When Dylan Fletcher leads the Great Britain SailGP team out on to the Waitematā Harbour this weekend, he does not expect too many in the crowd to be cheering for him.
In fact, Fletcher predicts his team is the one the Auckland crowd will cheer the least. Such is the territory that comes with success against the home team.
Fletcher had a remarkable year in 2025, leading his British team to the SailGP season title in his first year back on the tour. The top-ranked team heading into the final, the Brits didn’t get off to the best start and were left chasing New Zealand’s Black Foils and Australia’s Flying Roos in the light airs in Abu Dhabi.
But in a race where every team had an opportunity to win, it was Fletcher and the Great Britain crew who sealed the deal.
“To be honest, we were obviously a bit annoyed at the start but we were also quite happy in that that was our play,” Fletcher recalled to the Herald.
“We knew it was a bit riskier and we were very close to getting on the foils and winning the start, and those are fine margins at the end of the day. But I was actually, being honest, very excited at the leeward gate. As soon as we went round the leeward gate I was like ‘oh my god, we’re on’ sort of thing.
“I think that all boats made the wrong decision at some point in that race. Maybe we just made fewer wrong decisions.”
It was perhaps most impressive for the Brits, and arguably a warning to other teams in the fleet, that they were able to stage a comeback win in light airs as, in the past, Fletcher admits that was where he struggled.
Reflecting on his return in season five, brought back in to drive by Sir Ben Ainslie – the man who replaced him after season one – Fletcher said he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do.
“I felt the weak link when I came back into it effectively because everyone else was winning. I mean after season one, I felt like we were very strong when it was foiling but I struggled in season one when we weren’t foiling and effectively if you broke the races down it was quite a clear contrast. So, I had to work a lot on the non-foiling conditions.”
The season continued Fletcher’s success against Kiwi duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, with Fletcher now having beaten the Kiwi tandem to a SailGP championship as well as Olympic gold in the 49er fleet in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Burling and Tuke did, however, stave off Fletcher, Ainslie and the British challenge to retain the America’s Cup with Team New Zealand in 2024.
In 2026, Fletcher has linked back up with his own 49er crewmate from that campaign, with Stu Bithall joining the British set-up as wing trimmer after spending time with the German SailGP team.
Winning the first event of the season in Perth last month, the Brits return to Auckland with fond memories of last season and sailing in front of the sizeable crowds the league is attracting as they look to continue their winning ways.
“I remember last year here we were lined with spectator boats and I think that’s one thing that’s very special about Auckland is because sailing’s so big in New Zealand,” Fletcher said.
“Obviously you’ve got the Kiwis with such fantastic sailors, Peter [Burling] and Blair [Tuke] especially, you know, more household names. You come to places like this and you really do feel that crowd.
“I guess maybe we feel like they’re not necessarily cheering us on too much, we’re probably the ones they’re cheering on the least, but I think that ultimately, [we’re] very lucky to be part of this era of sailing where we get to sail these amazing boats and in these amazing venues with crowds in watching it.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.