boat.

A full 3D model of Tulikettu was created, which provided new insights into the yacht’s behaviour across a range of conditions. Notably, the study confirmed excessive leeway upwind at heel angles over 10 degrees, directly impacting performance. Interestingly, data from the study aligned closely with observations from the sensors and onboard computers. The analysis made it clear: with modified appendages, improved weight distribution, and added stability, Tulikettu’s upwind potential could be significantly enhanced. In addition to these structural modifications, new Doyle sails were introduced, with specifications and delivery schedules tailored to match the performance improvements identified in collaboration with Roland Kleiter.

Andy Meiklejohn, Volvo Ocean Race veteran and Tulikettu crew member, summarised:

“The study reinforced some of our initial observations but also revealed a few surprises. By shifting the sail plan aft or moving the foils forward, we can improve our ability to hold a lane, make better use of the wind, and boost overall performance – without compromising downwind speed. In fact, the changes are expected to enhance stability, reduce weight, and improve rudder traction.”

Roland Kleiter, co-founder of KND Marine, added:

“We’re always excited to work on cutting-edge projects like this. The added complexity of the DSS foil requires sophisticated tools to properly understand the boat’s nature – only then can you make the right choices to boost overall performance.”

Following the analysis, the team implemented key upgrades at Marine Rigging Services (MRS) in Gosport, Tulikettu’s UK base.

Will Jackson of MRS commented:

“We know this yacht is fast off the wind and identified some upwind deficiencies. The upgrades we’ve completed were designed to refine those areas, without affecting the rating. Theoretical gains were significant, but we believe the real-world improvements could be even greater. We’re proud to have delivered this work here in Gosport using our full range of on-site resources.”

Building on a new approach introduced last season, Tulikettu Redkik Racing combines the strength of its core original Finnish offshore team, many of whom have been sailing together since 2017, with fresh young Olympic-class talent and international pros. This evolving crew structure, which blends long-standing experience with new perspectives, is being put into practice as the team prepares for the RORC Rolex Fastnet Race. The current line-up includes eight Finnish sailors and four international pros, among them New Zealander Phil Maxwell and offshore veteran Andy Meiklejohn.

With testing complete and major performance upgrades now in place, Tulikettu Redkik Racing is fully focused on the season ahead – kicking off with the Fastnet Race on 26th July. More details on the refinements and their results will be shared soon.

Related Links: Tulikettu website / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact: partners@tuliketturacing.com

Sinem Kurtbay (left), skipper Arto Linnervuo, Akseli Keskinen, Oskari Muhonen, and Andy Meiklejohn on the deck of Tulikettu in the harbour of Valletta, the capital of Malta, where the 2024–25 season of the world’s largest offshore RORC racing series begins this Saturday. 

Olympic Sailors Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen and Finn Class World Champion Oskari Muhonen under the guidance of Volvo Ocean Race legend Andy Meiklejohn in the world’s largest offshore racing series.

With the Whitbread Round the World and Volvo Ocean Race, once renowned among Finns, no longer held in their original format, the premier events of the world’s largest offshore racing series, RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club), have risen to become the most prestigious in the sport, comparable to tennis’ Grand Slam tournaments. One of these, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, will kick off the 2024–25 RORC season this Saturday, October 19, in Valletta, Malta, and is drawing unprecedented attention from Finland this year.

The Finnish team Tulikettu Redkik Racing, skippered by Arto Linnervuo already includes Finn Class World Champion Oskari Muhonen, will be bolstered in Malta by the addition of Nacra 17-class Olympic sailors Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen.

“This is yet another step towards our main goal—to be the first fully Finnish team to win the biggest offshore races and the overall RORC series. To achieve this, we need to learn everything possible about our boat. That’s why, at this stage, our crew still includes two strong foreign professionals: New Zealand Volvo Ocean Race legend Andy Meiklejohn and Italian Stefano Nava, who designed all of our sails, including the new mainsail, which is essentially the boat’s main engine,” says Linnervuo.

“While our crew is both strong and dynamic, and our boat is more prepared than ever, we must keep in mind that this is Akseli’s first offshore race and that he has never raced overnight before. Sinem, on the other hand, has two offshore races under her belt. With our head coach, multiple-time Volvo Ocean Race champion Stu Bannatyne, unable to join us in Malta, Andy’s mentorship will be invaluable. Alongside Andy, Stefano, Sinem, and Akseli, our core Finnish crew from the Tulikettu team remains unchanged,” Linnervuo adds.

Kurtbay, Keskinen, and Muhonen are excited about the chance to elevate Tulikettu to new heights on the global stage. The boat demonstrated its potential by finishing as the third fastest in the RORC series’ Baltic Sea Championship, the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, held in Helsinki in July. However, it has yet to secure a podium finish in the overall RORC races, where handicap points come into play.

“It’s fantastic to get back to sailing, especially with Akseli. In my opinion, he has the perfect qualities for offshore racing. He is mentally and physically strong, with a top-notch attitude,” says Kurtbay, who carried the Finnish flag at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in the summer. 

“My first race, and what a boat and team! It’s really interesting to see how a team of 12 sailors works together and maximizes the boat’s performance. I have a lot to learn, and I’m looking forward to it” says Keskinen.

“Tulikettu has felt better with each race and once again, we have high hopes. The Middle Sea Race is one of the toughest and most impressive in the RORC series. Especially the start from Malta’s old harbor will surely be an unforgettable experience, and the entire course is one of the finest in the series,” adds Muhonen, who did an excellent job as helmsman in the Roschier Baltic Sea Race.

One unique feature of the Middle Sea Race is that its 606-nautical-mile course circles two active volcanoes, Mount Etna and the smaller Stromboli, as well as Sicily. The race starts and finishes in Valletta.

The season will culminate in the summer of 2025 at the “Wimbledon of offshore racing,” the prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race.

“Experience has demonstrated that it typically takes two to three years to develop top teams before they begin to win races. Tulikettu has been sailing for a year and a half, during which we have become familiar with and tested the boat. The upcoming RORC season will be crucial in unlocking the boat’s full potential and speed,” Linnervuo explains.

Related Links: Tulikettu website / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact: partners@tuliketturacing.com

Volvo Ocean Race sailor, Andy Meiklejohn, joins Tulikettu Redkik Racing Team

Finnish offshore sailing team Tulikettu Redkik Racing, skippered by Arto Linnervuo, continues to make steadfast progress towards their goals. Tulikettu’s crew has been strengthened ahead of the upcoming season by two very experienced foreign pros, the most prominent of which is New Zealand’s Volvo Ocean Race sailor, Andy Meiklejohn.

Friend of head coach and multiple Volvo Ocean Race winner Stu Bannatyne, Andy will work in collaboration with and substitute Stu in races he’s unable to participate in. Andy brings a wealth of experience having raced in several Volvo Ocean Races, coached many teams and also sailed on similar carbon fibre racing yachts like the fox. 

“In addition, Will Jackson, who is also responsible for the technical development of Tulikettu and former boat captain of Hugo Boss, arguably the most famous boat in offshore sailing, will sail with us in every race this season adding experience from foiling offshore yachts to the racing team,” Linnervuo says.

There is a clear reason for using foreign talent. “Although we are a Finnish crew, and our goal is to be the first all-Finnish team to win the biggest races in offshore sailing, we have to take this step to learn everything we can about our boat. Apart from the addition of Andy and Will, our crew remains the same core Finnish Tulikettu crew as before,” Linnervuo continues.

Tulikettu will open its RORC season at the Cervantes Trophy Race in the English Channel on Saturday 20 April marking the next phase of the Tulikettu project journey. 

Our past schedule includes six races, 20,000 nautical miles and two Atlantic crossings. Experience shows that it takes two to three years to build top teams before they start winning races. “We have now been sailing on Tulikettu for one year. The boat has become familiar and tested. Now begins the next phase to discover the boat’s full potential and speed,” says Linnervuo.

With summer racing season starting on Saturday, Tulikettu will then head to Finland for the first time and take part in two of the biggest races in the Baltic Sea; the Gotland Runt on 30 June and also the second edition of the RORC Roschier Baltic Sea Race on 27 July.

“Up to now we have been racing approximately 80% of the time and training 20%. Last season we finished 11th in the Rolex Fastnet Race, which was a good result at that stage of our project. Now we are doing the opposite, training more and focusing on finding the pace of the boat with Andy. With the boat in Finland, we will be able to practice almost everyday.

In the opening race of the season, we are aiming for a clean performance. We have improved the performance of the boat over the winter and it will be very interesting to see how it does,” Linnervuo continues.  

Next summer’s Baltic Sea race will prepare the Tulikettu Redkik Racing team for the toughest offshore RORC races in 2024-25 and the legendary Admiral’s Cup, where Tulikettu will represent Finland.

“We will leave no stone unturned in order to achieve our goals.” says Linnervuo.

Related Links: Tulikettu website / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact: partners@tuliketturacing.com

Finnish Sailing Team, Tulikettu Racing, joins forces with global software company Redkik Inc.

Tulikettu Racing, a prominent name in Finnish sailing, is embarking on a new voyage as it proudly announces a new partnership with the rapidly expanding US software company Redkik Inc.

Redkik’s core innovation, a software that taps into pre-existing online systems and analyzes endless data points for individually tailored and dynamic insurance quotes, was first formulated in Finland. The company has revolutionised the transactional insurance market in just a short space of time, with further plans for expansion. Redkik’s Finnish roots align perfectly with the origins of the racing team and yacht, named after the ‘firefox’ a mythical creature in Finnish folklore. The magical creature lights up the night sky with sparks flying from its tail as it runs, faster than the wind, unable to be caught. With many of the Redkik team members being keen sailors themselves, the passion and drive for offshore sailing and hunger for success are mutual.

“In addition to achieving our racing goals and contributing to Finnish offshore racing, we are extremely excited about this opportunity to work with Redkik and its revolutionary innovation in Europe, the Caribbean, North America, Australia and Asia during 2024–2026. Both teams share a commitment to excellence, a passion for the sport and pushing boundaries, as well of course the Finnish roots we share. We can’t wait to hoist our Redkik sails for the first time!” says owner and skipper of Tulikettu Racing team, Arto Linnervuo.

The name of the team will change to Tulikettu Redkik Racing as both parties work together to achieve their goals.

Redkik has modernised insurance with their innovative software, having seen a gap in the market for personalised and unique coverage for complex needs instead of off-the-shelf policies with little to no automation. The dynamic software has been developed to provide the best insurance solutions by enabling instantaneous transactions with AI and machine learning components to suit clients’ needs.

“This partnership deal is the basis of the first major global marketing campaign of Redkik.”Tulikettu Racing has a goal of being the first Finnish offshore racing team to win one of the most legendary offshore races and the yacht promotes something new and exciting in the offshore racing scene. We want to do the same in the very competitive software industry developing solutions for insurance companies” adds Redkik’s founder and CEO Chris Kalinski.

Tulikettu Racing aims to become the first all-Finnish crew to win RORC’s most legendary offshore races as well as the overall RORC series. Upcoming races include the Cervantes Trophy and the Gotland Runt Offshore Race before the boat returns to Finland for the Roschier Baltic Sea Race in July. Tulikettu is currently stationed at its UK base having undergone some winter maintenance and refit work and will be hitting the water again in a matter of weeks for the crew to start training.

~ 

About Redkik

Redkik is a trailblazing global software company, on a mission to streamline and enhance the insurance industry within the logistics and transportation sectors. Through leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, Redkik’s proprietary technology produces instantaneous quotes, backed by premier insurance companies, and based on accurate data sets. This approach ensures reduced risk and maximized coverage for all shipment types.

Related Links: Redkik website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact:

Phone: +1 410 302 4364  Email: chris.kalinski@redkik.com

About Tulikettu Racing

Finnish offshore racing has stepped back onto the big stage with the Infiniti 52 grand-prix racing yacht; Tulikettu. Founded by yacht club Xtra Stærk Ocean Racing Society, the goal of Tulikettu Racing team is to be the first all-Finnish crew to win RORC’s most legendary and important offshore races and overall Season Points Championship.

Related Links: Tulikettu website / Facebook / Instagram

For more information and press inquiries contact: partners@tuliketturacing.com

Two Olympic hopefuls joining team Tulikettu…

Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen, racing in the Nacra 17 class, plan to join the Tulikettu team skippered by Arto Linnervuo after the Olympics next year. The sailing club behind the team will also become the pairs sponsor.

In August, Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen secured Finland’s place in the Nacra 17 class at next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris. The pair will head into their second Olympics in a better position than in Tokyo in Summer 2021, where Kurtbay secured an Olympic spot with another partner Janne Järvinen, however the Finnish Olympic Committee chose not to select Janne for the Games. There were also issues with the boat during the summer before Tokyo. This time will be easier for Kurtbay and Keskinen.

Financial support is being provided through the Xtra Stærk Ocean Racing Society, an offshore racing club founded by Linnervuo. “The amount is such that both sailors are happy,” says Linnervuo.

Sailing is an expensive sport, where a lot of money is spent on travel and equipment. To succeed, you have to train abroad in the winter, just as Kurtbay and Keskinen do in Lanzarote. Kurtbay joined the Tulikettu team earlier in the winter, with Keskinen now also following in her footsteps. 

The first joint training sessions with the boat could take place as early as next spring however the pair will have more time for offshore sailing in autumn 2024, after the Paris Olympic regatta. “The most important thing is that they can concentrate on their Olympic dream in peace,” says Linnervuo.

The Nacra 17 Olympic class is sailed by foiling boats. The foil acts as a kind of hydrofoil that lifts the boat above the water’s surface at high speeds. Designed for ocean sailing, Tulikettu is also a foiling boat, although it doesn’t come entirely out of the water. 

“It’s important that the helmsman and trimmer work together and that the boat stays on the foil. Sinem and Akseli have the experience and technical know-how for this, which ultimately helps us,” says Linnervuo, on the benefits of the partnership.

Because of the two foils, the Nacra 17 is entirely ‘flying’ and above the water, unlike Tulikettu. However the rules are similar with Tulikettu; the foil works like the wing of an aircraft taking up: you need enough speed to get the boat on top of the waves and for it to stay there. 

“You have to actively trim the sails well enough to stay on the foil. That requires skill and good communication between the trimmer and the helmsman.

After the Olympic Games, Tulikettu plans to participate with its newest members in the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) offshore race, taking place in Malta in October. One of Tulikettu team’s goals is to win one of the biggest races in the RORC series and to promote Finnish offshore sailing internationally.

The most important race this year was the Rolex Fastnet Race which took place in July – the legendary offshore race has been held every two years since 1925. Tulikettu’s foil was redesigned and replaced ahead of the Fastnet after it broke in February in the Caribbean, her second offshore race of the year. 

Kurtbay and 2012 Olympic sailing medallist Mikaela Wulff sailed onboard the boat in the Caribbean, alongside world youth champion Oskari Muhonen. The sailing club founded by Linnervuo is also supporting Muhonen and Edvard Bremer’s 49er pair to make it to the Paris Olympics, where only Kaarle Tapper (ILCA7 class) has so far secured a place alongside Kurtbay and Keskinen.

The Fastnet started well for Tulikettu. At dusk on the evening of the start day, the jib halyard lockstrop broke causing the halyard to go into the mast. The halyard is the hoist line of the sail and the jib is the upwind headsail. As a result, the team was no longer able to use the same jib. Only the halyard of the genoa staysail that can also be used as a small storm jib was available, which is tacked to the center of the foredeck. Therefore the storm jib was the only remaining option, but too small for the prevailing winds.

“The boat slowed down a lot as a result of this and the front of the fleet got away. The leading boats took the shortest route from the turn around point of Fastnet Lighthouse, straight back towards the English Channel with the old weather front. By the time we got to the turn, the wind had changed and we had to sail a longer route of an additional 80 miles.”

“If the halyard lockstrop hadn’t broken and slowed us down, we would also have been able to sail more on the foil with the old weather front. Without a technical failure and longer route, we would have been able to sail in the same conditions and challenge our main competitors.”

Tulikettu will spend the coming Winter in its homebase in the UK and undergo several improvements. Our racing season also starts in England, but in May 2024, Tulikettu will finally be seen again in Finland. In July she will take part in the Gotland Run in Sweden and then the Roschier Baltic Sea Race in Finland, one of the four main races in the RORC series.

“It will be interesting to see how Tulikettu and its foil perform in the Baltic Sea.”

When the boat is in Finland, the Tulikettu team will come together and really ramp up their training regime. “We’ve put together a tighter core team with fewer crew changes than until now, with Kurtbay and Keskinen playing a key role amongst them. I think they have a lot to give!,” says Linnervuo.

“The Wimbledon of offshore racing”

The main goal for the Tulikettu team this season is the Rolex Fastnet Race; the biggest and most prestigious race in the RORC calendar starting from Cowes, England on the 22nd July. Complete with a new foil, our fox and her crew are preparing for the Wimbledon of offshore racing.

Tulikettu, the Finnish offshore sailing team skippered by Arto Linnervuo, will return to action in Cowes, England in the Rolex Fastnet Race on 22nd July. The boat’s hydrofoil, which broke in February during the RORC Caribbean600, has now been replaced and Linnervuo’s crew are looking forward to their main race of the season.

“Our new foil, only recently installed on the boat, is designed to be more durable. I am grateful to the designers and the foil’s manufacturer to have investigated the root cause of the foil and promptly drew up a new design of the foil and got it made and delivered ahead of the race this weekend. The Fastnet course tends to offer more open winds with sufficient power than other courses which is better suited for our foiling yacht. However, due to the race being brought forward by more than two weeks, the likelihood of lighter air race might increase a bit in the Celtic Sea and in the English Channel,” says Linnervuo.

The learning process for the boat is still in very early stages. Tulikettu has only competed in two races, one of which, the RORC Caribbean600 in February 2023, was abandoned due to a broken foil in the first afternoon. In her inaugural race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, crossing the Atlantic in January 2023, Tulikettu finished fourth in the IRC Zero class and seventh in the overall IRC class standings.

Racing across the Atlantic, the team sailed downwind almost all the way, and subsequently in the Caribbean, a potentially useful race offering a variety of wind angles, was a disappointing one for us. With no foil, the team has been restricted to collecting critical data during the spring and early summer that they need to discover the boat’s potential. We would of course like to have been much further along the road at this stage in the season but we’re still really excited to finally sail our yacht with the new foil in this historic Fastnet race. It will set the scene for the 2023-24 RORC season.” Linnervuo continues.

The almost 100-year-old biennial Rolex Fastnet Race celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is described by Linnervuo as “the Wimbledon of offshore racing” and is expected to attract the toughest fleet and with as many as 468 entries. The first race in 1925 attracted just 7 boats. The legendary race will start in Cowes, England, and will finish in Cherbourg, France, after rounding the Fastnet Rock lighthouse on the southern tip of Ireland.

Tulikettu has had one pre-Fasnet run; Round the Island Race in England on 1st July however the team competed without a foil, but with an IRC rating assuming we had one. She performed well even without a foil. We’re aiming to try out the new foil this week to go for maximum performance should the winds permit foiling. Our Olympic sailors in the team won’t be joining us for this race but otherwise the crew is made up of Finnish sailors who have competed in previous races,” Linnervuo says.

The Rolex Fastnet Race is one of the four most iconic 600-mile races in offshore sailing, which Linnervuo hails as one of the ‘Grand Slams’, along with the Rolex Middle Sea Race, RORC Caribbean600 Race and Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Tulikettu aims to become the first all-Finnish crew to win these races and the overall RORC series, which includes the first three, in the next few years.

RORC Caribbean 600 Statement

After a positive start to the race, we sailed upwind around the first corner of Antigua. After Green Island, we had just started reaching and had a good set up after changing sails for the next leg, so deployed our foil and started our race attack with the boat’s speed topping 22 knots.

After reaching for less than an hour, we heard a loud bang from the leeward side and found, to our surprise, that the foil had snapped.

As a result of this, with the heaviest of hearts we took the difficult decision to retire from the race – a tough call given this racecourse really lends itself to our boat. The boat was completely safe with zero water ingress, however having a compromised foil unable to retract inside the watertight foil case, would have affected our performance in a huge way, hence the decision to retire and assess the damage.

The boat had already done over 12,000 nautical miles hitting speeds over 30 knots using the foil with no issues. During our training days we sailed faster with our foil than when it snapped. From our understanding, this is first DSS foil deployed in 33 boats to have failed in 20 years, so this incident will be investigated thoroughly.

Tulikettu’s spirit has not been knocked and we will be back to fight another day soon. Our main goal of the season is the Rolex Fastnet Race, and there will be plenty of training and racing in the meantime before we go out to chase our dreams once again…

The Finnish sailing team Tulikettu Racing skippered by Arto Linnervuo will be strengthened by three tough Olympic sailors; Sinem Kurtbay, Mikaela Wulff and Oskari Muhonen, who are joining the crew for the RORC Caribbean 600 starting from Antigua on Monday 20 February. Tulikettu’s racing coach and four-time Volvo Ocean Race winner Stu Bannatyne from New Zealand, will also be racing. This will be the first time that the ten all-Finnish crew will be learning from Bannatyne onboard in demanding race conditions.

“Comparable to Finnish rising star in tennis Emil Ruusuvuori being coached by Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Bannatyne is the best possible coach for us athletically, but also an important advisor in developing our new boat for the best possible stroke towards our main goal of the season and the toughest race in the sport; the Rolex Fastnet Race in England at the end of July,” says Linnervuo.

Thomas Johanson, Olympic champion turned professional racer in the Volvo Ocean Race, is already involved in the Tulikettu project and Kurtbay, Wulff and Muhonen want to follow in his footsteps. Wulff, who won Olympic bronze as an amateur, has already taken his first steps as a professional sailor. Kurtbay and Muhonen are aiming for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris keen to continue their beloved sport as professionals. 

“Tulikettu is the perfect project for me. Although Paris is my main goal, it’s great to be gaining race experience in a big boat and racing offshore at this stage of my career.” says Kurtbay.

One of Tulikettu Racing’s goals, as well as winning the biggest races in the RORC series, is to help take Finnish offshore sailing forward internationally and create sailing pathways for Olympic sailors. Our team is enthusiastic and excited to have top sailors with solid Olympic and World Championship experience as part of the crew, whom we can also help to move forward. Sinem, for example, brings experience in foil-assisted sailing from the only flying Olympic class,” says Linnervuo.

Sinem Kurtbay, 31, is aiming to win the Nacra 17 Olympic title with his partner Akseli Keskinen at the 2024 Paris Olympics after finishing 13th at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Last year was a promising start as the pair took European silver and World Championship bronze.

Mikaela Wulff, 32, amateur career highlights,together with Silja Kanerva and Silja Lehtinen, in women’s match racing in 2012 include; an Olympic bronze in London and the World Championship in Gothenburg a month before the Olympics.

Oskari Muhonen, 25, is the only triple world champion under 23 in Finnjollie’s history. Muhonen is aiming for a place at the Paris Olympics in the 49er class.

In the Caribbean 600, Kurtbay and Muhonen will be Tulikettu’s helmsmen, and Wulff the trimmer. Of the three, only Muhonen has experience sailing on Tulikettu ahead of next week’s race preparation sailing.

(Pictured: Stu Bannatyne, Mikaela Wulff and Sinem Kurtbay)

 

BANNATYNE: “A GREAT CONCEPT”

Bannatyne empathises with Kurtbay, Wulff and Muhonen, as he also had plans to turn professional through the Olympic Games. However, as world champion in the Laser Youth Class, Bannatyne was given the opportunity to take part in the 1993 Whitbread Round the World (later the Volvo Ocean Race and Ocean Race).

“I was only 22 at the time and it took me there. I turned professional much earlier than I had imagined. For Sinem and Oskari, this is the best possible concept, as they get to compete in big boat offshore races alongside the Olympic classes,” says Bannatyne.

Bannatyne didn’t compete in Tuliketu’s first race, the RORC Transatlantic Race, in January, but has sailed the boat, developed it and coached the all-Finnish crew skippered by Linnervuo since the boat’s christening in Autumn 2021.

“I’m looking forward to Tulikettu’s second race where I will also be part of the boat’s crew. The main purpose of the first competition was to learn as much as possible about the boat. Now it’s about raising the level of what you can do. Achieving the best performance of the boat is a long process and we are still in the early stages. The RORC Caribbean 600 is a very tough race and the course is demanding,” says Bannatyne.

Tulikettu finished fourth in the IRC Zero class in its opening race and seventh overall in the IRC class. This year, the entire journey from Lanzarote across the Atlantic to Grenada was sailed entirely in downwind.

“This is quite exceptional in offshore racing, but it did not allow us to make much use of our foil, of which the performance of the Tulikettu is largely based. The course for this second race is certainly one that will test the boats’ capabilities in all possible wind angles, including not only upwind and downwind but also crosswind and open-wind sections, as in most RORC races, where we can take advantage of our foil as long as there is enough wind.

In order to learn as much as possible about our new boat, it is extremely valuable to have Stu onboard to coach us in racing conditions. I believe we are now taking a big step towards our main goal for this season – the Rolex Fastnet Race.” Linnervuo anticipates.

The RORC Caribbean 600 is one of four of the most iconic 600-mile races in offshore sailing that Linnervuo calls “Grand Slams” along with the Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Middle Sea Race and Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race. Tulikettu aims to become the first Finnish team to win these races and the overall RORC series, which includes the first three, in the coming years.

After the Caribbean 600, Tulikettu will head back to Europe to compete in 3-5 weekend races before the Fastnet, starting in Cowes, England on 22 July and finishes in Cherbourg, France after a circumnavigation of the Fastnet Rock lighthouse on the Irish coast. The ‘Wimbledon of offshore sailing’ is this year’s 50th anniversary race, expected to attract the toughest field and record crowds. 

For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: rorc.org

Faster than the wind…

Tulikettu is back in business. The Finnish team skippered by Arto Linnervuo is now ready for their first race; The RORC Transatlantic Race, from Lanzarote across the Atlantic to Grenada, starting on 8 January 2023.

Tulikettu’s sails were hoisted on 11th November 2022, the first time since 20th April following the tragic accident in the North Atlantic and the ensuing drama and months of repairs. 

The boat is back to as good as new and thanks to further improvements made after the repairs had been completed, the boat is now in a better condition than before the accident. “In England, we have sailed faster than wind not only when reaching but also downwind.” says Arto Linnervuo, Tulikettu’s skipper. 

Getting to such speeds, especially downwind, is extremely rare for a boat of this size and demonstrates the exciting potential of a modern DSS foil-assisted boat whose design is based on the foil instead of choosing the right foil for an existing hull design. Linnervuo points out, however, that a perfect race performance is dependent on more than one element… 

“Only very few 52-foot boats are faster than wind when sailing downwind. The conditions for the boat’s first race are good in that there is a lot of downwind on the route across the Atlantic. However, we had to give our opponents a six-month lead because we weren’t able to train on the boat any earlier. It has also been a challenge to get the boat fully ready for the race in a very short period of time.

The realistic goal is to get the boat performing at its best just before our main race of the season; the Rolex Fastnet Race at the end of July. Our team’s learning curve with the new boat type will hopefully not be linear but steepening towards the Fastnet. The first race in January will be the start of that curve, and we will get a lot of valuable data from the boat’s sensors as we continue to optimise the boat’s performance,” Linnervuo continues. 

The Tulikettu team is currently making final preparations in Lanzarote, the start point of the race.  The all-Finnish crew are still being coached by New Zealand four-time Volvo Ocean Race winner Stu Bannatyne.

“Stu’s main task is to steepen our learning curve with the new boat,” says Linnervuo.

Tuliketu’s goal is to become the first all-Finnish team to win the overall RORC series, as well as some of its most legendary and important races, such as the tough Rolex Fastnet Race, held every two years since 1925.

“The Fastnet Race in July 2023 will be our first really big race, the equivalent of a tennis Grand Slam in sailing,” Linnervuo says.

Watch the TV interview and Tulikettu team skipper Arto Linnervuo’s comments on the boat’s first practice after the disaster here: www.tuliketturacing.com/news-race-reports/

For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: rorc.org