SailGP: Nathan Outteridge reflects on Perth and Auckland and looks ahead to Sydney
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 24 Feb 10:36 GMT
Artemis SailGP Team lead Switzerland and Canada - Race Day 1 of the ITM NZ Sail Grand Prix - February 14, 2026 © Felix Diemer/SailGP
After a year out of the sport, and cruising from Europe to New Zealand, Nathan Outteridge is having to come up to speed quickly with a new SailGP team, and getting the Emirates Team New Zealand America's Cup sailing program underway.
Skippering the new Artemis Racing team, the Swedish crew got away to a flying start - as predicted by many pundits - in the first day of racing of Season 6.
Sailing in the fresh Indian Ocean breeze off Fremantle, the "rookie" crew topped the overnight leaderboard after the first race day, in the Oracle Perth SailGP, but stumbled in the second race day to finish fourth overall and just miss the Final.
In Auckland, in the second round of Season 6, at the ITM NZ SailGP, the fleet was hit by squally conditions and a freak collision, resulting in only two races being sailed on the first day. With strong winds again forecast for the Sunday, the now 11 boat fleet was split into two flights, putting a new dimension on the racing.
They finished fourth, again, in Auckland - a very creditable place for a team in it first regattas of its debut season - and probably the best start yet by any SailGP team, in the expanded League.
"Perth was great because we had a bunch of training there, and we got a good foundation under our belt sailing same conditions every day."
"The first race day was great, two seconds and a first. "Things were going well. Sunday, I think we identified a few areas we definitely need to work on," Outteridge said in the Mixed Zone (for media and competitors to interact) in Auckland, after the first day of racing, in his now home town.
"Today, it shows you, how dynamic the conditions are, and that time together - as a crew - is going to make a big difference."
"I think the way we sailed the boat today was quite good, but the results weren't quite there, and I think we'll have a lot to look at overnight and come back tomorrow in better shape."
He described their performance on the second day in Auckland as "up and down today,. We didn't start very well. Still haven't worked out how to start these boats again yet, so it appears. But we got a second and a fourth, which was not quite enough to make it into the final."
To be continued.