Swedish team Artemis Racing have launched their replacement AC72 catamaran, raising hopes that it could take to the water from Tuesday for this week’s race against America’s Cup challenger Luna Rossa of Italy.
“This is a great day for many reasons. It’s the culmination of a heroic effort to put together this beautiful boat,” the head of the Artemis team, Torbjorn Tornqvist, said at a private naming ceremony near San Francisco.
The new 22-metre (72-foot)-long, nicknamed “Big Blue”, replaces the one that capsized on May 9, killing British Olympic medallist Andrew Simpson.
“I don’t think anyone fully appreciates the hill Artemis Racing has climbed to get to this point,” added race director Iain Murray.
“They’ve worked tirelessly and have my admiration for the way they’ve gone about it,” he said in a statement on americascup.com.
Artemis confirmed that they intend to sail Big Blue from Tuesday, although it remains to be seen whether they will be ready to face Luna Rossa on Thursday.
Should they line up, it will bring an end to the so-called “shadow boxing”, where teams have had to sail solo in the absence of Artemis during the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The AC72 of Emirates Team New Zealand, which won all of its races against Luna Rossa and by default against Artemis, has already qualified for the final of the competition.
Luna Rossa and Artemis, as the only other challengers, will compete in the cup’s semi-finals from August 6-15, to decide which team faces the New Zealanders in the final from August 17-30.
The winner of the final will go on to compete in the America’s Cup from September 7-21 against holders Oracle Team USA.
Artemis launch second boat
