No charges in America's Cup drowning, San Francisco police say

(Reuters) - No charges will be filed in connection with the death of a British Olympic sailing champion who drowned after the craft he was sailing during training for last year's America's Cup races capsized and broke apart in San Francisco Bay, police said. Andrew Simpson, 36, a two-time Olympic medalist and father of two young boys, suffered multiple blows to his head and body and drowned in the May 9, 2013 accident involving the 72-foot (22-meter) Artemis Racing catamaran. The San Francisco Police Department investigated the incident to see if charges should be pressed in connection with Simpson's death. The craft that Simpson had been sailing on had been scheduled to be retired on the day it capsized, and some had said the yacht was problematic. But on Wednesday, spokesman Albie Esparza said the department had closed the case. "There is no evidence to support a criminal charge, so there are no criminal charges at all," Esparza said. The accident at one point threatened to scuttle the famed sailing regatta, but racing continued after a number of rule changes were made, including substantial reductions to wind speed limits. Oracle Team USA successfully defended the trophy with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Emirates Team New Zealand. (Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Eric Walsh)