Andrew "Bart" Simpson, an Olympic gold medalist sailor from England, died Thursday after his racing boat capsized during practice runs for the America's Cup races this summer. Simpson, 36, was serving as the strategist for Artemis Racing, an 11-man Swedish team. The crew was practicing in the San Francisco Bay when the boat overturned and trapped Simpson underwater for about 10 minutes. Doctors on board with the racing team were unable to revive Simpson after he was finally freed. Paramedics on shore performed CPR at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco and pronounced him dead shortly after.
Simpson won gold in the Star class at the 2008 Summer Olympic games as well as a silver medal at the 2012 Games with Iain Percy.
RELATED: Serena Williams Responds
The vessel capsized near Treasure Island, which the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge bisects, close enough to the roadway that rescue boats and helicopters which arrived on the scene could be spotted from it.
Officials told AP News that winds were blowing between 15 and 20 knots (17 to 23 mph) when the boat overturned, and the National Weather Service later issued an advisory warning inexperienced mariners in small crafts to stay off the bay. The Weather Service said winds could reach up to 28 mph (33 knots) in given areas. But Coast Guard Lt. Jeannie Crump said that officials still don't know what might have caused Simpson's AC72 catamaran to capsize. The catamaran is 72 feet long and is specially designed to reach speeds of up to 45 mph. Artemis Racing told the AP that the front beam of the catamaran had been damaged last fall during structural tests, which delayed its use. A year ago, the wing sail sustained damage while being tested in Valencia, Spain.
"The entire Artemis team is devastated by what happened," CEO Paul Cayard said in a statement on the team's website. "Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family."
RELATED: Prigioni 'Spectacular' In Game 2
The Artemis team was preparing to challenge the Oracle Racing team for the America's Cup, which will begin in July and run through September. The race is known as the most prestigious of sailing trophies.
No sailor has ever died during racing for the America's Cup since its inception in 1851. But Simpson's death marks the second death in training for it - in 1999, Martin Wizner of the Spanish Challenge died after being hit in the head with a broken piece of equipment.
Simpson is survived by a wife and an infant.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
