He was semi-apologetic after the Team NZ skirmish earlier in the week, describing the collision light-heartedly as "a love tap".
Peter Burling and his Kiwi crew weren't laughing though.
Burling described the rear-ending as "unnecessary" and mildly chastised his British rival.
Ainslie is revered in sailing circles, having won four Olympic sailing gold medals and a knighthood from the Queen.
But he has now found himself at the forefront of increasing controversy after a pre-race blunder against Barker, the former Team NZ skipper now helming Team Japan.
Ainslie was slow to react to a shrewd pre-race move by Barker and ended up sliding his boat over the top of Japan's in the pre-start.
The incident left a couple of the Japan sailors sporting bruises and Ainslie a further dented reputation.
The collision caused a huge puncture in BAR's hull and could have resulted in worse injury to sailors than eventuated.
The incident with Team NZ occurred after Burling had done a good job securing the favoured leeward end of the line and shutting out Ainslie.
As the Brits bore away they plowed into the back of the Kiwi boat.
While Team NZ boss Grant Dalton did not believe there were any sinister motives behind the collision, many sailing fans appeared to disagree.
Ainslie came in for strong criticism on social media, particularly over his "love-tap" description.
Several fans took to twitter to blast Ainslie for his "unsportsmanlike" actions, and suggested his explanation and apology lacked sincerity.
"How was that a love tap? A more authentic apology would be appropriate," wrote one observer.
Another said the incident was a "clear indicator that [Ainslie] does not really belong in these boats or this regatta".
But suggestions that Ainslie had deliberately rear-ended the Kiwi boat were vehemently rejected by some.
One British fan described the four-time Olympic champion as a "gent" and said the "Twitter trolls" needed to move on.
