Kate Middleton has given her backing to British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie's America's Cup bid. <br />
Kate Middleton has given her backing to British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie's America's Cup bid.
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The Duchess of Cambridge is the patron of 1851 Trust, a charity set up by Ainslie's sailing team which provides nautical education for young people.<br />
The Duchess of Cambridge is the patron of 1851 Trust, a charity set up by Ainslie's sailing team which provides nautical education for young people.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Middleton helped open the Trust's new education center in Portsmouth, in the south of England. The center -- called the "Tech Deck" -- features exhibitions on the science behind America's Cup engineering. <br />
Middleton helped open the Trust's new education center in Portsmouth, in the south of England. The center -- called the "Tech Deck" -- features exhibitions on the science behind America's Cup engineering.
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The Duchess then strapped herself in for a ride on Ainslie's 45-foot catamaran. <br />
The Duchess then strapped herself in for a ride on Ainslie's 45-foot catamaran.
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Ainslie was testing the yacht ahead of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth, in late July. The two-day racing event is a build-up for next year's America's Cup Challenger series<br />
Ainslie was testing the yacht ahead of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth, in late July. The two-day racing event is a build-up for next year's America's Cup Challenger series
FRANK AUGSTEIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Middleton, a keen sailor, helped with the rigging while the yacht sliced through waves at around 38 mph (61 kilometers per hour).
Middleton, a keen sailor, helped with the rigging while the yacht sliced through waves at around 38 mph (61 kilometers per hour).
Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
The training session took place on the Solent, a strait of water separating mainland England from the Isle of Wight, and where the original America's Cup race set sail in 1851.
The training session took place on the Solent, a strait of water separating mainland England from the Isle of Wight, and where the original America's Cup race set sail in 1851.
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Ainslie launched his own multi-million dollar America's Cup bid in 2014, vowing to bring the trophy back to UK soil for the first time in 165 years.
Ainslie launched his own multi-million dollar America's Cup bid in 2014, vowing to bring the trophy back to UK soil for the first time in 165 years.
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Middleton has since been a high-profile patron of Ainslie's sailing team.<br />"You can tell she has done a lot of sailing, she was a natural on board," said Ainslie of the Duchess.
Middleton has since been a high-profile patron of Ainslie's sailing team.
"You can tell she has done a lot of sailing, she was a natural on board," said Ainslie of the Duchess.
FRANK AUGSTEIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
With Middleton on board, Ainslie has been testing one of his team's development yachts -- a foiling AC45 catamaran.
With Middleton on board, Ainslie has been testing one of his team's development yachts -- a foiling AC45 catamaran.
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'Captain Kate Middleton' takes the helm ahead of America's Cup race

Story highlights

Kate Middleton joins Olympic gold medalist sailor Ben Ainslie on high-tech yacht

Duchess takes the helm of 45-foot catamaran slicing through the waves at 38 mph

CNN  — 

Kate Middleton has showed Britannia still rules the waves, taking the helm of a high-speed yacht during a training session with her country’s America’s Cup hopefuls.

The Duchess of Cambridge joined four-time Olympic gold medalist sailor Ben Ainslie and his team on Saturday, boarding a 45-foot (13-meter) catamaran, flying through the water at 38 mph (61 kph).

Her Royal Highness, a keen sailor who beat her husband Prince William in a yachting race off the coast of Auckland in 2014, donned a helmet and strapped herself in for the ride outside Portsmouth in the south of England.

The training session took place on the Solent, a strait of water separating mainland England from the Isle of Wight, and where the original America’s Cup race set sail in 1851.

READ MORE: Who is the America’s Cup’s ‘greatest loser?’

Britain’s America’s Cup bid

Britain has never won sailing’s “Auld Mug,” but Ainslie hopes to change all that.

The English sailor launched his own multimillion dollar America’s Cup bid in 2014, with Middleton as the team’s royal patron.

Ainslie previously won the Cup in 2013 as a member of billionaire businessman Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA.

With Middleton on board, Ainslie has been testing one of his team’s development yachts – a foiling AC45 catamaran – ahead of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth, in late July.

The two-day racing event is a build-up for next year’s America’s Cup Challenger series.

READ MORE: Ben Ainslie plots America’s Cup history

All aboard the ‘Tech Deck’

Middleton is also a patron of the 1851 Trust, a charity set up by Ainslie’s sailing team which provides nautical training and education for young people.

Dressed in a sleek nautical-style shirt and pencil skirt, the Duchess helped open the Trust’s new educational center before changing into sailing gear for her ride along the Solent.

READ MORE: Best nautical fashion through the years

The Portsmouth educational center – called the “Tech Deck” – features an interactive exhibit on the science behind America’s Cup yachts.

As part of the opening, Middleton unveiled a painting of yachts she had created during a previous visit to the Trust last year.

READ MORE: Kate Middleton gives royal seal of approval to $134 million America’s Cup bid