Please select your home edition
Edition
Ovington 2021 - ILCA 1 - LEADERBOARD

Cowes SailGP practice racing: Dylan Fletcher puts a stake in the ground at home event

by SailGP 9 Aug 2019 05:34 UTC 10-11 August 2019
Cowes SailGP practise racing on Thursday evening © Sam Kurtul / www.worldofthelens.co.uk

Home town hero Dylan Fletcher and his Great Britain SailGP Team set the pace during practise racing on Thursday, placing a target on their backs ahead of their home event.

The six national teams, comprising of the world's best sailors, had their final day of practise following the King's Cup - a major sailing event hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in support of their charitable causes, taking place on the SailGP racecourse. The Brits came out firing, to win both races.

True to its mission of redefining sailing, SailGP reached a new frontier in high-performance sailing earlier in the week, when Fletcher's British team broke the 50-knot speed barrier on its home turf on the Solent, off the Isle of Wight. Fletcher didn't hold the record for long. Australia's Tom Slingsby went a knot faster on Wednesday to mark the highest speed of 51.24 knots. Overall leader Nathan Outteridge also joined the 50-knot club when the Japanese team hit 50.37 knots. The race is on to be the first to reach similar speeds during racing.

"The main thing is we did it first and on home waters. No one remembers who did it after," said Fletcher. "We just knew we had to do it before the Australians. It was such a strong day for the breeze, and it was likely they were going to be going quicker, so we were stoked to do it first, especially on home waters."

Slingsby's Australia team was not present for practise racing today. On Wednesday after breaking Fletcher's previously set speed record, the Australians broke their wing on the way to the dock.

In front of a full crowd in the SailGP Race Village at Egypt Point, Slingsby was noticeably irritated at Fletcher for breaking the 50-knot barrier first. "We weren't on the water, and I was saying congratulations to Dylan, and then I heard them saying, 'yeah it's good to get one up on Tom.' I was sitting on shore; I wasn't allowed to go sailing and within five minutes of sailing the next day we had already broken it. We aren't even reaching the limits of these boats, we were only in 20 knots of breeze, and we did 51 knots."

Given Fletcher's out-performance this week, the British squad is the team to watch. Everyone is gunning to beat the Brits on the racecourse, especially the United States' Rome Kirby, who is just one point behind Fletcher on the leaderboard.

Fierce rivalries have emerged in SailGP Season 1, and Cowes serves as the last stage before teams contend for $1 million in Marseille. At the top of the leaderboard sit long-term friends and rivals Outteridge and Slingsby, who are separated by just one point.

"The racing is getting closer and tighter, particularly against the Australians," said Outteridge. "It's usually them or us, but in New York, we saw the Americans win a race and the British win one in San Francisco, so I think it'll be closer. I don't think it's going to be a straight forward event. Looking at the weather coming, it could be quite intense."

There's no doubt SailGP Season 1 is turning out to be a close race all the way to the finish.

"We have home advantage, but I think there's also a disadvantage in being the home team because the amount of pressure on you and the expectation," said Fletcher. "Our eyes are all focused on the big prize."

With strong winds and adverse weather anticipated for the first day of racing at Cowes SailGP, it is nearly certain that the expected weather will impact the schedule on Saturday, August 10.

For more information visit SailGP.com/Cowes.

Related Articles

SailGP: Roger Federer inspires Swiss SailGP team.
Roger Federer joins forces with Switzerland SailGP Team to inspire success One of Switzerland's greatest sporting icons, Roger Federer, features in the newest episode of Racing on the Edge, SailGP's official behind-the-scenes docuseries, produced in partnership with Rolex. Posted on 27 Jun
Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 dates confirmed
Including a return to fan-favorite destination, Auckland SailGP has released further details of forthcoming 2026 Season, including the return of fan-favorite locations, multi-year hosting agreements secured across all regions, and an evolved regional structure to raise the stakes for athletes and fans alike. Posted on 26 Jun
SailGP opens tender process for two new teams
SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment. SailGP has confirmed 2026 expansion plans, unveiling details of a tender process to seek investment for ownership of two new teams entering the global racing championship next season, alongside available stakes across existing national teams. Posted on 23 Jun
Change for France SailGP Team
Ares Management acquires a stake, joining consortium with footballer Kylian Mbappé SailGP announced today that Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment Funds ("Ares") have acquired a minority stake in the France SailGP Team. The strategic investment marks Ares' entry into SailGP. Posted on 18 Jun
100 days to go: SailGP debuts in Geneva
Countdown to the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The countdown has begun - in just 100 days, Geneva will host the first-ever Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix. Posted on 12 Jun
Russell Coutts explains SailGP's investor value
Russell Coutts explains the growth of SailGP and why investors are chasing a slice of the action. SailGP co-founder and CEO Russell Coutts discusses the hard to understand investment, and growth of SailGP. The growth multiples hoped for SailGP have been achieved, on paper, by the same investors in other sports. Posted on 12 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix overall
Spain SailGP Team claims second consecutive U.S. win Diego Botin and the Spain SailGP team have punched their way to the top of the Rolex SailGP Championship, taking the win on Sunday in New York. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain win in New York - Day 2
Diego Botin's Spanish crew scraped into the Final, and then took their second successive SailGP win. The Spanish crew led by Diego Botin staged a comeback in the last race after losing an 8pt lead to squeeze into the Final, only taking the lead halfway through the three boat Final. Full race replay here. Posted on 9 Jun
SailGP: Spain lead in New York - Day 1
Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix Spain top the leaderboard after the first day of racing in the Mubadala New York Grand Prix, after a consistent day's sailing on the murky and rainswept Hudson River. Full replay and leaderboard in this story. Posted on 7 Jun
Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix day 1
Spain overcomes storm clouds, topping the standings Diego Botin's Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet after a stormy and tactical opening day of the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix. France, ROCKWOOL Denmark and New Zealand are all hot on his heels for all-important leaderboard points. Posted on 7 Jun
Allen Dynamic 40 FooterSwitch One DesignC-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 BOTTOM