Andrew Simpson dødede i nat, efter at være blevet fanget under båden, da en kæntringsulykkke med AC72 Artemis indtraf. Holdet trænede på San Francisco Bay.
Andrew Simpson var trofast gast om bord på den britiske Starbåd sammen med Ian Percy, og sejlsporten har mistet endnu en (Magnus Olsson, red.) stor personlighed inden for kort tid.
På Artemis Racing Americas Cup site kan man læse følgende om den tragiske ulykke, der her i nat har kostet den britiske sejler Andrew Simpson livet:
It is with immense sadness that Artemis Racing confirms the tragic death of crew member Andrew "Bart" Simpson today in San Francisco.
Simpson, a British double Olympic medalist, was one of the 11-man crew aboard Artemis Racing's AC72 catamaran which capsized during training on San Francisco Bay ahead of this summer's America's Cup. All other crewmembers are accounted for.
Despite attempts to revive Simpson, both afloat and subsequently ashore, his life was lost.
"The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," said CEO Paul Cayard. "Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family."
Artemis Racing CEO Paul Cayard addressed the media this afternoon at the team base in Alameda and said the following regarding the capsize of the team's first AC72 and loss of crewman Andrew Simpson:
"Our prayers are with Andrew Simpson's family, his wife and kids, and also the rest of my teammates. It's a shocking experience to go through, and we have a lot to deal with in the next few days in terms of assuring everybody's well being.
"The boat's under control, but that's not the first of our concerns. We're focused on the people.
"That's what we're working with and on and we'll give you more information when we're able to."
