The most troubled team in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series prevailed at the very last moment here in Bermuda, but not without surviving a gruesome-looking collision with an umpire boat that thankfully only resulted in the emergency amputation of the forward section of the Artemis catamaran. It could have been so much worse.

Artemis collision Bermuda

Artemis ACWS team scramble to help release a trapped umpire after the RIB collided with the fast-moving catamaran before the start of Race 2 on sunday in Bermuda.



 

Super Sunday truly lived up to its name on the Great Sound as the fleet of six AC45F yachts completed three action-packed races – obliterating the memories of Sultry Saturday when too little wind prevented all but an exhibition race.

Nathan Outteridge, Artemis, Bermuda

Artemis Helmsman, Nathan Outteridge at the end of Super Sunday, ACWS Bermuda.



Emirates Team New Zealand were in the overall lead after Portsmouth and Gothenburg, so were the ones to beat in Race one. True to form in this scintillating competition so far, almost everyone did, as a terrible start left skipper Glenn Ashby and crew fifth ahead of the dismal French who are rapidly dropping off the bottom of the table overall.

Artemis were just a single gybe from winning Race one and making the perfect start to the day, but tactician Iain Percy admitted afterwards that they had already mucked up one gybe in the race through a silly mistake and they proceeded to do the same again, giving away the lead to Oracle Team USA with Land Rover BAR in third.

So, on to Race 2 and with the wind in the mid-teens, there was some high-speed jousting in the confined spaces in the pre-start. Unfortunately, one of the umpire boats found itself in the path of Softbank Team Japan, and in the process of avoiding that collision, accelerated directly in between the hulls of the oncoming Artemis Racing. "Fu***ing Hell!" yelled Nathan Outeridge, unable to take any avoiding action. The crash of carbon hull on carbon RIB console reportedly sounded like a start gun to the nearest spectator area.

The race was delayed, the umpire was extracted miraculously unhurt from his entrapment between sponson and trampoline, and Artemis' support team immediately began sawing off the damaged bowsprit that anchors the lower end of the Code Zero downwind sail. Less than 10 minutes after the crash, Outteridge nailed the start line and led the fleet from start to finish. Iain Percy was effusive in his praise for the Aussie helmsman and 49er Olympic medallist. "Not many people could do what Nathan did."

Indeed, at the end of the day, when Artemis had sneaked across ahead of Oracle in race 3 to win the weekend, Nathan Outeridge was grinning like the cat that got the cream. Iain Percy on the other hand, looked shell-shocked.

"I'm very proud of the team," Percy stated at the end. "We had a lot of pressure to perform. I know perfectly well that we have a talented enough team to win these events, but things haven't gone our way, we've hit the odd rock and capsized, and suddenly everyone was questioning us. To deliver under that heat, and under the circumstances of the crash, was pretty impressive."

This unlucky team got lucky this weekend. This event is breaking new ground all the time and will hopefully learn from the mistakes of this weekend to prevent any further collisions in 2016 and beyond.

ACWS Bermuda - Emirates Team New Zealand

Utterly captivating high-speed foiling visible at close quarters on the water, but will ACWS organisers take steps to increase safety on the water after the Artemis-umpire boat collision?