Ex-skipper changes tune on boat in fatal capsize

Former America's Cup skipper Terry Hutchinson has backed down from his contention that Artemis Racing was sailing an unsafe boat when it capsized on San Francisco Bay last year, killing British Olympic star Andrew "Bart" Simpson.
In an interview with Maxim magazine earlier this month, Hutchinson was quoted as saying that he "had a massive falling out with the owner of the team and the CEO about the safety of our yacht so they decided to terminate me. Ten weeks after my argument with the owner about the safety of the Artemis boat, the boat capsized in the San Francisco bay and one of the sailors was killed. It was a known thing that the boat was not safe. It was a tragedy. The guy that was killed was a good person and a father."

Simpson, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, was killed on May 9, 2013, when the 72-foot catamaran flipped and crumpled while on a training run.
On Friday, Hutchinson said on his Facebook page that the Maxim interview "included some untrue statements and inaccurate remarks I made about Artemis Racing."
"To be clear, Artemis Racing is a well-organised and responsible professional sailing team that considers safety an absolute priority," Hutchinson wrote. "My departure from the team more than five months prior to the tragedy of May 9, 2013 was on agreeable terms with the owner and my teammates. No one could have anticipated what occurred, and I meant no disrespect to the memory of Andrew "Bart" Simpson or to any current or past members of the Artemis Racing team. I deeply regret any misunderstanding that was drawn from the Maxim interview."

Hutchinson said in an email to The Associated Press that he wasn't going to comment further on why he recanted his earlier statement.

Officials with Artemis also didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The syndicate is owned by billionaire Torbjorn Tornqvist, a Swedish oil trader.
The San Francisco Police Department, which handled the accident investigation, has declined to make its findings public.
Simpson suffered extensive trauma to his head and neck and drowned after being trapped underwater for about 10 minutes, according to the autopsy report. There were serious cuts and bruises to Simpson's head and neck, and foam inside his crash helmet "was irregularly separated consistent with being crushed," the report said. The cause of death was listed as "blunt trauma with drowning."

This isn't the first time a sailor has clarified a comment about the capsized boat.