HE is Britain’s greatest ever Olympic sailor, best known for world domination in 15ft dinghies – but Hampshire triple gold medallist Ben Ainslie will be taking on an altogether different kind of racing prior to his attempt at a fourth gold at this summer’s London Games.
The Lymington athlete has announced he will co-skipper the 160ft classic yacht Eleonora in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race.
Eleonora is a replica of Big Class yacht Westward, one of the most famous racing yachts ever built.
Ainslie said: “When I was asked to sail on board Eleonora it was an offer that was too good to turn down.
“This will be my seventh Round the Island Race and I’ve competed in everything from an Open 60, Extreme 40, Kerr 40 to an SB3 – but nothing is going to match sailing the 50 mile course on this beautiful classic.”
The Round the Island Race starts from Cowes on June 30 and sees competitors take on a 55-mile course around the Isle of Wight.
The race is the UK’s fourth largest participation event, with more than 16,000 people taking part each year.
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