Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie took to the Solent yesterday to sail his foiling AC45 alongside other members of the BAR team.

Setting off from their temporary base in Southampton for the first time, the crew enjoyed gusty winds off the south coast.

The boat originally race under BAR colours during the America’s Cup World Series in 2012/13 and has subsequently been modified to fly on hydrofoils.

Ainslie said: “Ten months ago we had nothing, so to be out there today foiling in one of these boats – after such a short time frame – is the result of a huge amount of effort from all of the team, especially the shore team and designers.

“For us sailors it’s a real privilege to get out there and sail one of these boats. It’s been a great first day and it’s a good start, but it’s only a start and we have a lot of work to do over the coming months.”

The news comes a few weeks after it was announced that Portsmouth would host the America’s Cup World Series over the next two years in the run up to the 35th cup in 2017.

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