Remembering Bart

Sir Ben Ainslie received a rousing reception when he entered the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club dining room on his return to Bermuda.

The British America’s Cup and Olympic hero and his longtime bowman Matt Cornwall were there to answer questions about their sailing careers and experiences and to coach the kids on Hamilton Harbour in a RBYC Sailing Academy Optimist Dinghy clinic. 

Ainslie represents the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation and to participate in the clinic, each young sailor purchased an Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF) sailing shirt. 

Many of the adults also  purchased sailing and polo shirts as well. 

Ben Nicholls, RBYC Junior Sailing programme coordinator estimates that up to $3,000 will be raised in donations and shirt purchases.

Ainslie and his team are in Bermuda to race the Argo Group Gold Cup, the penultimate stage 5 of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, which got under way yesterday. 

His participation, just after being an important part of winning the America’s Cup on Oracle, will focus attention on the Foundation that has been established since Simpson’s tragic death in San Francisco last May. 

Simpson died during training for this year’s  America’s Cup, when the Swedish Artemis Racing team yacht he was aboard capsized.

The Ben Ainslie Racing Team, called BART, is racing in the Argo Group Gold Cup to raise awareness for this worthwhile cause in memory of their late friend and fellow sailor. 

Simpson and the charity are the reason BART is racing. Their Bermuda sponsor is the Argo Group.

“Bart’s Family was keen to help start something to help kids get into sailing,” Ainslie said.

“So they and Bart’s fellow sailors established the Foundation. The goal is to help young kids who don’t have the support to get into sailing and maybe into careers in sailing or the industry. 

“Clinics are planned first in England and the plan is to spread them worldwide.” 

Ben's entire crew from 2008 returned to Bermuda for the 2013 Argo Group Gold Cup. 

Olympic gold medal winner Iain Percy is tactician and mainsheet trimmer. Multiple Gold Cup winner Christian Kamp is jib trimmer and Ben's former Team Origin bowman Matt Cornwall is also be aboard. Gold Cup racing started yesterday. n