Ainslie sets sights on America's Cup
London (AFP) - Olympic legend Ben Ainslie on Monday revealed he is preparing to take his America's Cup testing boat to water for the first time.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist has secured royal appointment to create more than 1,000 jobs in Portsmouth after setting up the Ben Ainslie Trust, which was launched in Portsmouth on Monday.
The Ben Ainslie Racing team will contest the 2017 America's Cup, with preparation races expected to be staged in Portsmouth in the next two years.
Ainslie helped Oracle Team USA pull off a remarkable fight back to become the first Briton to claim America's Cup glory in more than a century in 2013.
Now the 37-year-old is targeting his lifelong ambition of spearheading the first British team to land sailing's treasured prize.
"We're very well developed with our testing boat that we'll be sailing in the very near future," Ainslie said.
"That's quite a milestone for the design and boat building team.
"We have been racing in a number of different types of competition this year, which culminates in the extreme sailing series final event in December in Sydney.
"Obviously there's a long way to go but we're very happy with the progress being made and where we are at the moment.
"We'll never be ahead of our plans until we've won the America's Cup, but certainly we're happy with the progress that's being made, and it's a huge effort from everyone involved.
"It had been an ambition of mine since childhood to win the America's Cup, so to do it with that team was very special.
"But the main ambition has been to win the America's Cup with a British team and that's what's driven myself and the rest of the guys within the team.
"We all share that passion to bring the America's Cup back home where it all started, and that's very important for all of us."
