LONDON: The death of America’s Cup sailor Andrew Simpson has brought safety concerns about modern racing vessels sharply into focus but Volvo Ocean Race organisers say they have already moved to shorten boats to minimise risks in their event.
British Olympic gold medallist Simpson’s death on Thursday, when he became trapped under his capsized 72-foot catamaran while practising on board Sweden’s entry for the America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay, highlighted the dangers of the Formula One-style super yachts.
Designs have become bigger, lighter and less forgiving in the America’s Cup series where boats never stray far from the shore, but the safety demands are different in the round-the-world challenges such as the Volvo Ocean Race.
“Safety, the welfare of the crew and the integrity of the boat are foremost in our thinking,” Volvo Race Director Jack Lloyd told Reuters yesterday.
“We realised in the last Volvo Ocean Race that there was a tendency for teams to focus on reducing the weight of their boats too much and we wanted more of a focus on reliability.
“We always remember that it’s a harsh environment on the water. The tragic news about Andrew Simpson is a sobering reminder of that. Our thoughts are with his family.”
The 36-year-old Simpson’s death was believed to be the first in the America’s Cup since the early 1990s when a crew member from a Spanish team died in a training accident off the coast of Majorca in the Mediterranean.
Five people have lost their lives at sea during the Volvo Ocean Race’s 40-year history, most recently in 2006 when Dutchman Hans Horrevoets was swept overboard. REUTERS
