:00:00. > :00:00.Now on BBC News, it's time for a special programme:
:00:00. > :00:20.Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic
:00:21. > :00:27.history. But since the first race in 1851, no British team has ever won
:00:28. > :00:31.the America's Cup. Personally, I think everyone in this team it would
:00:32. > :00:37.be the biggest achievement if we could pull this off and win the
:00:38. > :00:43.America's Cup for Britain. It is 166 years to pursue a trophy that we
:00:44. > :00:49.made. We challenged the world to it. And we have never won it. Sometimes
:00:50. > :00:53.in life, there is a right time. This is the right time. This is the best
:00:54. > :01:01.chance Britain has ever had at winning the America's Cup. I think
:01:02. > :01:06.it is a very, very competitive sport. We have a lot of respect for
:01:07. > :01:11.each other. But we want nothing more than to kill each other on the
:01:12. > :01:15.water. It is as simple as that. If you are silly enough to win him up
:01:16. > :01:19.to that level where he feels like his back is against the wall, he
:01:20. > :01:37.will respond and the only way he knows how, which is to win on the
:01:38. > :01:41.water. Unless you are a Kiwi fan, that is a beautiful sights. 2013,
:01:42. > :01:48.San Francisco. Ben Ainslie, a tactician upon the Oracle. Heading
:01:49. > :01:51.to the finish-line. From 8-1 down, they staged one of the greatest
:01:52. > :01:58.comebacks in sporting history. The Americans, beating Team New Zealand
:01:59. > :02:05.9-8 in the final. The Stars and Stripes say it all. The comeback of
:02:06. > :02:13.2013 is complete. America's Cup will stay in America. It is the oldest
:02:14. > :02:17.trophy in international sport, and one of the rules is that the winner
:02:18. > :02:27.gets to decide when the next America's Cup will be held, and
:02:28. > :02:38.were. OracleW chose Bermuda. -- went. I have come to find out why 65
:02:39. > :02:42.members of Landrover BAR would move their lives and families to this
:02:43. > :02:55.tiny set of islands in the Atlantic. All of it is to change their
:02:56. > :02:59.skipper's dream. Come in. I guess you could say the America's Cup
:03:00. > :03:05.comes a license version. It is certainly very complex setting up a
:03:06. > :03:11.new team and getting the right skill sets. -- life obsession. Their
:03:12. > :03:17.recent sailing, design, technology management. It takes time. It takes
:03:18. > :03:25.time to get into a dominant position in the America's Cup. Are we allowed
:03:26. > :03:30.to film this? We're not allowed to film any of this. No one else will
:03:31. > :03:35.see. There is no other sailor in the world with a track record like Ben
:03:36. > :03:41.Ainslie. Ben Ainslie is well used to calling the shots, just not as a
:03:42. > :03:45.team principal. He sailed solo at five consecutive Olympics, winning
:03:46. > :03:52.medals at each of them, four were called. You are watching someone who
:03:53. > :04:08.has just become the greatest sailor in history. -- gold.
:04:09. > :04:19.Here, though, Ben Ainslie is in an unfamiliar role. His rookie team is
:04:20. > :04:23.the firm underdog. If we went racing tomorrow it would be a bit like
:04:24. > :04:29.turning up to a gunfight with a knife. I am confident we could be
:04:30. > :04:33.competitive. People will be surprised that are right now
:04:34. > :04:40.potentially writing us off. Speed is the order of the day in today's
:04:41. > :04:53.boats. But it hasn't always been this way. The boats were graceful,
:04:54. > :04:57.the outfits, impeccable. Look down her steel mast, see the beautiful
:04:58. > :05:01.lines of her hull. When the first challenge was held off the Isle of
:05:02. > :05:04.Wight in 1981, it was held by a schooner called America, giving the
:05:05. > :05:09.trophy its name. And though many tried, once the cup left Britain
:05:10. > :05:14.that year, it never returned. Britannia rules the waves, but
:05:15. > :05:20.someone forgot to tell the crew. Fast forward to today, though, and
:05:21. > :05:27.the boats are unrecognisable. The America's Cup class boats are built
:05:28. > :05:31.to a strict design role. They can reach speeds of 60 miles an hour,
:05:32. > :05:35.and are powered by just weeks sailor is. They are the smallest boats in
:05:36. > :05:48.the history of the cup. Six metres long, and the mast is 23.5 metres
:05:49. > :05:53.high. But the designers are allowed creativity in their designs. And
:05:54. > :05:58.that is where the fun starts. Espionage has long been a big part
:05:59. > :06:03.of the America's Cup. Teams attempt to gain a competitive edge by spying
:06:04. > :06:09.on their rivals. This year, most of the boats are powered by hand
:06:10. > :06:16.grinders. But New Zealand have opted for pedal power, which could result
:06:17. > :06:21.in greater speed. All of the boats, though, fly to the water on foils,
:06:22. > :06:25.using the same technology as an aircraft wing. Just as a win lifts
:06:26. > :06:30.the aircraft off the ground, the foils of the boat lifts the boat off
:06:31. > :06:45.the water. It doesn't always go to plan.
:06:46. > :06:56.Racing will take place in a natural harbour called The Great Sound, and
:06:57. > :07:00.I have come to see how Rita, as Ben Ainslie names all of his boats,
:07:01. > :07:06.looks out on the water. Wow. It is only when you see it close up what
:07:07. > :07:11.it is like. These are like planes. They glide on the water to be the
:07:12. > :07:15.aim is to not touch the water as much as possible, as it will
:07:16. > :07:29.minimise drag and make them go faster. It is just amazing to watch.
:07:30. > :07:34.ROCK MUSIC. This is the Formula 1 of sailing. I think in Formula 1, it is
:07:35. > :07:41.the pinnacle of motorsport. This is the pinnacle of sailing. Formula 1
:07:42. > :07:45.has the most technologically advanced cars in the world, and the
:07:46. > :07:56.same is said of the America's Cup with boats. Of course, they fly.
:07:57. > :08:00.CEO, Martin Whitmarsh, knows plenty about Formula 1, having been in the
:08:01. > :08:04.sport for 20 years. Many others with car engineering knowledge have also
:08:05. > :08:09.been brought into the team. And a base back in England at the
:08:10. > :08:13.headquarters of the team. It may not have the glamour of the need, but it
:08:14. > :08:17.is a vitally important piece of the puzzle. It is here in Portsmouth's
:08:18. > :08:24.historic dockyard were Rita was built. The designer is based they
:08:25. > :08:29.capture and examine all of the data sent back to them from Bermuda to
:08:30. > :08:36.Mission Control all in a bid to refine the systems of Rita. It has
:08:37. > :08:40.taken 85,000 man hours and ?110 million to get to this point.
:08:41. > :08:45.Personally, are you feeling a lot of pressure? We all do. But it is self
:08:46. > :08:49.generated. Everyone here is working late. Everyone here is doing their
:08:50. > :08:54.best to think of every idea we can and to deliver those ideas to be
:08:55. > :08:58.needed so that the guys can make the boat faster. The trick is to keep
:08:59. > :09:03.positive. If you let yourself get too much pressure, you will go
:09:04. > :09:07.backwards and make silly decisions. Jimmy Spittle could write the book
:09:08. > :09:12.on pressure. The look Jimmy Spittle's faced told the entire
:09:13. > :09:17.story. A skipper of the American team, Oracle, sailed with Ben
:09:18. > :09:24.Ainslie in the last campaign. They are just one bit away. They had to
:09:25. > :09:28.use every ounce of their sailing knowledge to engineer the greatest
:09:29. > :09:33.victory the sport has ever seen. Against all the odds, the comeback
:09:34. > :09:41.of the century is complete. From 8-1 down to an eventual 98 win, the
:09:42. > :09:45.sailing press may be dismissing the chances of Sir Ben Ainslie this
:09:46. > :09:52.year, but there is no way Spittle will. There is a lot of experience.
:09:53. > :09:58.Many people said we were taking a knife to the gunfight. Most people
:09:59. > :10:04.were saying at 8-1 it was over. Then we saw what happened. I think, in
:10:05. > :10:12.sport, the great thing about sport, is that you never know. I, for one,
:10:13. > :10:16.will not be discounting that team. Both of us are very, very
:10:17. > :10:21.competitive. We have a lot of respect for each other. But I want
:10:22. > :10:25.nothing more for us to kill each other on the water. It is as simple
:10:26. > :10:29.as that. I think the relationship has changed quite a lot since San
:10:30. > :10:35.Francisco for that very reason. You know, when you are a tee, it is a
:10:36. > :10:38.certain type of relationship. When you are competitor, it is a certain
:10:39. > :10:43.type of relationship. -- team-mate. It doesn't change respect for each
:10:44. > :10:53.other, but it is natural. You aren't counting them out just yet? Very
:10:54. > :11:04.unlikely. Jimmy may not be keen, but the cup organisers are. They are
:11:05. > :11:08.incredible talent. Their team is packed with sailing talent. The
:11:09. > :11:12.America's Cup needs a strong team from Britain. It is creating a lot
:11:13. > :11:18.of interest back there. I think Sir Ben Ainslie, if he wins this, he is
:11:19. > :11:23.obviously going to be... Become even more popular in the UK, and, you
:11:24. > :11:30.know, that's fantastic. He could become a king. King Ben, yes! That
:11:31. > :11:41.one might be impossible, even for an Olympic legend. But his team are
:11:42. > :11:45.certainly giving it a go. You know, seen the effort the guys are putting
:11:46. > :11:50.it the gym in other teams, you can see the actual determination they
:11:51. > :12:01.have. It is very special. Working for your country.
:12:02. > :12:06.Chasing the dream of becoming the first British team to win the
:12:07. > :12:14.America's Cup doesn't just require great sailors. Only elite athletes
:12:15. > :12:20.need apply for this most demanding of endeavours. These boats are
:12:21. > :12:25.essentially are powered by the sailors on board. We have no form of
:12:26. > :12:32.stored energy to be we don't have an engine. We are the engine. There is
:12:33. > :12:36.a helmsman. We produce all the power that is needed to move the foils and
:12:37. > :12:48.essentially get the boat going as as possible. The guys who provide that
:12:49. > :12:53.power need to build muscle. The other two roles are more like
:12:54. > :12:57.jockeys. They need to be as light as possible. With an overall weight
:12:58. > :13:04.limit, it is crucial the likes of Sir Ben Ainslie don't sneak
:13:05. > :13:08.chocolate on the side. During the Olympics, my weight was roughly 15
:13:09. > :13:12.kilos more than I am now. I haven't been this weight since I was about
:13:13. > :13:18.18 years old so be it has been a bit of a change, a bit of a challenge.
:13:19. > :13:21.But, you know, the physicality of these boats is immense. We obviously
:13:22. > :13:25.taken the fitness programmes very seriously. I think the whole team
:13:26. > :13:29.probably dislikes me a little bit for the nutrition we put in place.
:13:30. > :13:33.But, you know, that is just part of the level of the sport they are
:13:34. > :13:39.operating at. They cannot afford to take on a bad fitness regime, a bad
:13:40. > :13:48.beautician regime. We spent three years building 20 hours on the
:13:49. > :13:52.water. These guys are drink that if five hours a week of physical
:13:53. > :13:56.exercise. -- doing 35 hours. I don't think the athletes have ever had to
:13:57. > :14:12.be this bit. That fitness has been paying off.
:14:13. > :14:23.BAR won the World Series of races that built up to this event. Six
:14:24. > :14:27.teams are contesting the cup this year, not only from Britain and
:14:28. > :14:33.America but also Japan, France, New Zealand and Sweden. The deck,
:14:34. > :14:39.though, is skewed heavily in favour of the defending champions, in this
:14:40. > :14:42.case the Americans, Oracle, who are guaranteed a place in the final
:14:43. > :14:50.match. The qualifiers determine who will face them. Land Rover BAR will
:14:51. > :14:54.start with two bonus points for winning the World Series. Everyone
:14:55. > :15:01.braces against everyone twice, scoring one point per win. One team
:15:02. > :15:05.will be eliminated. Oracle skipped this part. Four teams go into two
:15:06. > :15:08.semifinals and then a play-off is held to find out which team will
:15:09. > :15:11.challenge Oracle in the first finale. The winner takes home the
:15:12. > :15:31.oldest trophy in sport. But with just days to go until the
:15:32. > :15:34.qualifiers begin, BAR has found real challenges with the design of their
:15:35. > :15:38.boat, compared to most of the others. Their straight-line speed is
:15:39. > :15:50.proving to be a real issue had as led to frustration. -- and has led.
:15:51. > :15:56.We have had over 1000 people on the boat. All of the strains and
:15:57. > :16:00.stresses get sent back to to get analysed and see what improvements
:16:01. > :16:04.we can make. If you unhappy with something to you then start
:16:05. > :16:07.shouting? There have been a couple of times when I have voiced my
:16:08. > :16:12.disapproval on a few things... Voiced disapproval, shouting? I
:16:13. > :16:17.don't think I have ever shouted yet. He told us he hasn't shouted yet.
:16:18. > :16:23.That's a massive lie! He has shouted at the dog a couple of times. He
:16:24. > :16:35.throws his helmet. Does he? The helmet disappears. Go on!
:16:36. > :16:42.This is Sir Ben's wife. She has moved with their young daughter,
:16:43. > :16:52.their two dogs and the kitchen sink to a rented house in Bermuda. Good
:16:53. > :16:58.girl! There is a great saying. Happy wife, happy life. I think that's
:16:59. > :17:02.very true. It is massive but when you marry a sailor who wants to
:17:03. > :17:07.compete in the America's Cup, you signup for it. It does amuse me
:17:08. > :17:11.because a lot of wives stress about it and you think, you know what you
:17:12. > :17:18.signed up for! This is the way of our lives. Georgie has clearly
:17:19. > :17:26.bought wholesale into her husband's dream. No one has a better insight
:17:27. > :17:31.into how he is dealing with being the underdog. He knows there is
:17:32. > :17:34.pressure and he understands the pressure. I don't think there's
:17:35. > :17:39.anyone better to deal with it or cope with it, but if you are silly
:17:40. > :17:42.enough to wind him up to the level where he feels like is back is
:17:43. > :17:46.against the wall, he will respond in the only way he knows how, which is
:17:47. > :17:49.to win on the water. It's interesting. The mind games have
:17:50. > :17:53.started, the opposition are getting testy and pushing all of his
:17:54. > :17:57.buttons, but no one seems to comprehend, despite people having
:17:58. > :17:59.worked with him previously, how he will respond to that and the only
:18:00. > :18:17.way is to go out and win. Everyone else is living in a hotel
:18:18. > :18:20.in the capital, Hamilton. Such is the attention to detail that the
:18:21. > :18:25.team has started a school for the children. Why are there so many
:18:26. > :18:33.exclamation marks? Webpage are we looking at? Can you find page 14? --
:18:34. > :18:43.what page. What do you guys do most days after school? I swim. I go to
:18:44. > :18:49.the pool or I go sailing. Do you want to become a sailor? You think
:18:50. > :18:59.one day you might become an American's Cup sailor? -- America's.
:19:00. > :19:04.Giles Scott share the same dreams at the same age. 22 years later he won
:19:05. > :19:10.Olympic gold for Britain at his first attempt in the Finn class in
:19:11. > :19:15.Rio, the same class of boat that in Ainslie dominated for so many years.
:19:16. > :19:20.The pair were rivals on the water, at great friends of it. Now he is
:19:21. > :19:25.also devoted to bringing the cup home. It's one of the greatest
:19:26. > :19:29.sporting trophies and certainly the greatest sailing trophy. As sailors
:19:30. > :19:35.we realise we are incredibly fortunate to be involved in a team
:19:36. > :19:39.capable of winning the America's Cup and it's as simple as that. When you
:19:40. > :19:42.have that much passion for something, working hard, working
:19:43. > :19:49.long days and no weekends is the easy part. There is no denying that
:19:50. > :19:58.you need great wealth to get this trophy. The owner of Oracle is
:19:59. > :20:00.reportedly worth $50 billion. Criticism that it is too elitist
:20:01. > :20:07.won't be helped by in one of the most expensive places
:20:08. > :20:10.on earth, but organisers are trying a new framework agreement between
:20:11. > :20:22.the teams, to modernise the sport and bring costs down in future. Sir
:20:23. > :20:26.Keith Mills has been instrumental in helping BAR with funding. This is
:20:27. > :20:30.the final countdown, where it all comes together. The last two or
:20:31. > :20:34.three years, all of the effort, the money was raising, the sponsorship,
:20:35. > :20:38.the physical fitness and technology in the next two or three weeks it
:20:39. > :20:43.comes together into a package which we hope will win the America's Cup.
:20:44. > :20:49.He hasn't flowered in all of this cash for just a trophy, he sees it
:20:50. > :20:57.as a long-term investment. -- ploughed in. And, for him, then
:20:58. > :21:02.Ainslie is the key. He takes this tactical risks that I never take. He
:21:03. > :21:08.sees gaps in the water that I never see. But more than anything else he
:21:09. > :21:15.never, ever gives up and that's the great trait of a great sportsman.
:21:16. > :21:21.Sometimes in life there is the right time and this is the right time and
:21:22. > :21:28.this is the best chance Britain has ever had at winning the America's
:21:29. > :21:33.Cup. Will we win it this time? Who knows? Export. But if we don't win
:21:34. > :21:41.it this time we are certainly close to winning the America's Cup. From a
:21:42. > :21:46.short time with Ben Ainslie Racing, I've learnt that this is a team that
:21:47. > :21:54.would go into battle with Ben any place, any time. The task is great.
:21:55. > :21:59.No team built from scratch has ever won the America's Cup at first
:22:00. > :22:04.attempt. There's a lot of pressure and there always is. If you throw
:22:05. > :22:09.your hat into the ring of what is the pinnacle of any sport, then you
:22:10. > :22:13.are going to have a tough battle on your hands and we've certainly got
:22:14. > :22:20.that. But within the team it feels like a question of when and not if.
:22:21. > :22:24.I can sit here and say in reasonable confidence that at some point in the
:22:25. > :22:27.next 20 years we will win the America's Cup for Britain. It might
:22:28. > :22:35.not be this America's Cup, but certainly in the near future we will
:22:36. > :22:39.get the job done. Personally, and I think for everyone in this team, it
:22:40. > :22:43.would be the biggest achievement if we can pull this off and win the
:22:44. > :22:46.America's Cup for Britain. You look at our sporting maritime heritage,
:22:47. > :22:48.it's the one thing that's missing. It would be huge if we can bring the
:22:49. > :23:23.cup home. Quite wet through the small hours
:23:24. > :23:29.in the north and north-east