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.
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