Kate to launch sailing schemes for youngsters at Ben Ainslie Racing base

The Duchess of Cambridge is to visit the America's Cup base of sailing champion Sir Ben Ainslie to see how youngsters are being inspired to join the marine industry.

In her role as royal patron of the 1851 Trust, a charity set up as part of the Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) effort to win the prestigious racing tournament, Kate will launch two initiatives aimed at involving children and young adults from diverse backgrounds in sailing and the technology of the sport.

It will be the third time that the duchess has visited the BAR base in Portsmouth, having dropped by before the centre was opened and again during the first round of the America's Cup World Series which was held in the city last July before being cut short by heavy winds and rain.

Kate will launch the 1851 Trust's sailing project being run in partnership with the UKSA charity and the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation and see the boats to be used.

She will then officially open the new Tech Deck Education Centre at the base, which will showcase the sport's innovation, technology and sustainability for schools and community groups.

The Tech Deck will allow visitors to experience the design principles, construction and on-going operation of the team's America's Cup boats first-hand.

The duchess will have a chance to see the exhibits as well as Sir Ben's latest racing catamaran, the T2, and its designers.

She will then join year seven students from a local school who are taking part in the #STEMCREW digital workshop activity on i-Pads.

The workshop aims to encourage young people to engage in Stem (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) subjects by focusing on the America's Cup challenge.