Half-time at the Rockwool Germany SailGP in Sassnitz. On day one, new speed records had sparked huge excitement amongst sailors and fans. On day two, this Sunday, the main focus for the teams on the race course off the coast of Rügen will be on securing a place in the final.
The top two teams from Groups A and B will compete in the four-team final. After the first three races – finishing 6th, 5th and securing a convincing start-to-finish victory on Saturday – the German team, helmed by Erik Kosegarten-Heil, lay in fifth place in Group B. “We can do it, but it’ll be tough,” said CEO Tim Krieglstein on Sunday lunchtime, shortly before the 2 pm start.
The second half of the Sassnitz SailGP takes place today
At that point, three points separated the Black-Red-Gold from second place, which they held in the German group, Team Artemis (9 points), behind Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos (10 points). “We’ll have to take more risks today if we want to reach the final,” Erik Kosegarten-Heil has already announced. The team’s sports psychologist, Frank Weiland, also rallied the whole squad during the morning team meeting, saying: “We have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.”
On Sunday morning, *YACHT* caught up with Erik Kosegarten-Heil for a quick interview and to gauge the mood in the German hangar.
Erik, as we reach the halfway point, how do you look back on the first day of racing at your home event, the Rockwool Germany SailGP? You got off to a tough start, but then made a big splash with a race win. The SailGP speed record was smashed time and again on Saturday in a frenzy of excitement; with a speed of 104.6 km/h, you’re now among the fastest teams in the league too…
All in all, the day was more good than bad. We had a relatively tough time in the first two races. It’s not easy to make up that ground once you’re in the ‘Gold Fleet’. However, we could see from the data that we weren’t slow.
“Like riding a scooter on gravel”
Could you describe what it felt like, as a driver with your hands on the steering wheel, to reach 104.6 km/h on Saturday?
It’s like riding a scooter on gravel. I’d spotted it on the display – I saw exactly the gust where we picked up speed so quickly. I told the crew: ‘That’s 104, that’s 104!’ Mainly so that James (Ed.: Flight Controller James Wierzbowski) knew in which range he was currently feeling the cavitation. Whether it’s an 85 km/h situation or one exceeding 100 km/h. You can also hear his reaction to it in the videos…
Does it feel good to be the home team in Sassnitz – effectively the hosts on the league’s fastest track, which everyone’s talking about?
That’s actually pretty cool. And it could even be even better. If it really kicks off here – it could even be better than it is now – then this is the spot! It’s rare to have situations where you’ve got an offshore wind and there isn’t a massive swell rolling in from somewhere out on the open water. New Zealand is similar in principle, but there you still have the current; here, there isn’t any at all. Sassnitz really is ideal for speed records.”
Is a home match like this fast-paced spectacle in Sassnitz always a pleasure, or can it sometimes be a burden, because you’re in the spotlight and a much sought-after figure, part of a team that’s celebrated at home matches?
There’s a lot going on, and that’s great, of course. You just have to go with the flow. We’d already got a lot done before the event – we’d had some long days. That means you’ve got less to do during the event itself. Now we’re trying to make the most of it, both in terms of the sport and the event itself.
The German SailGP story: how it all began
As you look back today at the second German SailGP Summit in Sassnitz on winning your second Olympic bronze medal with Thomas Plößel – who is one of the stadium announcers here in Sassnitz – Could you ever have imagined back then that Team Germany would have come this far in SailGP, as you have so far in your third season?
It really is quite special. I first spoke to Russell Coutts back in 2018. But at the time, whilst our Olympic campaign was still underway, there wasn’t much we could contribute just yet. After the Games, I spoke to Russell again in 2021. And he took the initiative, approaching Thomas Riedel at an event. I then met Thomas for the first time in Wuppertal in November 2022, and met Sebastian Vettel again in December. There was a long back-and-forth, and negotiations took place. Then came the decisive call. Looking back on it all today, it really is quite special that we’re here in Sassnitz today with a team of 27 people.
Where do you see your strengths as a team today, and in which areas do you still need to catch up?
I believe we are strong as an organisation in terms of our structure. As a pool of athletes, we would naturally like more training slots so that we can also develop our own young German talent. We will be visiting the training centre in Pensacola, Florida, at least once this year.
A look back! How Team Germany won the third race on Saturday:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter