All Aboard With Duchess Kate at Sailing Event

— -- Duchess Kate took to the seas this afternoon, beaming from ear to ear with Olympic champion and America's Cup tactician Sir Ben Ainslie aboard the U.K.'s test boat, T1.

Kate, 34, took the helm of the AC 45 catamaran, which will compete in the America's Cup event in Portsmouth, England, in July. Kate even tried her hand at steering the Solent as the team headed out to the test course in Portsmouth's harbor.

Princess Kate let Ainslie help her with her helmet in the conditions were windy, but she was all smiles relishing the opportunity to join the Land Rover BAR team.

Ainslie was credited with engineering the U.S. Oracle team's comeback as its tactician at the 2013 America’s Cup competition in San Francisco, defeating New Zealand after an 8-1 deficit The 39-year-old sailor is the most decorated sportsman in sailing and the only man to have won medals in the past five consecutive Olympics.

Kate, a keen sailor herself who spent a gap year sailing, has joined Ainslie to raise the profile of the sport and participate in the effort to secure the America's Cup title for the U.K.

The Duchess of Cambridge also opened a new sailing education center today in Portsmouth.

Kate, dressed in an Alexander McQueen top and skirt she'd worn previously, was met by ecstatic children who greeted her dockside at Land Rover BAR headquarters, where the U.K. team is mounting its challenge.

Kate is Royal Patron of the 1851 Trust, which today launched two initiatives seeking to encourage young sailors and people of diverse backgrounds to engage in the sport.

Her Royal Highness participated in opening the "Tech Deck" Education Center, an interactive exhibit that allows people to enjoy the experience of the boats, sailing and the technology. The trust was established by Ainslie with the goal of bringing the America's Cup home after 165 years.

"It was fantastic to take our royal patron onboard T1 during our training session on the Solent today," Ainslie said at the event. "It was also great to have the duchess' support with opening the team's new 'Tech Deck' and education center."