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Andrew “Bart” Simpson – Olympic medallist

Andrew “Bart” Simpson, UK Olympic gold medalist died in a training accident when Artemis Racing’s AC72 capsized last Thursday, May 9, 2013.

An independent committee of six international experts will begin reviewing AC72 training and racing tomorrow, Thursday 16 May 2013. The committee members include experts in sailing safety, multihull yacht design and racing. The committee will review training and racing of AC72 catamarans on San Francisco Bay. The scope of their review and recommendations is  not limited.

Why you can expect a thorough and valuable report

All of the committee members are exceptionally experienced and professional. Three members of the committee reviewed the capsize that cost five lives in the 2012 Farallones Race when “Low Speed Chase” was hit by a breaking wave and driven onto the rocks. If you read any of their report, you will appreciate how thorough and how sobering it is. ‘Lectronic Latitude ran an excellent and easy to read summary. You can get the full report from US Sailing, here.

Bryan Chong, one of the survivors of the Low Speed Chase capsize, has written about the experience and what he learned. To me, the most important part of his message is this:

• “Safety leadership isn’t always easy. It takes a willingness to speak up when others don’t. It’s choosing the safety of yourself and your crewmates over pride, appearance, comfort, costs or an engraved silver cup. It’s leadership by example and can be as simple as showing up early to make sure the safety equipment’s primed, double checking a teammate’s PFD cartridge and tether, tossing your favorite sailing hat in the water to force an MOB exercise, buying your friend a Spinlock lifejacket for their birthday, or setting the expectation that you’ll only crew on boats that take safety seriously. It’s investing in yourself by attending training, sharing what you learned with others, and following through when on the water.”

I strongly recommend you read Brian’s account of the capsize here and his reflections a year later, here.

Making AC72 sailing safer

 

The job of the committee is “to review the training and racing of AC72 yachts in the 34th America’s Cup, and make recommendations to the Trustee, the organizers and the Competitors.” No doubt they will do a thorough job understanding the Artemis capsize. Download the full description of the committee’s Terms of Reference (scope of work) here.

The committee members (download bios here):

Iain Murray (AUS, Chair) is Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup and CEO of AC Race Management. He has been a world champion sailing high performance 18 foot skiffs and has won ocean races. Iain was on board oneAustralia when it sank during racing in the buildup to the 1995 America’s Cup.

Sally Lindsay Honey (USA, Deputy Chair) is on US Sailing’s Safety-at-Sea Committee, has twice been US Yachtswoman of the Year, and has competed in both small boats and ocean racers for over 20 years, logging over 35,000 ocean miles. She chaired the panel that reviewed the fatal Low Speed Chase capsize in the 2012 Farallones Race.

John Craig (USA) is the Principal Race Officer for the 34th America’s Cup. He has run approximately 300 races on San Francisco Bay. John has coached many top sailors including the Canadian Olympic team. He served on the panel that reviewed the Low Speed Chase capsize.

Chuck Hawley (USA) has moderated over 50 Safety-at-Sea seminars for US Sailing and served as Chairman of US Sailing’s Safety at Sea Committee. He has sailed over 40,000 miles including two singlehanded passages to Hawaii and as crew on board the maxi-catamaran PlayStation. Chuck was an advisor to the review of the Low Speed Chase capsize.

Vincent Lauriot-Prévost (FRA) co-founded one of the world’s top multihull design firms, Van Peteghem Lauriot Prévost (VPLP). Their designs for racing and cruising multihulls have set and now hold more records than any other design team. Their projects include Hydroptère, Groupama 3, Banque Populaire V and BMW Oracle Racing’s 90′ trimaran USA 17.

Jim Farmer QC (NZL) is a Queen’s Counsel who has held academic positions at University of Auckland and University of Cambridge. As a yachtsman he formed Georgia Racing which has built five racing keel boats which he has campaigned with great success in the Pacific and Mediterranean.

The committee liaisons include: Lt. Jon Lane of the US Coast Guard and Capt. Thomas Cleary of the San Francisco Police Department.

 

 

I extend my deepest sympathy to Bart Simpson’s wife Leah, young sons and to the entire Artemis Racing team.

From the Artemis web site:

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.