Olympic legend pays tribute to sailor in catamaran tragedy

The four-time Olympic sailing champion spoke outside Sherborne Abbey ahead of Simpson’s funeral, and described the father-of-two as “a friend to us all”.

Hundreds of mourners – family, friends and fellow sporting champions – attended the service in Simpson’s home town of Sherborne in Dorset.

Sir Ben, a long-term friend, said: “We are all devastated by Andrew’s loss and it has been a very difficult period for all of us as we come to terms with his passing.

“Andrew was a devoted husband, adored father of Freddie and Hamish, son, brother and friend to so many of us.

“The fact that so many people have come here from all over the world speaks volumes of the kind of person Bart was.

“Whether Andrew met a young kid learning to sail or a four time America’s Cup winner, everyone loved Bart because of the person he was. He always had a smile on his face and that is the way we will always remember him.

“One of the things Andrew was truly passionate about was helping young sailors get into the sport and for that reason we are looking at setting up a charity in the near future in Bart’s memory.”

Sherborne, where Simpson, 36, lived with wife Leah and their two young sons, has been dressed with red, white and blue bunting in honour of its sporting hero.

Simpson, respected at home and abroad as a talented but fierce competitor, was killed while training for the America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay on May 9.

He died after being trapped under his super fast AC72 catamaran when it nosedived, capsized and broke into pieces while training with Artemis Racing.

Simpson won Olympic gold alongside his best friend Iain Percy at Beijing in 2008 and silver at the London 2012 Olympics in the Star discipline.