Chris Blunden (NZ) is one of Artemis Racing's two sailmakers; prior to joining Artemis last year, he was a member of three BMW Oracle campaigns.
Chris protects the wing's surface by applying Cuben-fiber tape over the areas where the runners could potentially tear the film where it attaches to the framework. 
He points out that the dark-colored surfaces of the film is more susceptible to catastrophic tears because the dark film retains heat causing the film to shrink; thus, a small tear could expand into a large one on a hot, sunny day.