Sailor who died in San Francisco Bay is praised as 'huge inspiration to others in British sailing and across the nation'.


Andrew Simpson: aftermath of catamaran accident which left British sailor dead Link to video: Andrew Simpson: aftermath of catamaran accident which left British sailor dead
The sailing community has paid tribute to the British Olympic gold medallist Andrew Simpson, who died on Thursday after his team's yacht capsized in the San Francisco Bay and trapped him underwater during training for the America's Cup.

The 72-foot Artemis catamaran tipped over at 1.15pm local time, plunging its 13-strong crew into the water and trapping Simpson under the vessel's platform for about 10 minutes.

Rescuers pulled Simpson, 36, into a support boat and an officer from the San Francisco police department's marine unit tried to resuscitate him. He was declared dead about 20 minutes later, said the San Francisco fire chief, Joanne Hayes-White.

Simpson won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a crew member in the Star class and took silver last year at the London Games. He also won a Star gold at the 2010 World Championships. Simpson is survived by a wife and an infant child.

'The entire team is devastated by what happened,' said the Artemis chief executive, Paul Cayard, a sailing world champion and America's Cup veteran. 'Our heartfe.