Olympian Ainslie flies in to steer Babbalaas to first victory

By Andi Robertson, DOUBLE Olympic Medallist Ben Ainslie made a key difference to the fortunes of David MacLean's Welsh flagged IC 45 Babbalaas in the showcase IRM High Performance Class at Ford Cork Week yesterday as light winds continued to affect racing.

Ainslie flew in for a couple of days light relief after his crucial title victory at the Finn European Championships which finished at the weekend in Turkey and before heading to Athens at the weekend for the first pre-Olympic regatta, and steered Babbalaas to her first win of the regatta.

Reunited with the Welsh construction and engineering company boss’s crew with whom he won the UK title for the IRM Class last month, Ainslie showed typical sharpness off the starting line guiding Babbalaas off the favoured right hand end of the start line and then place the 45 foot Farr designed IC 45 in the best strand of breeze. With this early advantage they even lead the bigger, faster 50-footers for most of the race.