Many sports are reliant on precision timing, but it’s no exaggeration to say that sailing relies on perfect planning and split-second reactions perhaps more than any other. After all, there are very few sports that at their most fundamental seek to outsmart the forces of Mother Nature. A few moments spent watching competitive sailing at the highest level is enough to bring the reality of this home; for those sportsmen on board a 45 metre long racing catamaran, travelling often in excess of 40 knots an hour, skipping over tempestuous waves like a kite, a late tack or momentary misinterpretation of the wind can mean the difference between snatched victory or certain defeat.
This is something, which the extraordinary Land Rover BAR British sailing team is only too aware of. The brainchild of four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Ben Ainslie, sponsored principally by Land Rover and crewed by some of the finest sailors, strategists, engineers and technical designers on the planet, the team was formed in 2012 with one intention — to win the legendary sailing competition: The America’s Cup. Though the competition is 165 years old this year, and was founded in the UK, a British team has never won the competition, making Ainslie’s objective of returning the fabled trophy to British shores quite possibly his greatest challenge. To help him on his quest, it has been announced that Zenith will be the official timing partner for Land Rover BAR as it attempts to bring the Cup home.