Kate goes casual! Duchess of Cambridge cuts a relaxed figure as she dresses down in a jumper, jeans and trainers (and rather windswept hair) after high speed boat race in Portsmouth

The Duchess of Cambridge cut a relaxed figure as she went for a casual look after showing off her skills in a high speed boat race. Pictures show Kate Middleton dressed down in a black woven jumper, jeans and trainers - her third outfit on what was a busy day in Portsmouth for the 34-year-old.

Her hair, which had been tied back, looked windswept as she stepped into a car to head home after showing her prowess on the water with Sir Ben Ainslie.

 

The footwear she opted for was black, with aqua-coloured shoelaces. FEMAIL Fashion Finder has spotted that they were £90 Adidas trainers.

Kate, 34, went out in the team's test boat T1 - a foiling AC45 catamaran - and took control, steering the boat out on the race course for the forthcoming Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series event in Portsmouth in July.

And the yachtsman, 39, who is the most successful Olympic sailor in history was so impressed by her skills that he said he would happily give her a place on his team.

Speaking after returning to base, Sir Ben said he had been 'amazed' at how well Kate had taken the helm.

He said: 'I think the Duchess had a great time, it certainly looked that way. It was perfect sailing conditions, we had about 15 knots of wind, we were going up to 33 or 34 knots which is close to 40mph.

'The Duchess was steering the boat for about half of the session and I think the guys were all really impressed with how well she had sailed. She had done a bit of sailing before.

'We had a great sail, it was a blast and she thoroughly enjoyed it.'

He continued: 'There were a few moments from the front of the boat that she was a better helms person than I am so I wasn't too happy about that so you never know I might give her a place.'

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The footwear she opted for was black, with aqua-coloured shoelaces. FEMAIL Fashion Finder has spotted that they were £90 Adidas trainers

Pictures show Kate Middleton dressed down in a black woven jumper, jeans and trainers - her third outfit on what was a busy day in Portsmouth for the 34-year-old

Sir Ben said the conditions were perfect and Kate had steered the boat at 40mph.  

'It was great. We had a fantastic sail. It was perfect, quite strong winds, and reaching up to 40mph lifting out of the water, or foiling, as we do and the Duchess was steering the boat for about half the session. 

Asked if the Duchess will one day bring her children one day, he replied: 'I hope so! She's certainly keen to get the Prince and Princess sailing at some time in the future.

'Whether that's down here or elsewhere - I'm sure there are some fantastic locations around the country and it would be great to see them sailing. It's always encouraging to see the next generation to come through.'

A blustery wind whipped Kate's hair around (left), but she sensibly tied it back in a ponytail to keep it under control beneath her helmet (right)

THE BAR team took the Duchess of Cambridge on the training circuit of The Solent

Like old friends: The Duchess has visited Sir Ben in Portsmouth to see his work on three occasions in the last year 

Sir Ben showed the Duchess a full size model of his racing boat and introduced her to his technical team

 Sir Ben said it had been fantastic to have the royal patron join his team for the day 

The Duchess was all smiles as she boarded one of the sailing champion's vessels and got a helping hand fastening her helmet from Sir Ben himself. The keen sailor clearly relished the opportunity to get out on the water with the most successful yachtsman in Olympic history in a Land Rover catamaran.

Kate put her skills in the water to the test by joining Sir Ben and the crew of the Land Rover BAR to complete the training circuit on the Solent. And she looked calm and confident as she chatted to Sir Ben before embarking on the thrilling high-speed ride in a racing yacht. 

The Duchess donned a waterproof black sailing jacket and trousers having changed out of the Alexander McQueen outfit she arrived in yesterday morning, and she sensibly swapped her navy suede pumps for a pair of trainers. After the outing on the water Sir Ben added: 'It was fantastic to take our royal patron onboard T1 during our training session on the Solent yesterday.

'It was also great to have the Duchess's support with opening the team's new Tech Deck and education centre. 'A lot of work has gone into developing the facility for young people and we hope to inspire more young people to consider opportunitities and careers within Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and the marine sector in future.'

The Duchess carried a quilted clutch bag which matched her naval style Alexander McQueen outfit

 

The Duchess's session on the water came after she visited Sir Ben's Land Rover BAR team headquarters in Portsmouth and met young sailors and school pupils learning about sailing technology. Arriving in Portsmouth this morning, Kate wore a £580 nautical style pencil skirt with flirty kick pleats by Alexander McQueen, and a £795 blouse by the same designer.

She's known for her down-to-earth fashion and true to form Kate had thriftily recycled the outfit from her existing wardrobe.

It was a third outing for the ensemble which Kate first wore on a visit to Birmingham with Prince William in 2011 to meet with communities affected by the riots that summer.

The two-piece also made an appearance when she visited Bletchley Park, where her grandmother was a code breaker, in June 2014.

Kate was in Portsmouth in her role as royal patron of the 1851 Trust, a charity set up as part of the Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR), which is aiming to win the prestigious racing tournament the America's Cup in 2017. She launched two initiatives aimed at involving children and young adults from diverse backgrounds in sailing and the technology of the sport.