Ainslie names Fletcher as helm for new GB1 attack

Dylan Fletcher will be the helm of GB1, the new name for Sir Ben Ainslie’s campaign for the 2027 edition of the America’s Cup in Naples.

Fresh off the back of steering Emirates GBR to victory last weekend at the opening event of the 2026 SailGP Championship, confirmation of Fletcher’s appointment comes as no surprise.

As one of the great revelations of the 37th Cup in Barcelona 2024, where Fletcher proved to be a fast and cool-headed helmsman of the AC75 alongside his boss, skipper and co-helmsman Ainslie, the 37-year-old’s reputation has gone from strength to strength in the past year.

So impressed with Fletcher was Ainslie after Barcelona that he was appointed helmsman of the British SailGP team at the end of 2024 and duly steered the foiling F50 to season victory in Abu Dhabi last November.

Ainslie, team principal for GB1, commented: “GB1 is delighted to secure Dylan as our helm for AC38. He has worked extremely hard to earn the seat, and his results on the water don’t lie. Olympic and SailGP champion, and an America’s Cup finallist all in the space of five years, these are no mean feats and highlight his absolute dedication to performance on the water.”

What’s intriguing is that Fletcher has been announced as ‘our helm’. Does this mean that Fletcher will be running from side to side as a lone helmsman on the AC75, as was the fashion in the 36th Cup in Auckland back in 2021? The only team to run two helms was the Italian challenge Luna Rossa, setting a trend which all the teams would copy for Barcelona 2024. Will GB1 revert to the single helmsman option for 2027? 

With multiple Olympic medallist and former America’s Cup skipper Ian Walker recently stepping into the CEO role, Ainslie is perhaps feeling he has the time and space to give AC75 helming another go for Naples 2027. That seems the most likely scenario, but for the time being Fletcher is the one-and-only helm for newly christened GB1.