One month to go: Fletcher embracing the pressure ahead of Portsmouth homecoming

One month from now, the Emirates GBR SailGP Team will return to familiar waters carrying a different kind of weight.

Last summer, Portsmouth became the turning point in a championship-winning campaign. This season, the reigning SailGP champions will arrive for the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix with expectation, scrutiny and unfinished business.

For driver Dylan Fletcher, that's simply part of the job.

"There's certainly a lot more expectation on us as a team this time around," Fletcher admits. "Having always been one of the frontrunners and then going on to win, you certainly feel that weight on our shoulders."

The title defence hasn't followed the smooth trajectory Emirates GBR would have hoped for. Frustrating weekends in Rio de Janeiro and Halifax have left the team chasing the front-runners at the halfway point of the season, but Fletcher insists the bigger picture hasn't changed.

"We're not happy with where we are," he says. "But we also feel like we've had some amazing results and we've really been chipping away."

That phrase "chipping away" echoes the philosophy that powered Emirates GBR to last season's title. Rather than searching for spectacular moments, Fletcher believes championships are built through relentless consistency, even in a fleet that has never been deeper.

"You could say it's harder to dominate now," he says. "More teams than ever are winning events, getting on the podium and winning races. The level just keeps going up."

Instead of trying to beat one particular rival, Emirates GBR are studying everyone.

"We've obviously spent a reasonable amount of time looking at the Australians, the Spanish and now we've got the Black Foils back near the front," Fletcher explains. "We don't focus on one individual team. We focus on the teams at the front, what they're doing differently, what they're do better and how we can learn."

For Fletcher, the biggest gains have come away from the racecourse.

Since returning to the team and stepping into the driver's seat, the Olympic gold medallist has developed not only as a sailor but as the figurehead of the team, learning how to bring the best out of the people around him.

"I feel like I'm a better leader than I was a year and a half ago," he says. "I've learned how to maximise the performance of everyone in the team, but I've also learned there have been moments where I've let situations get the better of me.

"That's part of sport. It's that never-ending pursuit of relentless perfection."

That pursuit extends to the way Emirates GBR approach risk. Even after lifting the championship trophy, Fletcher says the team's philosophy remains unchanged.

"We're all trying to win whilst taking the least amount of risk," he says. "It's about keeping the yacht safe, keeping the crew safe and being there every single race."

As Portsmouth draws closer, memories of last season's home event remain vivid.

Emirates GBR arrived under pressure after a difficult run of form before reigniting their campaign in front of a passionate home crowd, finishing runners-up in a close battle with the Kiwis.

"It was a very unique time where the team came together and focused on what was right for the team and put their egos aside," Fletcher recalls.

The challenge this time is different.

Emirates GBR are no longer the hunters - they're the reigning champions everyone wants to beat.

But if there's one lesson Fletcher has taken from his remarkable journey, from losing his place in the team in Season 1 to becoming SailGP champion, it's that pressure isn't something to fear.

"When the pressure is highest," he says, "I either tell myself to breathe, or that the pressure is a privilege."

With one month to go until Portsmouth, it's a mindset Emirates GBR will need once again.

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 now!