By Alexander Smith
LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - As Britain's Dylan Fletcher lined up for the SailGP three-boat grand final last month, the skipper had a last-minute message for his crew: "Welcome to the $2 million lottery".
"The idea of that expression was actually ... that this is all to gain, this is an opportunity. We've been given this opportunity to race against the best sailors in the world and show that we are the best SailGP team," Fletcher told Reuters.
Fletcher and his team went on to beat New
Zealand and three-time SailGP winners Australia in a race format the 37-year-old characterised as being full of jeopardy, to win the trophy and the cash in a thrilling finale to 2025's championship.
One of the variables which the league's 12 teams have to work with is that the crew on board the one-design foiling F50 catamarans can vary between three and six. So the British worked hard on their playbook for how roles changed accordingly.
"We've had to adapt our playbook a bit because certain things I'm better at and certain things I'm not as good at," Fletcher said in an interview after their win.
Asked what he felt his weaknesses were, the Olympic gold medallist in the 49er in Tokyo 2020 said: "It always feels like when we're not foiling, we're not as comfortable as a team."
This, Fletcher said, could be down to the fact that he had less experience than some of the other sailors in the M32 catamaran class, which is quite similar to the high-tech F50.
"What's so special about SailGP is that ... all the boats are identical. There's no 'someone's got a faster boat' ... and I think the fact that it's just sailor versus sailor is massive, so it feels very pure," said Fletcher.
"You're still ultimately using your sailing skills, and it's exactly the same for every team out there," he added.
ALL OR NOTHING IN EVENT FINALS
Fletcher is already looking forward to SailGP's 2026 season, which will start on January 17-18 in Perth, Australia, where the Emirates GBR team led by Ben Ainslie will be taking their winning formula for making the top three back onto the water.
"It's about trying to deliver consistent results. It's real boring ... if we can get around mark one in fifth we overtake on average one boat a race and then we'll finish fourth, which will get us into the final each weekend," he said.
"Once we're in the final, our mindset is 'all-or-nothing', very much go for the win," he said, adding that the aim is to be consistent again next year.
After the elation of both winning the overall leadership standings and the grand final in Abu Dhabi, Fletcher is now able to laugh about 2025's low point.
"The lowest moment of the year was stuck head to wind at a mark in San Francisco, when we were last ... I think it just epitomised where we were at at that point with the team. Things weren't right, we weren't working well as a team," he said.
"There's been a few highs and lows".
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
