A message from Sir Ben and Georgie Ainslie

Sir Ben CO95 and Georgie Ainslie very kindly sent a message of encouragement and inspiration to the students and staff at Truro School which could not have been better timed during children’s mental health week.

Message from Sir Ben and Georgie Ainslie:

Sir Ben Ainslie CO95 takes on the challenge of a lifetime

Old Truronian, Sir Ben Ainslie, is one of the most successful sailors in Olympic history, winning medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at the four Games held between 2000 and 2012.

Sir Ben is the Team Principal and Skipper of INEOS TEAM UK, the British Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup.  Recently the fantastic news that the INEOS TEAM UK had won the semi-finals of the PRADA Cup reached the School and we sent messages of congratulations to Sir Ben.  In return he and wife Georgie sent the wonderful inspiring personal message to the students and staff.

Sir Ben Ainslie and the British team – Through to Prada Cup Finals

Only the Challengers Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, New York Yacht Club American Magic, and INEOS TEAM UK compete in the PRADA Cup and the winner will challenge the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, in the America’s Cup Match.

The first stage of the PRADA Cup consisted of four Round Robins of three races each. The Challenger with the highest score at the end of the Round Robins automatically accesses the PRADA Cup Final; INEOS TEAM UK were successful and won this round.  The remaining two teams had to race again in a seven-race Semi-Final.  The winner being the first team that scores 4 points – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won this round.

Speaking immediately after the win from onboard BRITANNIA Sir Ben said:

“That was a great moment for the team because we’ve had a tough build up to this competition. I’m incredibly proud of everybody. That said, we know we have a long way to go. Whilst we’ve got ourselves into the PRADA Cup Final it’s just one step on the road. We now have to focus on continuously improving our performance, winning the PRADA Cup and then eventually the America’s Cup itself. One step at a time but the team have done a fantastic job.”

The PRADA Cup Final starts on 13th February and INEOS TEAM UK will face Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

The Truro School Community send the very best of luck to Sir Ben and the entire INEOS TEAM UK.

Watch out for more details of this amazing challenge in the March edition of the Truronian magazine.