Artemis shines; Oracle Coutts eliminated in match races

American Terry Hutchinson has skippered Sweden's Artemis Racing into the semifinals of the America's Cup World Series match racing championship after a riveting showdown with France's Aleph on foggy San Diego Bay.

Hutchinson, an experienced match racer, blocked Aleph skipper Pierre Pennec from passing late in the race and held on for the victory.

"It was never over, until it was over,” said a relieved Hutchinson. “It was dicey out there… We had to hang tough. It’s a testament to the team that we were able to get through.”

“We did a good job in both starts, had a nice lead, but it really didn’t count for much,” Artemis tactician Iain Percy, added peaking about the conditions. “You don’t always get dealt a good hand.”

It was a disappointing finish for Aleph, which won three matches to earn the right to face Artemis. The first attempt at an Aleph-Artemis Racing match was abandoned due to a technical issue just as Pennec and his crew had overcome an early penalty to take the lead.

“We were leading in the first match before it was abandoned,” said an exhausted Pennec, after completing his full dance card of races. “In the second start we had a penalty, but we did well with the windshifts to match them right up to the last mark, so it was a good day for us. I really wanted to beat Artemis, but it’s normal (they’re a strong team, higher ranked).”

In Friday's semifinals, Emirates Team New Zealand faces Oracle Racing's Jimmy Spithill while Artemis Racing faces France's Energy Team.

By losing the opening match to Aleph, China Team finishes in ninth place. The other teams to fall Thursday, Green Comm Racing, Team Korea, ORACLE Racing Coutts and Aleph will race again on Saturday for places eight through five.