Britain's greatest Olympic sailor made a rare return to his native north west to help design a range of sailing wear at the Henri Lloyd factory in Little Hulton.
But he already has eyes on the 2012 London Games and the possibility of a fourth Olympic title.
"That's the goal," he said. "Racing on home water is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Ainslie's golden triumphs in Sydney, Athens and Beijing have made him a household name and has helped introduce a new generation to a life on the high seas.
"In the last 10 years the profile of sailing has grown immensely," he said. "More and more young people are coming into the sport.
"We need to keep being successful and hopefully London 2012 will inspire many more youngsters to get into the sport."
Ainslie moved from landlocked Macclesfield to the South Coast at an early age to help develop his passion for the sport.
But he dismisses a belief that sailing is for rich kids.
"It is a misconception that sailing is elitist, hugely expensive and that you need to live by the sea to be able to sail," he said.
"There are many inland lakes and reservoirs that all have sailing clubs these days.
"Access to the sport is so much easier than it was.
"All clubs will probably have a youth section. Indeed, my local club in Lymington holds sessions where kids from the local schools come down and get out on the water.
"You don't need to own a boat to get into sailing. You can go and crew for someone in a dinghy to start with.
"But if you decide to get into it you can pick up a second-hand dinghy for £200.
"That's probably less than a set of golf clubs."
Life for Ainslie since returning from China has been hectic.
He has managed to race in Sardinia and is shortly off to Bermuda. But his main focus is getting ready for Britain's challenge in the 2009 America's Cup with Team Origin.
Ainslie, who will skipper the yacht, made his debut in the 2007 event, helping New Zealand to the final before losing out to Switzerland.
"It was a huge learning curve last time," admits Ainslie, who is so busy he has had to turn opportunities down.
"I've been asked to go on Dancing on Ice. But I've not got the time - thankfully! I'm not into those celebrity type of things."
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