In this story (10 minute read):
– How Cornish earned his reputation as the British team’s Swiss Army knife
– His dual role as cyclor and flight controller during AC37
– How his coaching role in SailGP helps in the America’s Cup
– The character differences between him and Dylan Fletcher
– The importance of trust aboard an AC40 in the heat of battle
– How the Brits have adapted their training ahead of this fleet racing event
– Why the Cagliari event matters
– The GB1 team’s performance aspirations for the weekend
When the first competitive skirmish of the 38th America’s Cup gets underway in Cagliari on the Italian Mediterranean island of Sardinia on Friday, there will be one particular sailor with more of a point to prove than most amongst the eight boat fleet racing on the Gulf of Angels.
Now on his third AC campaign with Sir Ben Ainslie’s UK syndicate – GB1 sailor Ben Cornish has made the seemingly remarkable step up from the ranks of the power-generating cyclor group aboard the team’s AC75 Britannia in the 37th America’s Cup, to take the port helmsman’s seat this weekend aboard the team’s AC40, racing opposite skipper Dylan Fletcher.
Although, on the face of it, the role switch might appear an unlikely one – very few of the cyclors from AC37 have been retained as sailors after Cup rules swapped human power for stored battery energy this time around – Cornish’s hard-earned reputation as the team’s Swiss Army knife during the last campaign regularly saw him serve as a stand-in when helmsmen Ben Ainslie or Giles Scott were away on SailGP duty.
“That last campaign for me was split into two phases,” Cornish explained. “In the early part we had our small test boat [the LEQ12] T6 and our two AC40s. If we had a helmsman unavailable or a void anywhere in that programme, I would step in. That was the start of my familiarisation with the helming role, I guess.”
