In August, against the backdrop of Qingdao, China, British sailor Ben Ainslie won his third Olympic gold medal. Today he visited Qingdao again, only this time it was the yacht which is sponsored by the Olympic venue and is preparing to compete in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race.
The three-time gold medal winner, who also has a silver medal from the Atlanta games and a host of World titles to his name, took advantage of the boat’s presence in London’s St Katharine Docks to discover more about what it takes to crew an ocean-racing yacht.
Although he is possibly the greatest Olympic sailor ever and skipper of Team Origin which will mount the British Americas Cup campaign, long-distance racing is not something he so familiar with despite competing in the Sydney-Hobart and the Middle Sea Race.
“The type of sailing I do is very different to the Clipper Race it’s more intense for shorter periods. The Clipper Race is all about endurance and teamwork, with people from all different backgrounds gelling together as a team. I’ve got a lot of admiration for people who take on this challenge” Ainslie said.
Ainslie dropped in on Qingdao on the eve of the celebratory parade through London for the hugely successful British Olympic squad who brought home their best medal haul in a century. He shared some chilled Tsingdao beers with skippers, crew and sponsors onboard the 68-ft racing yacht in central London.
The GBR sailing team’s amazing four gold’s, one silver and one bronze medal in their eleven events brought the sport to the public¹s attention.
“The Clipper Race is a fantastic way to introduce people to sailing. It gives people the chance to experience what sailing is all about giving them a new outlook on life and what’s important” Ainslie said.
“I’ve done some offshore racing but not a circumnavigation. My dad Roddy did the Whitbread in 1973 and that is definitely an inspiration for me. I’d love to sail round the world myself at the right time with the right team” he said.
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was established by legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in order to allow people from all walks of life to experience the exhilaration of ocean racing. Since the first Clipper Race in 1996 more than 1,700 people have competed in the race, almost half of them having no prior sailing experience, and thousands more worldwide have been introduced to the sport through stopovers and events connected to the race.
Qingdao will be moored in St Katharine Docks, London, until Sunday 19 October and is open to the public from 10am to 7pm daily. The nearest Tube station is Tower Hill.