Casual Kate Middleton looks terrific in jeans and jumper after sailing trip

A dressed down Kate Middleton looked a picture of health as she demonstrated her impressive sailing skills on the south coast.

The Duchess of Cambridge was snapped leaving the Sir Ben Ainsley Racing (BAR) team base in Portsmouth in black jumper, black skinny jeans and Adidas trainers.

Earlier in the day, the 34-year-old Duchess had arrived wearing a nautical themed two-piece by Alexander McQueen, featuring a navy blue pencil skirt and white blouse with matching gold buttons.

She chatted to young young sailors and students learning about sailing technology, followed by a tour of the BAR headquarters.

She later appeared in all black waterproofs as she and Sir Ben took a spin on the BAR team’s T1 test boat, ahead of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series taking place on the Solent in July.   

And her masterful control of the catamaran even impressed Britain's most decorated Olympic sailor, who later joked about putting her at the helm for the upcoming competition.

He told reporters: '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."

It was the third time in a year Kate had visited Sir Ben's headquarters, but the first two visits had been marred by heavy rain. 

This time, however, the conditions were "perfect" Sir Ben said.

Kate was visiting in her role as patron of the 1851 Trust.   

The 1851 Trust is the affiliate charity of Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing, which aims to win the America's Cup by 2017. 

It seeks to engage young people to experience sailing and understand career choices in science, technology engineering and maths.