The US America’s Cup Defender Oracle Team USA was out training on its high-speed catamaran in Bermuda, host city of the America's Cup, when they saw a swimmer in distress and tried to come to his rescue. But sadly the swimmer, a 52 year old American man named Kevin Keeley from California, drowned despite the team’s rescue attempts.
Keeley had been aboard a local boat named Aristocat and encountered difficulties whilst swimming near Watford Bridge around 3:45 pm yesterday (May 21).
As reported by the local Bermudian paper, The Royal Gazette, Oracle Team USA had an EMT (emergency medical technician) on board their boat. They came to the aid of the distressed swimmer and took him to Watford Dock, where he was then taken by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Bermuda marine police were also on hand.
Kevin Keeley was pronounced dead at 4:20 pm on May 21, 2015. This is the second drowning to take place in Bermuda in less than 24 hours, following the death of 25 year old Wilmis Herrera Moreno who drowned while swimming in a part of the island called Paradise Lakes.
Bermuda police have responded by asking the public to take precautions. “The waters can be very unforgiving,” says police spokesman Dwayne Caines. “We are asking those individuals who do choose to swim to make wise decisions while they are in the water.
“You must always swim with someone who is a strong swimmer, just as you should always look out for each other. If you are boating, you should file a plan, take the appropriate safely precautions and ensure that the proper safety mechanisms, such as a first-aid kit, are on board.”
The US team along with others have been practicing in Bermuda, where Sweden’s Artemis Racing became the first America’s Cup team to test its AC45 boat.