The head of Artemis Racing says his team will compete in the America's Cup only if conditions are deemed safe on wind-raked San Francisco Bay this summer.
Artemis chief executive Paul Cayard posted his comments on Wednesday on the team's website.
"We will only race if our sailing team believes they are safe racing AC72s. This confidence will be dependent on many criteria, one of the most important of which is the new safety criteria and rules changes that the America’s Cup organizers and competitors will adopt," the statement read in part.
They were his first public comments since May 9, the day crew member Andrew "Bart'' Simpson died when Artemis' catamaran capsized during a training run. Cayard said a decision to race will depend on what safety changes America's Cup organizers adopt after completing their review of the May 9 incident.
Cayard said officials are still investigating what caused the 72-foot catamaran to capsize and break into pieces.
The three teams vying to take on defending champion Oracle Racing begin competing in July.
Here's the message posted on the Artemis site:
Artemis Racing is back to work. We will only race if our sailing team believes they are safe racing AC72s. This confidence will be dependent on many criteria, one of the most important of which is the new safety criteria and rules changes that the America’s Cup organizers and competitors will adopt.
Regarding the accident on San Francisco Bay, Artemis Racing is still in the process of conducting its own internal review. I understand that frustration exists out there because questions remain about the accident. It was, however, a complex event. We want to give it the time, respect and professionalism it deserves, so we thank everyone for their continued patience during this process.
