Britain's best hopes for sailing gold face a straight duel in the sun over Fushan Bay on Saturday afternoon. Ben Ainslie, in the Finn class, and the Yngling girls of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson are guaranteed medals before they go into their final races of the Olympic Sailing Regatta in front of thousands of spectators who will line the £250 million waterfront at Qingdao.

But all have only gold in their sights. Ainslie became Britain's most successful British sailor of all time late on Friday by finishing the day knowing he has either gold or silver in his grasp. That takes his Olympic tally to four medals after his two golds and one silver from Athens and Sydney.

Only one prize matters and that is gold for Ainslie, who promises to be his usual aggressive self when he takes to the water on Saturday afternoon. Ainslie is a maritime gunslinger feared around the world and he relishes the shoot-out that faces him with Zach Railey, of the United States, the only man who can tarnish the Briton's golden reputation as the world's best sailor.

Ainslie is wary but supremely confident that he can see off Railey's challenge, even if the conditions off Qingdao that have dogged this regatta remain as capricious as they have been all week. Sailing was postponed until late on Friday because of odd, swirling conditions that meant officials could not set a fair course. It was enough to jangle nerves and stretch the resolve. While Ainslie kept up his remarkable consistency with a third second-place finish to add to three wins in his campaign, Railey was busy at the back of the field making sure he was going to finish the day with a medal of any colour. He concentrated on keeping France's Guillaume Florent out of the final battle for medals to ensure the head-to-head against Ainslie for gold.

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"It is between me and the American, which means I just have to stick to him like glue," Ainslie said. "I just have to make sure I know where he is, get in front if I can and make sure I stay there and then there will be no problems. So far, it is a job only half done. It is going to be a tough race and whatever lead I have is not enough, especially when the conditions are so fickle."

If Ainslie is in prime position, the quest for gold could be a bumpy ride for the Yngling girls, who find themselves involved in an epic battle with the crew from the Netherlands. Team GB lead the Netherlands but only by one point and the British girls know they will be in for one of their toughest days of sailing.

"Conservative is not going to cut it in this fight," Wilson said. "We know what we have got to do. There will be lots of butterflies but we have prepared for this moment for a long time and we have no fear. We will be there to do whatever it takes."

Ayton and Webb already hold gold medals from Athens but Wilson says that has not put any extra pressure on her to perform. "We are on an even keel together," she said. "I am so lucky to be with these girls because they have been there before and know exactly what to do. When we get sailing, it will be heads down