The culmination of more than 35,000 man hours and a tremendous amount of hard work on the part of the entire team came on March 15 when Artemis Racing sailed with the team’s first AC72 wing in Valencia, Spain.
The AC72 wing towers over the Artemis Racing AC45 in the foreground. Photo by Sander van der Borch
Published: April, 2012
The culmination of more than 35,000 man hours and a tremendous amount of hard work on the part of the entire team came on March 15 when Artemis Racing sailed with the team’s first AC72 wing in Valencia, Spain.
While the Defender and other Challengers for the 34th America’s Cup have chosen to train and test elements for the AC72 catamarans using smaller boats, specifically AC45 and SL33 catamarans, Artemis Racing opted to build a full size wing from the outset.
"We chose the full scale strategy. Our decision was more time consuming, but it allows us to learn how to handle this powerful wing. Before performance, there is the safety of our team. San Francisco Bay in July and August is an unforgiving place," said CEO Paul Cayard.
Towering more than 13 stories high, the AC72 wing is a pure work of art. The 130 foot high structure, predominantly built of carbon fiber, measures over 850 square feet yet weighs just over one metric ton.
"It was a team effort. It was amazing to see the wing out on the water. It looks great, but at the same time threatening. We will be going through a series of structural tests in the next few days," said Principal Designer Juan Kouyoumdjian.
This is Artemis Racing’s first entry to the America’s Cup.
A member of the Artemis Racing crew suspended in air while making adjustments during the first sail with the AC72 wing. Photo by Sander van der Borch
