Andrew 'Bart' Simpson: Iain Percy pays birthday tribute a decade after fatal accident

The sailing partner of an Olympian who died while training for the America's Cup 10 years ago has paid a birthday tribute to his friend.

Andrew Simpson, 36 from Sherborne, Dorset, was killed in an accident in San Francisco Bay in May 2013.

On what would have been his 47th birthday, fellow Olympian Iain Percy said he was a "great man and sailor".

Percy went on to help set up the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation to encourage young people in the sport.

In a video posted on social media on Sunday, he urged people to "raise a glass today in honour of the big man", who was also known as "Bart" after the character Bart Simpson, from the American animated series The Simpsons.

"For scores of people - the men and women, junior sailors - turned to him. The amount of people Bart had been the shoulder to cry on or offering a piece of advice.

"Him, as a person, was about really helping people, but not necessarily telling people he had been helping."

Simpson won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012.

He was killed when the catamaran he was aboard capsized during training for the America's Cup.

After his death, the foundation was set up in his memory by fellow sailors Sir Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, along with his widow Leah Simpson and his sister Amanda, to support youth sailing.

The Andrew Simpson Foundation operates not-for-profit watersports centres in Portland, Portsmouth, Reading and Birmingham as well as the international Bart's Bash event.

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