Sir Ben Ainslie was in front of the cameras for the third time in a week at the CWM FX London Boat Show on Wednesday – this time to accept the official certificate of the Guinness World Record for Bart's Bash, the charity global sailing race that took place on 21 September last year.

Swedish cat sailor wins Bart’s Bash

Sir Ben is one of the founding members of the charity behind the race, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF), and also raced himself in an RS400 at Queen Mary SC, finishing 1,374th overall.

Sir Ben Ainslie accepts the Guinness World Record for Bart's Bash

Sir Ben Ainslie accepts the Guinness World Record from certificate from Guinness World Record adjudicator, Elizabeth Smith, on behalf of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation.



 

Bart’s Bash was set up to remember Olympic gold medallist Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, to inspire the next generation of sailors, to encourage clubs to open their doors and to fundraise in support of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation’s charitable programmes.

Tragic Loss of British Sailing Legend Andrew Simpson

The Bart’s Bash technical team created a system capable of handicapping several thousands of boats across hundreds of classes.

More than 16,000 competitors aboard 9,484 boats were counted towards the record on the water in more than 60 countries on the day. Although many more took part, organisers were required to submit video evidence and witness statements for the Guinness record award. The inaugural event raised £366,391.95.

This year's event takes place on 20 September, 2015.

www.bartsbash.co.uk