Sailor Sir Ben Ainslie may have a cabinet full of awards but he has unfinished business. He has set his sights on the America's Cup.
Words by Jonathan Whiley
When Sir Ben Ainslie was eight years old, he woke on Christmas morning at his family home in Cornwall to discover a rather unusual gift.
His parents had bought him a 10-foot wooden boat; a single-handed sailing dinghy known as an Optimist.
âWe went down to the beach, about half a mile down the road, rigged this thing up and my dad pushed me off,â recalls Ainslie.
He is reliving the moment 34 years on in the Hellenic Suite at Brownâs Hotel in Mayfair.
âI only had my wellington boots and duffle coat on. No lifejacket â which in this day and age, people would be running off to social security â but off I went.
“I remember turning round to my dad and saying: âWhat happens if I turn it over?â. He didnât really know as he didnât sail dinghies. He just said: âYou will work it out!â
Ainslie more than âworked it outâ.
As well as successfully meeting his parents for Christmas lunch at a pub down the creek that afternoon, he would become one of sailingâs most decorated competitors.
He now has five Olympic medals (four gold) and 11 world championships among his many achievements.
Lifelong passion
âI will never forget that sensation of freedom⌠of the water running under the boat,â he says.
âFor me, that was the start of a lifelong bug and passion. I had no idea it was going to become a career or take me where it has taken me. Itâs still fun, but itâs a bit more serious now.â
This is Ainslieâs typically low-key nod to the fact that he is bidding to make history once again.
The Americaâs Cup â the oldest trophy in international sport â has never been won by a British team, despite being founded on these shores in 1851.
Ainslie, spearheading INEOS Team UK, wants to bring it home.
âOur maritime history in the UK is very strong and we have had a lot of success at small boat level and Olympic sailing level,â he says.
âBut the Americaâs Cup is the only thing we have never really come close to winning. That is the last big challenge to tick off.â
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of chemical firm INEOS and one of Britainâs richest men, is funding the road to New Zealand in March 2021.
He was introduced to Ainslie through a mutual friend.
âAs he [Ratcliffe] says: âI only went for a gin and tonic and it cost me ÂŁ110 million quid!â says Ainslie.
The INEOS business mantra
With Ironman triathlons under his belt and more than a dozen marathons, Ratcliffeâs interest extends beyond merely bankrolling the bid.
âLike a lot of really successful businessmen Iâve been fortunate to meet over the years, the one thing that marks them out is that they are all very involved in what they are doing.
âHe has a lot of different projects on and itâs amazing how he can switch from one to another in a day.
“Itâs not just the financing that supports us, itâs the INEOS business mantra that has trickled down and made a difference in terms of business and management structure.â
Ratcliffe also owns British luxury lifestyle brand Belstaff â its flagship store opened on Regent Street recently.
This is Ainslieâs first interview as ambassador, the latest in a long line of adventurers to wear the brand including TE Lawrence, Che Guevara, Amelia Earhart and Steve McQueen.
A heritage firm founded in Stoke-on-Trent, itâs a natural fit with Ainslieâs northern roots having been born in Macclesfield and Ratcliffe hailing from nearby Oldham.
Feeling good
The father-of-oneâs own history with the Cup includes both triumph and disappointment.
He famously won the Auld Mug with Oracle Team USA after a stunning comeback in San Francisco in 2013.
Four years later, he set sail in a bid for British history in Bermuda with Land Rover BAR, but came up short against New Zealand.
But two years into the current campaign â and with 15 months to go â Ainslie says he is âfeeling goodâ about the challenge ahead.