A high-tech catamaran boat capsized in San Francisco on Thursday, killing former goal medalist Andrew "Bart" Simpson while practicing in the San Francisco Bay for the upcoming America's Cup races.
According to the Associated Press, Simpson, a former gold medalist from England, died after being trapped underwater in the boat for over 10 minutes, while Olympic medalist Craig Monk suffered a neck injury and is in the hospital. Artemis Racing said Simpson died and that at the time two other yacht teams were training for the upcoming races.
"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."
Simpson was the Swedish team's strategist and the report says that Simpson is survived by his wife and an infant. Simpson and his partner Iain Percy won an Olympic gold medal for England back in 2008. Percy is Artemis' director and the boat's tactician. The team announced Feb. 23 that Simpson was joining Artemis to "provide weather and tactics support" to the crew.
A month later, Simpson tweeted: "Moving the family to San Fran for 6 months is pretty hectic!!! The cup should be fun though!!"
