“FRANKFURT. Sydney, San Francisco - Sassnitz: Some time ago, the people of Sassnitz would probably not have expected that one day, three-time America's Cup winner Peter Burling from New Zealand, one of the most prominent and best sailors in the world, would travel to one of the most remote corners of Germany, in the northeast of the island of Rügen.
The spectacular SailGP racing series, which set sail in Germany for the first time this weekend with its twelve teams – some of which include numerous world and Olympic champions – and their boats capable of speeds of up to 50 knots (around 100 kilometers per hour), made this possible.
A total of around 15,000 sailing enthusiasts came to Sassnitz on Saturday and Sunday, taking their seats in the specially erected stands on the pier, lining up along the waterfront promenade of the town of 9,000 inhabitants, or watching the racing from one of the numerous spectator boats anchored in the Baltic Sea. They witnessed a much-celebrated home victory in the first of seven races. In front of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister-President Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and former Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, co-owner of the German SailGP team, the German crew prevailed against Great Britain in a hard-fought sprint to the finish on Saturday afternoon. "To make a statement – that was our goal here in Sassnitz. Now it's almost gone like the script: exactly what we wanted, absolutely fantastic," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil, the helmsman and team captain of the German crew, after the successful opening race, adding: "The team deserves it; we've worked hard."
In the remaining races on Saturday, the German crew, led by Kosegarten-Heil and strategist Anna Barth, who have often sailed in the lower midfield this season, showed significant improvement compared to previous SailGP events, especially at the start. After the first day of racing, the German boat was in fourth place in the standings and had legitimate hopes of a starting place in the final race, which is reserved for only the three best teams of the weekend. The first day of racing was dominated by the Australians led by helmsman Tom Slingsby, while Peter Burling and the New Zealanders only warmed up in the fourth race.
The stated goal of SailGP is to outdo the traditional and currently far more well-known and popular America's Cup. How is this to be achieved? With breathtaking sailing races held close to the shore on identical and immensely fast catamarans on almost every ocean. And with a sustainable financing and organizational concept.
The yachts, built, maintained, and modernized in Southampton, England, belong to the SailGP league, which also handles all logistics and thus aims to keep the (time) expenditure at the individual host cities to a necessary minimum. Furthermore, each of the twelve teams currently participating in the series is allowed a maximum season budget of ten million dollars (approximately 8.5 million euros). Almost half of this goes directly to SailGP, for example, for the maintenance of the catamarans or licensing fees.
The spectacular nature of SailGP racing was demonstrated in several ways this weekend in Sassnitz: The Danish team set a new season record with a speed of approximately 56 knots (103.93 kilometers per hour) in its victory in the third race on Saturday. Furthermore, the British and American catamarans collided so violently during one race that the US team was eliminated early with a severely damaged bow. Even before the first race, the Brazilians, led by helmswoman Martine Grael, had to withdraw from all races after a spectacular training accident and a broken mast. In the battle for the overall season victory, the New Zealanders, led by Burling, and the Australians led by helmsman Tom Slingsby, continue to have the best chances.
For last year's winners from Spain, captained by Diego Botin, and the British team led by Dylan Fletcher, the path to the top of the standings is getting longer and longer after eight of twelve events. The German crew remains in second-to-last place after a hefty points penalty for two collisions at the beginning of the season.
It has also been confirmed since the weekend that the racing series will continue to sail in German waters for the next two years. An important and also a good sign for the future of the German team, which has only been in existence for two years. "It couldn't be much better. The whole scenery with the pier and the fantastic grandstands, the harbor. There aren't many places in Germany where that's possible. Sassnitz is a huge highlight in this year's racing calendar. It's great that it's continuing here," said Kosegarten-Heil over the weekend. Sassnitz is now also scheduled for mid-August 2026 on the SailGP calendar – following Sydney and San Francisco.” [1]
1. Mit Tempo 100 durch die Ostsee: Bei der SailGP-Rennserie vor der Küste Rügens begeistert das deutsche Team das Publikum mit einem Heimsieg. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 18 Aug 2025: 27. SEBASTIAN REUTER
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą