Ben Ainslie: If we win, it will be my greatest effort

Ben Ainslie is not giving up yet. Photo / AP

Opinion

It goes without saying that this has been a tough week. Probably the toughest of my career. But it has also been a positive one. An uplifting one in many ways.

Watching the guys respond to setbacks such as the heavy damage we sustained in the collision with Japan a week ago; the way the shore team worked through the night, the way we regrouped and fought back after those four defeats we suffered on Sunday and Monday.

Then the wins against Artemis on Tuesday and France on Thursday. It has been a massive journey for the whole team. I know I keep saying it, but I could not be prouder of the team.

On the water, off the water, back in Portsmouth, our board members, our investors and commercial partners who all have remained incredibly positive.

It is humbling, it is motivating. And it is not over yet.

The truth is we have known for a long time that we were going to struggle in certain conditions. In the lighter airs, sub-eight knots, say, we are a little bit stranded.

There are still changes we can make which will make us faster. But fundamentally it comes down to the size of our daggerboards designed for the different wind ranges.

And our light-air daggerboards are just not as long as those of some of the other teams.

But there are a few things we can change in terms of rudders, the wing set-up, our sailing technique. But the truth is we are in a hole in that wind range where we are always going to struggle.

The difference in performance can be really exaggerated in the lighter airs because if you do not get on your foils, then you do not get the apparent wind which in turn makes you slower. It is similar to gliding. If you get slower, then you stall. It's a vicious circle.

The good news, though, is that it is not always so marginal and next week is forecast to be heavier therefore we have a fighting chance.

We have made a few changes to the set-up which have definitely made us faster in heavier winds. But the trade-off is stability.

The big question for us is: can we find the stability with the boat set up in the way that we think gives us the most speed?

I know from experience how quickly things can turn around. I am reminded of when we sailed together for Oracle Team USA four years ago.

No one gave us a prayer at 8-1 down in the final. It is not over until it is over.

We are trying to do something immense here; bring the America's Cup back to Great Britain after 166 years. It is not an easy thing to accomplish. Like France, we are a new team.

Well, okay, Japan are a new team but effectively they are Oracle's sister team, and share all their technology. The rest of them have been at this game for a long time. The last week proves how hard it is to catch up to these guys.

So, yes, we are frustrated. And yes, ultimately our speed across the board is not good enough.

But we are a team. Ultimately we decided on a strategy, where we focused our resources, and we will see where that gets us.

We win or lose as a team. If we do win the Cup this time, it would be the greatest achievement for all of us. If we do not, I know as a team we will be stronger for it.