'Street Fighting' in Geneva as Emirates GBR Battle Through Tricky Opening Day
by Emirates GBR SailGP Team 19 Sep 19:06 BST
19-20 September 2026
Dylan Fletcher, driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, and Stuart Bithell, wing trimmer of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, cross the boat during a manoeuvre on Race Day 1 of the Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva, Switzerland © Jonathan Nackstrand for SailGP
Emirates GBR battled through an unpredictable opening day of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva, ending the day on a high with a second-place finish in their final fleet race.
Extremely light and patchy conditions on Lake Geneva made finding pressure and clear air critical, with teams facing a constantly changing racecourse and significant gains and losses throughout the day.
Emirates GBR opened their campaign in Group B in just four knots of breeze. Dylan Fletcher's British team rounded the opening mark in fifth before penalties for New Zealand and Australia promoted them to third.
The British team headed towards the right-hand side of the course, close to shore, while Italy opted for the opposite side and were among the first to find enough pressure to get onto the foils. Emirates GBR dropped back as they became locked in a battle with Australia, with Canada eventually taking the race win and Fletcher's crew crossing the line in fourth.
The challenging conditions continued into the second Group B race. Switzerland made a strong start and led around Mark 1, with Australia second and Emirates GBR third in marginal foiling conditions.
Emirates GBR headed to the left-hand side of the course in search of clear air and stronger pressure. The move paid off as the British team made gains on Canada before eventually finishing fourth.
With every point crucial in the battle for a place in the Season Grand Final, Emirates GBR saved their strongest performance for the final race of the day.
Fletcher’s crew made a good start from the middle of the line but initially found themselves behind Australia, Italy and Canada, rounding the opening mark in fourth.
Emirates GBR then took a calculated risk by splitting to the left-hand side of the course. The decision delivered a significant gain, with the British team finding better pressure and climbing from fourth into second place.
They held the position to the finish to secure their best result of the day and keep themselves in contention heading into Super Sunday.
Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said: “It was a very tricky day, super up and down, with plenty of jeopardy and street fighting with almost every team in our group.
“We knew that in those conditions we would have to take some risks to get the results we needed, and that was clear in the last race when we split to the left-hand side. Thankfully, we managed to pull it off and get the result we needed to keep ourselves in contention heading into Super Sunday.
“The plan for tomorrow is pretty simple – win every race and happy days!”
UK fans can watch the final day of racing exclusively on TNT Sports 4 from 14:30 BST.