America’s Cup 2015 Ends with Artemis Take of Bermuda

Artemis Racing Team Flying Over Bermuda´s Ocean Waters in the final event of America´s Cup 2015.

Artemis Racing took the Bermuda America's Cup after flying 3 races and taking the points home. America´s Cup described the October 18 Bermuda water racing as “Incredible”. Organizers packed the day with three races to make up for the suspension of racing the day before due to lack of wind conditions.

The big news was taken by Artemis Racing Team not only for taking the lead and event but because the Team was involved in a collision with an small umpire boat just before Race 2 started. The team which took on damages managed to led the start of that race and win it just the same. Bermuda Louis Louis Vuitton Race ended a magestic year for the America’s Cup Series 2015.

At Bermuda Artemis Racing came in first with 52 points, Emirates Team New Zealand second with 50 points, Oracle Team USA third with 48 points, fourth Land Rover Bar with 44 points, fifth SoftBank Team Japan with 44 points and sixth Groupama Team France with 32 points.

But in the overall 2015 season the podium went in a different direction. The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series 2015 ended with Emirates Team New Zealand leading the series with 122 points, Oracle Team USA Second with 112 points and Land Rover BAR Third with 109.

Bermuda celebrated and seized the opportunity to officially announce their participation in the America's Cup 2017. Bermuda America's Cup Press Office reported that Artemis and Bermuda itself shared the spotlight.

“Artemis Racing grabbed the lion’s share of the spotlight, writing an epic comeback story on Sunday at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Bermuda. The host venue of Bermuda was also shining bright, offering up perfect racing conditions, a large but controlled spectator fleet, and an enthusiastic public. It was a tremendous opening event in the home of the 2017 America’s Cup,” Bermuda reported.

A total of three double-point races were sailed by all teams. Each race had a different winner but Artemis took the lead with more points and “consistent performance”. The circumstances could not have been better for sailing. Clear skies, crystal waters, strong winds, the multi-hulls flew for the win. Athletes onboard took physical limits to the extreme as they competed at full speed.

On October 17 Yachting World reported “What it's really like aboard a foiling America's Cup boat in the heat of battle?” Matthew Sheahan rode and sailed out with the Land Rover Team in a practice race. “Riding shotgun with Ben Ainslie and Land Rover BAR during the first of two practice days left Matthew Sheahan buzzing and unable to sleep,” Yachting World described the extreme experience.

30 or more knots speed, deafening noises which leads to shouting-communication onboard, salt water sprayed on the face and wave-forced on the boat, wave cutting ride up and down, elevation of the hull and sensation of flying, adrenaline speed and extreme sailing technical movements aboard “jet sailing boats” impressed the reporter.

“...the thing that struck me most was how much the leeward daggerboard was moving fore and aft. Nerdy I know, but I had no idea there was that much slack in the system -how on earth did the boat feel as ‘stable’ as it did with wobbly boards?” Matthew Sheahan reported on Yachting World.

“That’s Ben adjusting the trim on the downwind leg,” said crew member Paul Campbell-James afterwards.

“You’re kidding!” I replied.

“Upwind, when you’re ‘only’ doing 18-20 knots, the closing speed, the narrow angles and the rate at which the boat accelerates the minute the helmsman bears away, is enough to have you looking bravely the other way! Downwind it’s even more scary,” the invited-for-experience sailor stated.

Back at the closing of the Bermuda Event Artemis Racing skipper Nathan Outteridge described just how extreme things can become during the race.

Just before Race 2 was about to begin Artemis collided with an Umpire Boat and the Artemis Racing multihull took on serious damages. With under two minutes to spare the Team managed to blast off the ocean start line with with more speed than anyone else and won not only the start but the entire second race.

“We owned that start… 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,” Skipper Outteridge said.

At Bermuda Oracle Team USA won the first race but took a fall to the third place in the second race and fell even deeper in the third race all the way to fifth position securing nevertheless a spot in the podium for overall third ranking.

“We just had a bad third race,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill. “We got a terrible start, and were on the back foot for the entire race. Artemis was able to slip past us near the finish and that cost us second place here and won them the regatta. We made too many mistakes in that race and that took us out of the running for the win.”

Emirates Team New Zealand with a win in the third race extended its advantage on the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series overall leaderboard.

Packed 10 thousand spectators and nearly 2 thousand boats filled the Bermudian waters to glance the flying fastest sail boats to exist and compete in the Ocean. America's Cup Bermuda was televised and broadcasted around the world for millions and reached even more people through mobile device live broadcasting.

Oracle Team celebrated their Bermuda podium spot which allowed for them to escalate to second rank in the overall Louis Vuitton America´s World Cup Series.

“It was probably the best Sunday we had yet in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series,” said skipper Jimmy Spithill. “It was beautiful breeze, an awesome course, heaps of spectators, and great racing. We’re seeing a new team winning each of the World Series events, so it’s showing how tight the level is.”

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.