"Very special" homecoming for British team as countdown to SailGP in Portsmouth continues

The British team is “buzzing” to be returning to Portsmouth for this year’s SailGP - with Olympic sailor Dylan Fletcher admitting that he would love to win in front of the home crowd.

Around 20,000 fans are expected to watch the thrilling action as 13 SailGP teams racing their identical, 50ft foiling catamarans of speeds in the Solent front of Southsea Castle on July 25 and 26. The British date kicks off the European leg of the racing season - with much anticipation surrounding it.

Earlier this week, members of the GBR team - CEO Sir Ben Ainslie and athletes Hannah Mills OBE, Dylan Fletcher MBE, Stuart Bithell MBE and Youth Sailor Kai Hockley - took a break from training for a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. There, they drove boats of a completely different kind in the MiniPort attraction in the Mast Pond.

Olympic sailor and majority owner of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, Sir Ben Ainslie, said that holding the event in Portsmouth was ‘so special’ and he urged residents to turn out and show their support.

He said: “Last year was an incredible event. The turnout, the conditions were just perfect and with the weather at the moment we are expecting more of the same this year and an even bigger crowd. The GBR team were second last season and we want to go one better and win it in front of the home crowd.

“With SailGP we are seeing these really large crowds turning out and supporting the event, supporting the GBR team on home waters. A competitor, and anyone involved with the team, will tell you that is such an incredible opportunity and a huge motivator to go out there and try to win in front of the home crowd.

“Portsmouth is a city with a huge maritime heritage if you think back through the centuries, and we are all very proud of that as Brits. The opportunity to race in a global sailing event, or league as SailGP is, in front of those home crowds given the history and what we are trying to achieve is very special.”

He added that there were still different ticket options for people to watch SailGP from the grandstands and hospitality, “or just get down to the beach and watch it from the Southsea shorefront”

He said: “Seeing these boats tearing around at 100km hour plus is quite some spectacle so enjoy it!”

After the Portsmouth leg, the teams will head to Germany, Spain, and Switzerland, with the British team currently in third place behind the Australian BONDS Flying Roos team and the Spanish Los Gallos team.

Olympic sailor Dylan Fletcher is the driver and helm for the Portsmouth-based GBR team, and said he would love to take the win for this year’s race - with 2026 expected to be even bigger than last year.

“The home crowd fuels us and it makes us really proud to be here in Portsmouth,” he said.

“Last year we came second, and honestly I would love to go one stage further and win. But ultimately we do have our eyes on the whole year and the grand final and trying to make it into that top three so we can take the whole season.

“It is always amazing sailing in Portsmouth, being on The Solent with a big range of conditions and having the iconic backdrop. I think it is really interesting for us with the race course. We have got the forts - so there is plenty going on!

“Having that home crowd and being so close to our friends and family is really important for us. I think that I never really knew what to expect last year, but when you saw the grandstand and all the crowd when we came in it was like ‘wow, this is sailing’.”

He added that he hoped SailGP would help to inspire the next generation, with youth sailor Kai Hockley among those who have been part of the team this year.

Kai, 20, said he did not start his sailing journey in a conventional way, being from north London where his school had a sailing team which he joined in Year 7. This then led to the school team taking ships down to Portsmouth and Southampton every weekend so pupils could learn sailing skills.

“We started racing and we were doing well and I then got the call from Ben and Hannah (Mills, GBR team’s strategist) to join the team which was really cool.

“I have learned a lot about sailing, but also what makes a good sailor, you see their work ethic and their resilience. They don’t always get the results they want but they keep on going and you see how hard they work.

“I always suggest anyone should try sailing, even if your not the biggest fan of water you never know how much fun you can have. The opportunities are endless in sailing and it is a really good sport to try to get into.”

He added that he can't wait to be a part of the team in Portsmouth later this month.

He said: “I’m buzzing for it, our home event, 20,000 people - it is going to be so good!”

For more details and to buy tickets for SailGP visit tickets.sailgp.com/portsmouth/