Britain’s Bithell on family, Fletcher and the fight for gold

Stu Bithell will tell you he's just a simple man from the north of England. Just ask him what drives him, and the answer comes quickly: his family, and a burning desire to be the best. Nothing more complicated than that.

It's an honest bit of self-assessment from a sailor who's spent the 2026 Season adjusting to life on a new team, in a new home, and with a young family watching from the dock. Bithell joined Emirates GBR at the start of the season, moving on from Germany presented by Deutsche Bank into the wing trimmer seat vacated by Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen at the end of 2025.

Big shoes to fill

Bithell has been a feature of SailGP since its inception in 2019, initially with the Brits then the Swiss and German teams. Despite his experience the move was, by his own admission, no mean feat.

"There was definitely a bit of pressure,” Bithell said with a trademark chuckle. “It was a big hole to fill with Goobs leaving, but it was a super exciting opportunity for me and I've loved it."

The move happened through a familiar face. Before Emirates GBR boss Sir Ben Ainslie called himself, he sent Dylan Fletcher - Emirates GBR's driver, and Bithell's sailing partner when the pair won 49er gold together at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - to sound him out first.

"Ben sent his minion, Dylan, to have a quick chat first!" Bithell joked. "Once I'd shown interest, and contractually everything was possible, Ben gave me a call and we started talking through the details. Before I knew it, we were on the start line together in Perth."

Old partnership, new team

That reunion with Fletcher runs deep, and Bithell says that shared history gives the partnership a head start most rookie combinations don't get. "That history definitely helps,” he said. “Going through an Olympic campaign together creates a closeness that shines through." But he's quick to point out that SailGP isn't a two-man show. "It's a six-person team, so you've got relationships to build with everyone on board."

Bithell had a head start there, too. Among the key athletes on the team are double Olympic gold medallist Hannah Mills, reserve athletes Ben Cornish and Ellie Aldridge and analyst Nick Robins - all who earned their stripes as part of the British Olympic sailing programme.

Bithell and Mills' friendship especially goes way back. Despite never having actually raced together before, their bond stretches back through multiple Olympic campaigns, sailing the men's and women's 470 dinghy respectively. Both won silver at London 2012 - Mills went on to win 470 gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, while Bithell claimed 49er gold alongside Fletcher at Tokyo 2020.

Building towards something

Despite adjusting to a new team line-up, results have followed - Perth delivered a podium and what Bithell calls a "honeymoon period". But the ENEL Rio Sail Grand Prix, where the team finished dead last, and the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, in which the team were forced to miss the second day with boat damage, brought a reminder of how unforgiving this league can be. The setbacks just give Bithell more drive to perform when SailGP heads to Portsmouth for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix later this month.

"Halifax was disappointing because we had a bit of a major issue there, so we'll be working hard going into Portsmouth," he said. Racing at home brings its own weight. "Of course there's extra pressure racing at home because we want to perform for the home crowd."

Ask Bithell about the team's ambitions and there's no hedging. SailGP’s winner-takes-all Grand Final features the top three teams at the end of the season, but the target isn’t just the podium. "We go into every event trying to win it," he said. "Does finishing second automatically mean failure? Maybe not, especially when you've brought in a new team member and you're building together. But success, for us, looks like winning."

The hardest part of the job

It's that same relentlessness that defines him away from the water, even if the scenery has changed. Bithell is now a husband to Kat and a dad to young son Alfie, and he's candid about how fatherhood has reshaped his world without touching his edge. "Life away from sailing has changed a lot with having a family, but once I get to the racecourse the goal is exactly the same. I still want to be the best I can be. That hasn't changed at all."

What has changed is the hardest part of the job. "Walking through the front door when I get home is easy,” Bithell said. “Walking back out again and getting yourself into race mode is the bigger challenge." He's built himself a small gym and workspace at home to help make that switch, carving out the space to prepare without losing time with Kat and Alfie.

It's a balancing act familiar to plenty of fans - competing ambition against family life - and it's part of what makes Bithell's story an easy one to root for. A sailor rebuilding partnerships mid-career, chasing silverware with old friends and trying to be present for a little boy at home.

Simple man, complicated juggling act. So far, he's making it look pretty easy.

The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix takes place in Portsmouth on July 25-26, with entertainment from pop sensations Jess Glynne and Craig David.

Don't miss out - grab a ticket HERE or find out how to follow from wherever you are in the world.