by Dan Wilkinson
On October 31 it was exactly 1000 days until London 2012 gets underway and I cannot wait for the excitement and buzz around the Olympics to really start ramping up as we get closer to the Games.
All the facilities will be in place but I really think it will be the atmosphere generated throughout the country that will make or break the Games and hopefully it will be better than anything I've ever experienced at any other Olympics.
The biggest Olympic Classes event I've ever done in this country was probably the Olympic Trials in 1995 so to compete at an actual Olympics in front of a home crowd in Britain would be very special.
To coincide with the release of my autobiography recently I did a few book signings around the country and it was great to meet so many people who just loved the Olympics and seemed genuinely excited about the Games coming to Britain.
I haven't been in a Finn since Beijing last year but I have a week's training with the rest of the British Finn squad scheduled at the start of December and in all honesty I fully expect the other guys to give me a good butt kicking!
It will probably be really windy and I'm a good six-seven kilos below my racing weight at the moment but that's fine and I'm looking forward to just getting back into the boat.
I'd like to do as much Finn sailing as I can in January and February and, although nothing's concrete yet, maybe look to do a couple of events next year too. But 2011 is the crucial year for me to really step it up while adding those extra kilos I need to sail the Finn.
It's great to be working with David 'Sid' Howlett again on my Finn campaign. Sid was my coach for Athens 2004 and he'll take a lot of the workload out of the logistics and planning meaning I know I can step back into the boat and i t will all be in great shape. His enthusiasm and knowledge are priceless, especially on the technical side, and he will be a great asset.
Earlier this month myself, Matt Cornwell, Iain Percy and Christian Kamp enjoyed a successful week in Bermuda winning the Argo Group Gold Cup. The event is part of the World Match Racing Tour and has in the past been won by some of the biggest names in sailing so to win the coveted King Edward VII Gold Cup was a very special moment for us all.
We had some tough racing during the event being pushed hard by Australian Torvar Mirsky, reigning champion and fellow Brit Ian Williams and Kiwi Adam Miniprio in the final knockout stages but with those three guys currently sat 1-2 and 3 in the overall Tour leaderboard after eight events it was a very satisfying victory.
It's frustrating to have only done four Tour events this year meaning we're not in line to land the World title but a good performance at the final round in Malaysia in December could still see us sneak on to the podium.
In November Team Origin will compete in the first Louis Vuitton Trophy Regatta in Nice. With the 33rd America's Cup solely the Deed of Gift Match between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing next February, a series of five Louis Vuitton Trophy events, sailed in America's Cup boats, have been proposed starting now and continuing throughout 2010. I think this is a really good thing and crucial if the interest level in the America's Cup is going to be maintained.
Finally huge congratulations to Jenson Button on landing the Formula One World title. I was a guest of Brawn GP at the European Grand in Valencia in August and they made me feel so welcome, even involving me in all the post-race briefs. It's a remarkable story and I'm really delighted for Jenson.
Ben Ainslie CBE
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