Ben Ainslie quits America's Cup

The double Olympic medallist tells Andy Rice why his heart is set on winning another medal in Athens

Ben Ainslie's departure from the One World America's Cup syndicate has come as a bolt out of the blue to the sailing world, but it was something that had been playing on the Laser Olympic Champion's mind for some time.

madfor sailing caught up with Ainslie just hours before he was due to fly out of Auckland back to the UK, to contemplate his return to Olympic campaigning.

"It wasn't really working out for me," said Ainslie of his time with the Seattle-based challenge. "It wasn't really getting me where I wanted to be. I was thinking of what else I would do and that was probably going to be an Olympic campaign. If I left the decision any longer then I was going to be leaving it too late to do any good at the Olympics, so it came to a head that way.

"It's just a matter of where I am in my sailing career. I'm still relatively young and felt perhaps smaller boats are at this stage more of a challenge for me."

For most sailors the chance of being part of a top-flight America's Cup challenge would be a dream come true, especially when you're just 24 years old. And Ainslie doesn't deny he felt privileged to be part of the set-up. "I was doing the traveller and strategy, going up the rig in lighter breeze to spot the wind. Whilst I'm not scared of heights it was quite frightening going up there at times, having luffing matches with spinnakers. In light winds when the battens don't pop through, you've got to swing round and punch the battens with your body weight, there's quite a technique to it."

The most eventful occasion was when the two One World boats were going hell for leather at each other, with Ainslie up on rig and his counterpart, former 49er world champion Ed Smyth, up the rig on the other boat, coming at each other on starboard and port, the masts just a few feet from clashing. "It could be bloody scary, but good fun too," said Ainslie.

Was it that after the self-reliance of singlehanded sailing, where he was used to managing his own campaign from start to finish, he felt like a small cog in a large wheel, doing one very specific job? "I found that joining a big team was very rewarding, and they are a great bunch of guys at One World. But I felt slightly trapped as there wasn't much scope for exploring roles like helming and tactics, which is what I'd like to do in the future.

"It's still something I would really like to do in the future. I've learned an awful lot this year, but sometimes you have to wait for your opportunity. It's being in the right place at the right time, and with big boats it's not just about what you know but knowing the right people."

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