Nathan Outteridge's Artemis SailGP crew finished third at the Rio Sail Grand Prix after a decisive umpire penalty in the three-boat Final ended any realistic challenge for the event title on April 12.
The Sweden-flagged team — helmed by the Australian Olympic champion — had qualified for the Final in strong form after placing second in the fleet-race standings. But a marginal call at a mark rounding against Diego Botin's Spain saw chief umpire Craig Mitchell and the Emirates Umpires Studio dole out a penalty that forced Artemis to duck behind the Spanish boat and concede ground.
"For me, that's an absolute no-brainer foul there," commentator and Flying Roos sailor Peter Burling said on the TNT Sports broadcast as the on-water officials confirmed the ruling. Tom Slingsby, helm of the dominant Australian boat, made a rare show of agreement with the chief umpire. "First time of the weekend that Tom Slingsby and Craig Mitchell have agreed," Burling quipped as replays confirmed the infringement.
The penalty arrived at the worst possible moment for Artemis. Slingsby had already accelerated through mark one with clean air, and Spain was tacking away on the right-hand side of the course. Once forced to pass astern of Botin, Outteridge had no clear path back into the race, and the podium positions were effectively locked in.
The result still left Artemis in a respectable third, with the Sweden team sitting fifth on the Season 6 ladder after four of 13 events. Outteridge, a former Australia SailGP helm who switched across to the Swedish-flagged programme, has had a steadying season alongside wing trimmer and tactician Iain Murray's long-time understudies.
Race officials later explained the penalty as a straightforward mark-room call: Artemis had been required to give the Spanish crew room at the rounding and had failed to do so. Slingsby's team, freed from the threat of both competitors, won comfortably in a race shortened by the tight, Sugarloaf-bound course.
The bigger picture is more encouraging for Outteridge. Artemis has yet to win a Season 6 event but has been consistently close to the podium, and with nine events to come — starting in Bermuda on May 9-10 — the Swedish programme is still in comfortable range of a first event trophy.
