12 The Times Magazinee’re in a 750-horsepower semi-
inflatable speedboat ripping
across the Solent, a guttural
roar in our ears, spray and
wind in our hair and mouths,
the bow thumping each wave
beneath. We’re in pursuit
of Sir Ben Ainslie, the most
decorated sailor in Olympic
history – four golds, one silver- and he’s getting away.
He’s in a stealth black sailing boat that
doesn’t look like a sailing boat, aside from
the fact that it has a sail. It looks like a cross
between a spaceship from Star Wars and the
ghostly Flying Dutchman. It appears to be
gliding, soundless, above the water. I can see
the shadow of its hull on the sea, which is
pretty weird. And then its sail curves, it leans
and strikes right across our path, so I see what
it is floating on – a slim white fin, like an ice-
skating blade, leaving an elegant seam in the
water. This is the “foil”, an innovation that
allows these boats, AC75s, to “fly”, in Ainslie’s
words, through a sailing race “completely dry”.
This AC75 (which stands for America’s
Cup 75ft) is Britannia I, the prototype for
the UK’s entry into the 36th America’s Cup
challenge, to be held in Auckland next spring.
You don’t have to be a fan of yachts or sailing
to have your heart in your mouth as you watch
it. Ainslie calls it a rocket ship. Not only is it the
most extraordinary boat I’ve seen, it’s also one
of the most technologically advanced ever built.
Visible onboard is Ainslie, 43, tall and taut,
a self-confessed “bad loser”. He’s been shedding
kilos like sandbags from a hot-air balloon to
allow the other ten sailors, his Ineos crew, to
carry more. I can see four or so from here,
their helmets bobbing like jockeys. Those are
grinders, eight in all, real-life Popeyes who
drink spinach shakes for breakfast (no joke)
and whose muscle strength translates into the
power that, combined with the breeze and
aerodynamic shape, allows the AC75 to sail at
speeds unimaginable in this sport ten years ago.
Just occasionally, there are sports that
come out of their niche to capture the nation’s
imagination. I’m guessing that the physics
equivalent of seeing the weight of seven
saloon cars racing atop a foil the size of an
ironing board is going to be quite a draw
when the competition is televised in March.
And then there’s the emotional hook. Forget
football’s “years of hurt” since 1966; the British
have never won the yacht race – around the
Isle of Wight – they founded in 1851.
The world’s oldest international sporting
trophy, a frankly ugly Victorian silver ewer the
size of a child, has been passed between the
US, Australia, New Zealand and landlocked
Switzerland, tantalisingly out of reach. But this
time we have the backing of billionaire Sir Jim
Ratcliffe, one of the richest men in Britain, a
chemical engineer, industrialist and financier.
Ratcliffe, slim and musteline, is a mixture
of fervent nationalist (a fierce Brexiteer),
design technology obsessive and man with
lots of money (so much that he recently
announced he will live in Monaco). He pushed
£110 million across the table at the outset of the
competition’s four-year cycle and said, basically,
“Here’s your budget.” His company Ineos backs
the UK cycling team the Grenadiers, is the
principal partner in the Mercedes Formula One
team and owns the Belstaff clothing company.
There are four countries in the 2021
America’s Cup (named after the first boat that
won, rather than the nation): the UK, the US,
Italy and the holders, New Zealand. All have
recently unveiled their race boats. Britannia II
(with the letters RITA bolded – all Ainslie’s
boats have been called Rita) is sleek black and
incorporates the most radical changes from
its original design. The contest starts with a
four-day pre-Christmas regatta before racing
proper starts on January 15 in the Prada Cup,
which will decide who will race one-to-one
with New Zealand in March for the America’s
Cup itself. As winners of the last cup, despitehaving a smaller budget, New Zealand dictated
the rules of this one, even down to specifics of
the boat and the maximum combined weight
of the sailors (990kg).
On shore, Ainslie is mellow. Shy, even. He’s
spent months off the water because all the
marinas were closed due to Covid. The view
from his house on the Isle of Wight stretches
across to Hayling Island. “And, apart from a
couple of the cross-Channel ferries that kept
going, it was absolutely silent.” This was the
longest he’s been away from a boat since he
started sailing as a child – a bit of a heart-
stopper given the crucial stage in America’s
Cup training. He jokes he “spent longer in the
bath” to compensate. But in terms of aerobic
fitness, Ainslie was limited to a static bike,
which he rode for at least two hours a day.
Meanwhile, the grinders were training on
pedestals for about 15 hours a week. Netflix
recommendations were passed around the
team to keep them focused while pounding
through the hours in the gym. They did
twice-weekly Zoom yoga sessions before
quizzes at crew member Freddie Carr’s
virtual pub, the Grinder’s Arms.W
Britannia takes flight
in Auckland Harbour
for the first time.
Right: Ainslie at the helmPREVIOUS SPREAD: C GREGORY/INEOS TEAM UK. BEN AINSLIE WEARS THE BRITANNIA COLLECTION TRAILMASTER JACKET, READY-TO-WEAR JEANS AND BOOTS, ALL BELSTAFF. THIS SPREAD: C GREGORY/INEOS TEAM UK