Townsend Nick - Close to the wind : the autobiography of Britains greatest Olympic sailor

Contents

Knife-edge decisions, adrenaline rushes, extreme weather, bitter rivalries, heart-stopping races they are all in a days work for sailings superman Ben Ainslie. Ben has won successive golds in the last three Olympics, making him a British hero and our greatest Olympic sailor ever. In 2012 he plans for a fourth.

In Close to the Wind Ben reveals the truth behind his awesome achievement. A charming spokesperson off the water, he reveals just how ruthless he is on it. He admits to fierce rivalries, above all with Brazilian Robert Scheidt, who robbed a nineteen-year-old Ben of gold in his first Olympics.

Bens twenty-year sailing career, which began on a dinghy in a remote Cornish bay, has a scope unmatched by other sports. In Olympic races he is alone, in his tiny boat, channelling aggression and plotting tactics.

From his proudest moment representing Team GB, to one tough decision that almost risked destroying his career, this is a unique insight into the man who cannot be second best. It shows what really takes place in the white heat of competition and lifts the lid on this toughest of sports.

Ben Ainslie, CBE, was born in 1977 in Macclesfield. He started sailing at age four and first competed at the age of ten. He has won three Olympic gold medals and was awarded Yachtsman of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

To my family, for all their love and support