Dylan Fletcher returns to Portsmouth this summer with a championship to defend and unfinished business on home waters.
Dylan Fletcher finally reached the pinnacle of his career last season, and he is ready to re-live it all at the upcoming Portsmouth SailGP. The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix returns to Portsmouth this July for it’s second year in a row, set to display the fastest sailing in the world.
Fletcher, 38, led his team to a historic SailGP championship victory as driver last season, pipping the New Zealand Black Foils and Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos to the overall crown. It marked the summit of a six year long journey for Fletcher, who had initially been dropped from the Emirates GBR team before winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.
Now back at the helm and steering his team to the biggest victory of his career, he is ready to defend his crown.
“It feels like since Tokyo, my life has just completely changed,” he said. “I’ve been really lucky to have a very accelerated path in this sport, and to win SailGP last year meant a huge amount.
“It’s hard to put it into words just how much it meant. We beat Pete [Burling] and Blair [Tuke] in the Olympics and they are now part of the Black Foils.
“So to come back to SailGP and win against the best sailors in the world, who have been around for a while, it really meant a huge amount.”
Despite winning the overall championship last season, their stab at a home Grand Prix did not come without it’s challenges.
Emirates GBR, which is run by British sailing icon Sir Ben Ainslie, finished second in Portsmouth last time out, falling to the Black Foils when it mattered.
However, in the wider context of the year, it showcased a pivotal change for the British team who seemed to be stumbling mid-season.
The crew have encountered a similar tale in the seven races so far, trailing in third place overall in the standings after boat damage kept them off the water at the most recent Grand Prix in Halifax, Canada.
Portsmouth 2026 will now kick-off the European leg of SailGP 2026 as British racing returns in a mix of world class sport, food, drink and entertainment. With boats exceeding 100km per hour and a strengthened fleet from last time out, Fletcher is ready to get back to winning ways.
“There’s a huge amount of drive within the team, and last year it was incredible to get second. It felt like a bit of a bounce back of a tricky part of the season,” he said. “We are feeling the pressure, but me and Hannah [Mills] said last year we actually really felt like we thrived and loved that pressure side.
“Don’t get me wrong, it was really disappointing and then after breaking the boat in Halifax and missing the racing when we felt like we were in a good place was tough.
“But again, it just adds more fuel to Portsmouth and our home territory. We’ve got to try and do it for the fans.
“We haven’t won an event now since Perth. We’ve been close a few times, so it feels like we need to get our act together and make sure we deliver.”
The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix returns to Portsmouth on 25-26 July. Limited tickets are still available here.