America's Cup - Encouraging Day 2 win for Artemis Racing over Oracle

by Talbot Wilson and Sail-World.com/NZ on 8 Apr 2017 Swedish America's Cup Challenger, Artemis Racing, has recovered well from their dismasting and break up of their test AC45T boat to score an encouraging win over Defender Oracle Team USA in a Practice Race in Bermuda yesterday.

The second session of sanctioned practice racing has started on the Great Sound in Bermuda, venue for the 35th America's Cup which gets underway in just under seven weeks time. This session is just two days long.

In the first series of Practice Racing Artemis Racing, helmed by Nathan Outteridge (AUS) finished second on the points table with a seven win, three loss record. Oracle Team USA won that series with nine wins and two losses.

Artemis Racing had a bad first day in that series, which pulled down their series score. They won all their races in lighter winds on Day 2 and Day 3, and lost the last race of the series to Oracle Team USA after getting on the wrong side of a windshift on the last leg.

All five teams are in Bermuda, the last team to arrive in the regatta venue, Emirates Team NZ has their boat leaving by air freight on Sunday (NZT). The next practice session is a three day event starting April 10, with Emirates Team NZ possibly starting in the fourth session starting on April 24 and running for five days.

Talbot Wilson reporting for the Royal Gazette in Bermuda reports on the second day of Practice Racing in the second session:

Artemis Racing put on a strong performance against Oracle Team USA as practice racing continued on the Great Sound.

Yesterday marked the first day of the second practice session, now allowed under the amended America’s Cup protocol. Oracle, with Jimmy Spithill at the helm, took the start and led around the centre course turning mark and to the downwind gate.

As the two AC Class 50s headed back upwind, Artemis, with Nathan Outteridge driving, passed Oracle on a wind shift that hurt the American defender as they headed off to the southeast of Spanish Point into the eastern reaches of the Great Sound. Artemis barely led into the leeward gate mark the first time downwind and then opened up their lead upwind and down around the course to the finish on the second lap.

The practice race win yesterday was the second win by the Swedish challenger over the America’s Cup defender.

Oracle had led Artemis in an earlier race when the Swedish boat dropped out and headed back to their base. Apparently they had some technical problems which took about an hour to correct in order to allow them to return for the second match with Oracle. All of the boats had some technical issues to deal with in these early stages of sailing these complex AC Class cats.

For Talbot Wilson's full report click here