We find it incredible that Artemis Racing “CEO” Paul Cayard has not only said virtually nothing, (save a 30-second statement) about the death of his team member Andrew Simpson, he has for all intents and purposes disappeared completely in the five days since the incident. No further “statements”, no interviews, no appearances, nothing. The titular CEO of the Team has seemingly gone into hiding. That he is a wooden, brusque and distant “leader” is one thing, to not lead at all is something entirely different. Yes, we know that there are investigations, but christ, how about stepping up to the plate and presenting some actual compassion, or a status update, or, we dunno, leadership?
Apparently not. Rather, yet another “release” (below), this one essentially warning people like us not to “speculate.” Really, the handling of this tragedy so far is nothing short of an embarrassing PR debacle, especially given the gravity of the situation. They are clearly in damage control, and this front is surely a calculated one. And where is the video footage of the incident? Every car crash in the world makes it onto ESPN, but not in a sport run by tight ass decision makers.
We are speculating, alright. Speculating about where the leadership is….
Artemis Racing is in the process of conducting a thorough review and analysis of this week’s accident. As a part of this review, Artemis Racing is sharing and exchanging data and information with concurrent work being performed by America’s Cup and the San Francisco Police Department. Until this process is complete, any conclusions being made about the events that led to the boat’s capsizing and its tragic outcome are pure speculation. Out of respect for Bart’s memory and his family, we ask that the broader sailing community and others reserve judgment until all the facts are known, and not persist in unnecessary rumor. We again thank everyone for their continued support and thoughts during this difficult time.
