Things are starting to get interesting down here in Weymouth and Portland.

With today marking the start of the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta the venue here has changed dramatically.

The weather has also done an about turn and it looks as though summer may have come back, for a few days at least.

Anyone who has any aspiration to be racing in the Olympic Games next summer is here and for many teams, including the British, this event will be an important selection marker for the LOCOG test event in August.

My preparations have gone well. The hard work over the winter has seen some big improvements in speed and fitness which translated into some decent results in the last few regattas.

The Sail For Gold regatta will no doubt be a different challenge to most - the weather in England is never very reliable - but the last five weeks training here have helped to get an idea of the race course and it's nuances.


Like anything else the preparation is key as it gives you the confidence to go out and race knowing that you've done all you possibly can and the only thing left is to do it justice out on the race course.

The British competition will be very tough with Ed Wright and Giles Scott sailing well at the top end of the fleet. If it's windy I also wouldn't rule out Andrew Mills or Mark Andrews.

Consistency will be critical if the conditions get tricky.

Ben Ainslie is Britain's most successful Olympic sailor. In total he has won three gold medals and one silver. His next aspiration is to qualify for and bring back a historic fourth gold in the London 2012 Olympics. He is also the current 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Champion. To find out more click here.