Wieser, Buhl, Heil & Crew: Team Germany on course for the Gold Cup: Tactician Wieser: "The Olympic sailors learn brutally fast"

The German team for the SSL Gold Cup is taking shape. This week, some of the best German Olympic sailors and experienced big-boat professionals met again for the second training session on Lake Neuchâtel off Grandson in Switzerland. Team co-founder and tactician Markus Wieser said: "Our team captain Frithjof Kleen was unable to attend due to an injury, but will soon be fit again. With Matti Paschen and Michi Müller, we have brought in two very experienced big boat people to maximise the learning curve of the Olympic sailors on the big boats. It was very good training. The Olympic sailors learn brutally fast."

The final rounds of the premiere of the SSL Gold Cup will take place in November. Due to the good overall performance of German sailors and their positions in the SSL world rankings across all sailing disciplines, Team Germany is already seeded for the quarter-final round of the new competition alongside seven other top nations. This means that the SSL Gold Cup squad will be able to complete further training sessions in September and October before getting down to business. The calibre of the team is already high. Markus Wieser says: "Things were already going well in the first training session, but now we've really stepped up a gear." New head coach Marc Pickel, who has agreed to support the team on request, has also played a part in this. The successful coach of the Olympic 49er bronze medallists, two-time Starboat Olympian and experienced big boat sailor said after the intensive training days in Switzerland: "This is a good squad. The aim was to make the learning process as effective as possible. That's why Michi Müller and Matti Paschen were there. The Olympic boys in the team are fit, agile and dynamic in their way of thinking. We can build very well on this mix."

Team Germany realised just how good a shape Pickel is still in when they set off. When the team spontaneously had a second boat and some international sailors available on one of the training days, the coach took the helm himself at short notice, initiated two spontaneous match race duels against his own team and left the German squad standing twice at the start - a small gala performance by Marc Pickel after just a few minutes of preparation with a motley crew. The entire German team was impressed. "However, we caught up with him again at the first turning mark on the second run," reported Swan 50 and Tempest World Champion Markus Wieser with a wink. He is also impressed by the human interaction in the German SSL squad: "Nobody has airs and graces. They all listen to each other and listen carefully. It's great fun sailing with these guys."

The extended squad currently includes these sailors: In addition to Wieser and helmsman Philipp Buhl, Olympic aces Erik Heil and Paul Kohlhoff are in the selection as mainsail trimmers. Heil's Olympic foresailor Thomas Plößel, Andreas Spranger, Linov Scheel and Fabian Rieger have been added from the strongly represented German 49er contingent. Kohlhoff's Nacra 17 foresailor Alica Stuhlemmer is also a member of the team. Michi Müller, Matti Paschen, Frithjof Kleen and Nick Beulke come from the big boat camp. It will be decided later who - possibly alternating - will sail in the final rounds of the SSL Gold Cup as part of the eight or maximum nine-strong team. In addition to Team Germany, these top sailing nations are already seeded for the quarter-final round: Great Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Italy and Spain.

Philipp Buhl, who is flying to the ILCA 7 World Championships in Mexico on 13 May and wants to fight for a World Championship medal there, draws a lot of positive energy from the SSL Gold Cup commitment: "The training was fun. The involvement of Markus Wieser, Michi Müller, Matti Paschen and Marc Pickel was remarkable. They are otherwise professionals and acted as team-orientated administrators for us Olympic sailors. Markus with his good eye for the afterguard, Michi at the front, Matti in the centre and Marc as a good coach. It was really, really instructive. They are all good team players with whom we quickly got on the same page. The SSL boats are nice to sail and even have a little America's Cup character in terms of their shape." The SSL Gold Cup will be held for the first time this year on 47-foot racing yachts from the Star Sailors League (SSL), which was founded in 2013. The final rounds will take place in November this year. The venue has yet to be announced