One of the breakout stars of the last America’s Cup was Olympic 49er gold medallist Dylan Fletcher. Joining for his first America’s Cup, the former Northampton SC junior quickly established himself within the team, eventually sharing the helming duties with Ben Ainslie. They achieved Britain’s best Cup result for ninety years. This time, Dylan Fletcher will step up as skipper.
“I remember it being just fantastic to get out in one of those boats [the AC40] and to have the opportunity to be part of the team… It was just fantastic fun, like little go-karts, they're very fast.” Dylan was sharing the helming with Ben Cornish aboard the B-boat. “It was absolutely brilliant fun to race against the A-team and try to make their life hard.
“I remember stepping on board RB3 [the AC75 that the team sailed in the America’s Cup] and really feeling the pressure. It's a big team. It's a very expensive race, and the sails are so big in comparison to the AC40. There's so much power, so fast. Stepping aboard with Ben for the first time and getting up on the foils was quite surreal.
“I feel like the team vibe last time was incredible, to build that momentum through the [early] rounds and win the Louis Vuitton [Challenger Series] against Luna Rossa… for the first time in British history… was incredible. We went on to compete in the America's Cup and win two races.
“I really felt that as a team, we grew stronger and stronger. Especially from the start of the preliminary rounds in the AC75 through to the Cup [Match], we just got faster every day we went out on the water. I think a lot of people counted us out early on, and we proved many of them wrong. This time around, we are just going to keep pushing and see where we end up.
“I learned a huge amount, particularly how to operate in such a large team and how to contribute where I could, to help win the Cup. I also learned about the pressure that sits on your shoulders when you're helming one of these boats and sitting next to Ben [Ainslie].”
The role of skipper and leading the sailing team has engaged Fletcher in new aspects of the campaign. “I've also taken on more technical responsibilities, and I'm really enjoying that side. I've always been a technical sailor, pushing development, so it's exciting to be involved with the campaign from the very start and in those key decisions.”
The AC75 is being retained for this America’s Cup, something that excites Fletcher. “We're in the third iteration of these rules. The boats are going to be even more evenly matched. We've also got the introduction of fleet racing, which will be super exciting on board the AC75.
“We've done it a little bit in the AC40, and given how fast and big these AC75s are, and with the foils sticking out the side, it’s going to be intense. There will be more power management to do in the fleet race, so it will be interesting to see how we all manage the yachts.
“And then, looking at the medium and long term, creating the consistency of having the Cup every two years -- with multiple teams competing -- allows us to build up momentum and become more like other sports series.”
At the end of the day though -- just as with the other sailors already signed -- it’s all about one thing. “The reason there's such a passion to win the America's Cup for Great Britain is that we've never won. I am lucky to have had a lot of success in sailing in my life, but we need to bring the Cup back to the Royal Yacht Squadron, and I want it more than anything else.
“I feel maybe more pressure on my shoulders heading into this campaign. I’m no longer the nipper of the team; I have more experience… but having had great success in the Olympics and also last year with SailGP, I really feel we need to be the cherry on top.”