\u201cWe 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 \u2018oh my god, we\u2019re on\u2019 sort of thing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that all boats made the wrong decision at some point in that race. Maybe we just made less wrong decisions.\u201d <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Reflecting on his return in season five, brought back in to drive by Sir Ben Ainslie \u2013 the man who replaced him after season one \u2013 Fletcher said he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do. <\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019t 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
The season continued Fletcher\u2019s success against Kiwi duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, with Fletcher now having beaten the Kiwi tandem out for 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\u2019s Cup with Team New Zealand in 2024. <\/p>\n
In 2026, Fletcher has linked back up with his own 49er crew mate from that campaign, with Stu Bithall joining the British set up as wing trimmer after spending time with the German SailGP team. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cI remember last year here we were lined with spectator boats and I think that\u2019s one thing that\u2019s very special about Auckland is because sailing\u2019s so big in New Zealand,\u201d Fletcher said. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously you\u2019ve 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cI guess maybe we feel like they\u2019re not necessarily cheering us on too much, we\u2019re probably the ones they\u2019re cheering on the least, but I think that ultimately, [we\u2019re] 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 at the end of the day.\u201d <\/p>\n