British Olympic gold medallist Andrew 'Bart' Simpson - teammate of Cornish sailor Ben Ainslie - has died after his catamaran capsized during training and he was trapped under the boat.
The Olympic sailor from Dorset, who won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver in the London 2012 games, died yesterday after his team's ultra-modern yacht capsized off the Californian Coast.
He was training in San Francisco Bay, where he has recently moved with his family, for the America's Cup when his 72-foot Artemis catamaran capsized around 1.15pm local time.
Rescuers pulled Mr Simpson into a support boat but all efforts to revive him failed. It is not known why the boat capsized but it is believed he may have been in the water for 10 minutes.
The 36-year-old won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a crew member in the star class and he also took silver last year in the London 2012 Games.
Tributes from colleagues have been paid to Mr Simpson, saying he was a "much loved" and "very accomplished" sailor.
Artemis chief executive Paul Cayard said: "This is a tragic day. Our thoughts are with Andrew Simpson's family, his wife and children and also with the rest of the team mates."
One other crew member was hurt but his condition was not said to be serious.
