Dubai: “It’s a fantastic racecourse, and the fans are so close.”
That is how Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher describes Dubai ahead of the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by DP World, which arrives at Mina Rashid on November 21-22.
The British sailor, whose team are the reigning Rolex SailGP Championship champions, knows the UAE venue well and is looking forward to returning to a racecourse where spectators can get closer to the action than at almost any other stop on the global circuit.
But for Fletcher and his teammates, the Dubai event will be about much more than the atmosphere. With the season approaching its climax, the results could determine whether they get the opportunity to defend their title at all.
The championship features 13 national teams competing in high-speed F50 catamarans at venues around the world. Each race lasts approximately 15 minutes, with the season culminating in a winner-takes-all final featuring the top three teams.
Following the Dubai event, the competition moves to Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix 2026 Season Grand Final presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council at Emirates Palace, where the championship will be decided.
Sailing at 100km/h
For those unfamiliar with SailGP, the F50 is unlike a traditional sailing boat.
“An F50 is basically a 50-foot, what we call foiling, catamaran,” says Fletcher, who first took up sailing at the age of 11 during a summer holiday course. “So it’s a boat that flies above the water.”
Carbon-fibre foils beneath the surface lift the boat's hulls out of the water as it accelerates, dramatically reducing drag and allowing the catamaran to travel at up to three times the speed of the wind.
With speeds exceeding 100km/h possible, the boats are powered by rigid wings that can stand up to 29 metres tall.
“The wing is bigger than a normal plane wing — you imagine an A380, and the wing is basically bigger than one of those,” Fletcher says. “So we’ve got a lot of power on our hands.”
Although every team competes in identical boats, the difference is made by the six sailors on board and their ability to work together under pressure.
“When you’re going 100 kilometres an hour on an F50, it feels a lot faster than it sounds,” Fletcher says.
“It’s probably like driving your car across a very bumpy desert track, with everything bumping and shaking, but then we’ve also got a bit of water coming at us. It’s really loud as well. The noise of the foils — they’re whistling — so we have to have in-ear communication.”
The speeds and equipment also bring risks, with the foils capable of causing serious injuries.
“The foils are effectively very sharp blades. So there’s lots of danger, but we’re some of the best athletes in the world and we’re trying very hard to avoid any of that danger,” he says.
Why Dubai suits SailGP
The UAE's sailing conditions present a distinctive challenge for the teams, with relatively flat water and lighter winds often requiring even greater precision.
“When you’re sailing in lighter winds and you’re going three times the wind speed, it’s all relatively calm around you, and then you’re just flying, literally above the water, at really high speeds,” Fletcher says.
“It’s sailing, but not as you know it — certainly not like sitting on the back of a big yacht drinking a cold beverage!”
While the conditions can make for a spectacular viewing experience, they also leave little room for mistakes.
“When the wind’s lighter, there certainly needs to be a bit more perfection in order to maximise the boat’s performance. There’s certainly less margin for error,” he adds.
Fletcher has a long history with SailGP, having driven the British team during the championship's inaugural season in 2019 before Sir Ben Ainslie took over for the following campaign.
Away from the competition, Fletcher went on to win Olympic gold, claim a Moth world championship and become co-helm for Britain's America's Cup challenge before returning to SailGP.
His comeback came in Dubai at the opening event of the 2025 season, where Emirates GBR secured a podium finish.
Now, with the championship returning to Mina Rashid on November 21-22, Fletcher will be hoping to build on those memories as the British team look to secure their place in the season-ending showdown in Abu Dhabi.