Syndicate founder Torbjörn Törnqvist attended the early morning ceremony along with 300 members of Artemis Racing, including family and friends. The team’s new yacht, christened Artemis Racing, looked sharp with its navy blue hulls.
The team’s Swedish roots are recognized with the Swedish flag painted on the sterns and three crowns on the bows. The tres kronors is a national emblem of Sweden.
“This is a great day for many reasons,” said Törnqvist, who spoke before the crowd. “It’s the culmination of a heroic effort to put together this beautiful boat. The shore team has put so much into this, and now for our sailing team to get out there and give her justice. I am proud to share with you this great moment.”
Artemis Racing suffered an accident on May 9 in which the team’s first yacht capsized and broke apart and crewman Andrew Simpson perished. That accident was just two and a half months ago, and since then the team has been working many hours to get back on the water.
“I don’t think anyone fully appreciates the hill Artemis Racing has climbed to get to this point,” said Regatta Director Iain Murray. “It’s a substantial rebuild of the team in terms of building the confidence back, the morale, and I’ve seen the momentum gathering. They’ve worked tirelessly, and I have my admiration for the way they’ve gone about it.”
The team said that the yacht, dubbed “Big Blue,” will undergo dock tuning in an effort to get it ready for sailing, which could occur as early as tomorrow.
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