Artemis Racing have hailed their first sail in the team’s America’s Cup Class yacht as a resounding success.

The Swedish Cup challenger’s 50ft foiling catamaran made its debut in the Great Sound on Monday, five days after it was christened at the team’s base on Morgan’s Point.

“Everyone’s always pretty excited when we get a new toy, and I’m no different,” said Artemis skipper and Olympic gold medal-winner Nathan Outteridge. “We had to treat the boat very gently to begin with, but as soon as we were allowed, we began to push her a little harder.

“From the first take-off the boat felt great; the guys who designed and engineered her have done a great job.”

Much went into the team’s preparation for Magic Blue’s first day of sailing, such as checking the installation and calibration of the various sensors on board that provide critical data on the loads and functionality of the on-board systems.

“Once they were calibrated and checked, the first stage of sailing was to get out there and slowly ease into loading the boat, in a very controlled manner,” Artemis chief operating officer Dave Endean said. “After that initial hour, we came back in to analyse the sensor data, make sure there were no surprises, and verify that all the work we’ve put in leading up to that day was accurate.

“First sails can be difficult, but I’m happy to say that we had a really good day. In the second three-hour session, we began to push the boat a little harder, hitting over 40 knots in ten to twelve knots of breeze. The results and data were positive, so everyone’s happy.”

Artemis plan to resume their two-boat match-racing programme with the AC50 and the team’s second AC45 test boat, helmed by 2013 King Edward VII Gold Cup winner Francesco Bruni.