So much for the rookie tag, four-time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie has shown he’s arrived the first two days of the America’s Cup World Series on San Francisco Bay, taking a commanding lead in the fleet racing competition.

Ainslie and his crew have been a picture of consistency, handling the changes tides and wind conditions to take two firsts, a second and third in the four races.

“It was quite a tricky out on the race course today,” Ainslie said. “There was a tidal gain on one side, compared to a breeze gain on the other, we manage to make it work and the guys sailed really well.”

“Today’s it’s a bit of a change in results for us after the last event, rather than coming in cold as we did at the last event, it is clear the training is paying off.”

Ainslie credited the improved results – he struggled in his first multi-hull races at the World Series event in August – with a greater comfort level with his crew and with the 45.

“I think there are so many things to learn on these boats, from a distance they may look quite graceful and fast, but they are incredibly hard to sail,” he said. “Ultimately it’s all about team work and good communication, and that can take a while to get that stuff working but once it gets going the results are clear.”

Another young sailor is also having an impact on this week’s races. Olympic gold medalist Nathan Outteridge is helping Artemis Racing rebound from disappointment in August.

“Nathan’s joined the Artemis team and we’ve had a great two-week session leading into this and made a lot progress sailing the boats together and learning from each other,” said Artemis racing’s other skipper Terry Hutchinson. “It’s really good having someone with Nathan’s skill to bounce ideas off and for debriefs.”

Outteridge’s Artemis Red boat has scored respectable fourth place finishes in all four races.

“We’re happy because we sailed a lot better today than yesterday,” said Outteridge. “Yesterday we were leading and dropped back to fourth. Today we fought up the fleet to place fourth. It’s amazing the different feeling on the boat.”

While Hutchinson and Outteridge are enjoying the exchange of ideas between their Artemis boats, the irony of a 26-year-old teaching the older generation isn’t lost on the team CEO Paul Cayard.

“When I was a kid and did my first America’s Cup, all the old experienced guys were in the back of the boat,” said Cayard, who’s calling tactics for Outteridge and riding in the front of the crew. “Now, the kids waltz in with their gold medals and get right on the wood (tiller) and the 53-year-olds are on the bow. It’s upside down.” The two semifinal matches in the match race competition are scheduled for Saturday afternoon followed by two more fleet races.