Sir Ben Ainslie has secured the diverse talents of Spanish Olympic champion Xabi Fernández and brought international reinforcement to the mostly British Cup chasers in Team Land Rover BAR. Together with Iker Martinez, Fernández won gold in the 49er in 2004 and silver in 2008, as well as three world championship titles, before the duo also conquered the sailing scene. The two Spaniards sailed to second place in the Barcelona World Race and onto the podium in the Volvo Ocean Race. Xabi Fernández also had a stint for the Italian team Luna Rossa in the 34th America's Cup. Enough weight to convince Ainslie.
"Xabi is a great signing for us. He brings a huge amount of experience in many disciplines and I have no doubt that he will be a real asset to our team," said Ainslie's sailing manager Jono Macbeth. Fernández has been sailing since he was seven years old and was inspired by his parents. His first boat was an Optimist before he sailed Vaurien with his brother until he was 17. The Olympic medals opened the doors to the professional sailing world for the Spaniard.
Now he is part of one of the most promising challenger teams in the 35th America's Cup. The joy is correspondingly great: "I have a huge challenge ahead of me that I'm really looking forward to! Sailing with Ben Ainslie and his team would mean a lot to any sailor in the world. Now that I've arrived in Portsmouth and seen the headquarters, I'm even more impressed. I've been part of many great campaigns, but I've never experienced an organisation like this." Fernández's signing once again confirms the golden rule in professional sailing: Olympic medals are not a must for a Cup career, but they are more than helpful.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
