Sail Racing Magazine – sailracingmagazine.com –
Artemis helmsman Nathan Outteridge has officially refuted a description of the crash of the Artemis Racing AC72 which has been circulating on international news sites since last week.
The description was given by Outteridge’s father to reporters at the Australian Newcastle Herald newspaper and appeared to suggest that the Swedish catamaran had begun to break up before it capsized.
In the article Outteridge’s father is quoted as telling Herald reporters how his son had described the crash in a phone call:
“Nathan told me [the turn] didn’t seem any different to any other occasion. The bow dug in a little bit but he said that’s not unusual. The next thing he heard a cracking noise and the boat went on its side. Before it capsized it snapped in half, Nathan described it as folding like a taco shell.”
Today however, Artemis Racing’s communications department issued an email with the following statement from Nathan Outteridge appearing to contradict how his father had been reported:
“The description of the accident in the Newcastle Herald while quoting my father is not correct and does not reflect the facts. Unfortunately it has been relayed by other media. Right now, we are all still mourning and working to understand what happened. I hope everyone can respect this and I thank all those who have expressed support.”
Tomorrow (Tuesday May 14) representatives of Artemis Racing along with the other three teams involved in the 34th America’s Cup will meet with Regatta Director Ian Murray who is leading the inquiry into the crash which resulted in the drowning of British double Olympic medallist Andrew Simpson. They are expected to be asked to share information about the crash last Thursday including video and still images.
Murray has scheduled a press conference involving for 1400 Tuesday afternoon.
Image credit: Artemis Racing/Sander van der Borch
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