Great Britain’s latest bid to win the world’s oldest sporting trophy has been given the royal seal of approval.
The Duchess of Cambridge has issued a good luck message to the team, headed by four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie, with the qualifying series set to begin in New Zealand this week.
A keen sailor who was dressed in one of the crew’s navy jackets, the Duchess said in a video message: “Sir Ben Ainslie and his team are about to embark on the challenge of a lifetime – an attempt to win sport’s oldest international trophy, the America’s Cup.
Early signs for this year’s British challenge have not been exactly positive. The team missed most of the opening week of trial races due to a gear problem, and suffered the indignity of having to be towed back to their base on Monday. Ainslie belatedly completed his first trial race on Tuesday, but was well beaten by his American rivals.
