Artemis Overcomes Adversity at ACWS
In the final regatta of the 2015 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Bermuda over the weekend, Artemis Racing grabbed the spotlight with an epic comeback story on Sunday.
When racing was canceled on Saturday due to light wind, three races were scheduled for Sunday. The Swedish Artemis team came into the weekend in fifth place out of the six teams, but they placed second in the first race on Sunday (after Cup Defender Oracle Team USA). In the moments before the starting gun fired for the second race, the team ducked behind the Japanese boat, and as Australian skipper Nathan Outteridge turned up toward the line, he was confronted with an umpire boat heading directly at him. The closing speed would have been more than 25 knots. The AC45f collided with the umpire boat, incurring serious damage.
Artemis Racing collide with umpire boat ahead of race 2 (has swearing, as you might expect).
Posted by America’s Cup on Sunday, October 18, 2015
"We couldn’t go anywhere," Outteridge explained. "He went straight between our bows, but thankfully nobody was hurt. There was a serious amount of damage to our boat though."
In an effort worthy of an F1 pit crew, the Artemis team stripped off the broken bow sprit and the now-useless Code Zero sail in record time. With less than two minutes to spare, the crew lined up for the next start — then blasted off the line with more speed than anyone else and won not only the start but the second race. "We owned that start," said Outteridge. "It was huge payback for all the hard work from the guys who stripped the gear off, checked the boat, and got us ready just in time."
A fourth-place finish in the third race secured the regatta for the Swedish team. It was a popular and well-deserved event win for Artemis Racing.
The top scores for ACWS Bermuda were: Artemis Racing, 52; Emirates Team New Zealand, 50; Oracle Team USA, 48. The results for the 2015 series are: ETNZ, 122; OTUSA, 112; Land Rover BAR, 109.
