​SailGP Sassnitz: 15,000 fans, a multi-million impact and plans up to 2030

Sydney. New York. Rio. Sassnitz. Sassnitz? Sassnitz! In the second year of the German SailGP summit, the port town on Rügen once again stood out as the exception amongst the line-up of dazzling global metropolises whose harbours usually host the ‘Formula 1 of sailing’. And in its second year, too, the Baltic Sea course lived up to the promise it had made at the inaugural event with a new speed record – 103.93 km/h at the time. The Rügen race course is the fastest in the sailing super league. This summer, it swiftly swapped its nickname ‘Crashnitz’ – acquired last year following collisions and breakages – for ‘Flashnitz’.

Sassnitz is transforming from a risky venture into a crowd-puller

Many people came out on top at the Germany Sail Grand Prix – both on land and on the water. The crowd in the sold-out stadium was among them. What initially seemed like a risk when it came to Sassnitz – the town’s relative obscurity on the international stage (“Where is this Sassnitz?”), the fact that it isn’t exactly easy to get to, and, of course, the limited accommodation capacity during the holiday season – did not materialise. According to the league, the 13,000 or so tickets sold in 2025 rose to a good 15,000 this year. This seemingly unassuming little holiday resort on Rügen, surrounded by the Jasmund National Park, the Königsstuhl and the chalk cliffs, has blossomed into an international sporting gem. The arena and its XL stands in Sassnitz harbour and on the outer pier once again proved to be a magnet.

Alessio Cristiano Scorrano works at Bella Vista on Hafenstraße. His dad is Italian and a chef; his mum is from Sassnitz. The pizzeria, not far from the racecourse, is already busy in the days leading up to the first race. Young Scorrano says: “When people first started talking about this sailing event, it sounded crazy for Sassnitz. Nobody knew what it actually was. But you’ve got to take a chance sometimes. It’s great for the town!”

Ten million euros and contracts running until 2030

A Deloitte study commissioned by the organiser estimated the economic impact of the 2025 inaugural event at around ten million euros. The comparative figure for this year is still pending. The State Chancellery of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania regards the Rolex SailGP as “a major showcase for our region” and was delighted to welcome “the world to Sassnitz”. Whilst the event was still underway, Minister-President Manuela Schwesig announced more than four million euros in funding for planning work at the Sassnitz-Mukran ferry port. The courageous Mayor Leon Kräusche received the official notification on the day of the final. Kräusche and his team had taken on the challenge of SailGP 2025 and had not always had the wind in their sails. Now, however, the majority of Rügen’s residents and national and international guests are enthusiastic about Germany’s hotspot for the ‘Formula 1 of sailing’, even if the skyrocketing costs of accommodation hit some guests hard. Price rises of 50 per cent or more within a year were simply to be expected.

The third edition in Sassnitz has long been a done deal. The league will celebrate its return on 14 and 15 August 2027. Draft contracts for the series’ continuation from 2028 to 2030 are also already in place. Team Germany’s CEO, Tim Krieglstein, stated: “The response from the fans was unprecedented. We are working hard to bring SailGP to Germany on a long-term basis.”

This is how close fans of Formula 1 sailing get

“Nowhere else does the pit lane look as good as it does here in Sassnitz,” enthused a SailGP staff member. The fact that, as you walked across the Sassnitz suspension bridge down to the harbour, you could enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Tech Site with its team hangars and the racing catamarans moored in the harbour on race days meant that even the journey to the event site was filled with stunning views. Seen from there, the glass railway station also stood out. Used until 1998 as a ferry station for the connection between Sassnitz and Trelleborg – and since then replaced by the Sassnitz ferry port in Mukran – the old station site, as part of the former town harbour, is now a listed building.

This is where the league has set up its race headquarters this year. This is where the so-called ‘coach booths’ – the open ‘cabins’ for the coaches – were set up, from which they provided their crews with data and information during the races. Two to three coaches per team sat there in front of their screens, swiftly analysing the course data and the data from the boat, and advising their crews via radio. With an unobstructed view of these workstations, the invited guests were able to soak up the Formula 1 atmosphere. The proximity to the heart of SailGP and the opportunity to interact with the professionals are an interesting part of the show. Huge glass windows provided a view across the Baltic Sea racing area.

Team Germany is bringing 500 guests to the race track

The German sailing team went into their home race highly motivated. The team is owned by entrepreneur Thomas Riedel, four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and other investors such as Wacken Festival founder Holger Hübner, ESL founder Ralf Reichert, the Viessmann Generations Group and the international group Bolt Ventures. The biggest partner is Deutsche Bank, which alone had invited 200 of Team Germany’s 500 guests to Sassnitz. For many, it was their first encounter with ‘sailing Formula 1’. Over the two days of racing, they flocked to the event site and into the German hangar in the pit lane, where 13 teams from as many nations were working towards success on the water and maintaining their F50 racing catamarans.

107.63 km/h: Sassnitz remains the record-holding track

At the end of August, the speed record at the Rockwool Germany Sail Grand Prix – which had stood unchallenged for a year – was broken by seven teams in the space of a single day! The Germany SailGP Team also briefly set a new record at 104.6 km/h. Then the speeds soared as if in a frenzy. In the end, it was the DS Automobiles Team France, which, following its victory at last year’s event, catapulted itself into the spotlight this time as the new record holder with a speed of 107.63 km/h. Quentin Delapierre and Les Bleus are now the fastest team in sailing’s Formula 1. And Sassnitz has delivered the fastest weekend in the eight-year history of SailGP.

The split-fleet format means more races

The new split-fleet format was also implemented for the first time in Sassnitz: the teams no longer compete in the main round in a single group, but in two. Most competitors welcome the new SailGP format, which, with 13 boats now on the starting line, is designed to reduce chaos and prevent dangerous collisions, such as those that occurred in Sassnitz in 2025. Although the groups are not yet perfectly balanced this season – with seven and six teams respectively due to the odd number of starters – the group racing format also offers spectators a better experience. More races and more action than before: six instead of three races on day one, three each for Groups A and B. Four instead of two group races on day two, followed by the final. With each race lasting well under ten minutes, this resulted in an approximate net sailing time of one and a half hours for the entire weekend. Another ‘less is more’ parallel with Formula 1 in motor racing: a Formula 1 race usually lasts around 90 minutes without interruptions.

Australia is in the grip of chaotic weather

But the races were absolutely brimming with adrenaline. Leading the way was the Tom Slingsby, three-time SailGP record holder with his Bonds Flying Roos racing around the course. Already renowned as strong-wind powerhouses, the green-and-gold team not only consistently and successfully mastered the record-breaking winds in Saturday’s races. They also refused to be knocked off course by the dark clouds hanging over the race course, the relentless downpours and the wildly erratic winds on the final Sunday. Whether the wind was 10 or 23 knots, whether it was steady or in the form of fierce gusts: the “flying kangaroos” leapt to victory in Sassnitz with a powerful surge in the four-boat final. The teams NorthStar Canada, Los Gallos and the Black Foils – all of whom had fallen off their foils – stood no chance in the almost maddening final conditions and could only crawl across the finish line long after the winners.

“Momentum is a tremendous force!” remarked Tom Slingsby with a grin after the bizarre final. On that day, even the very best found it difficult to distinguish between the rain showers and gusts of wind in the hazy conditions, let alone keep them under control. Even the most hardened America’s Cup maestro, Pete Burling, described how the rain stung his face and hands at those speeds.

In true spirit of the Australian national anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’, the Bonds Flying Roos had pulled off an impressive triumph in their bid for victory at Sassnitz on the wind-swept course.

“Sometimes,” explained Olympic Laser champion Tom Slingsby afterwards, “the wind just dies away. We still managed to stay on the foils and race across the finish line. We were already ashore and on the podium by the time the others had only just finished the race. That’s very rare.”

Two wins, but the final remains out of reach

The Germany SailGP Team experienced its very own rollercoaster ride at the home race. Spurred on by a raucous crowd, Erik Kosegarten-Heil and his crew were determined to shine. However, they got off to a poor start, finishing sixth and fifth in the first two races. Under pressure, however, they managed to turn things around in the third race on Saturday. With a race win, the black, red and gold team had the fans on their feet – and put themselves back in contention.

The final on Sunday was also a success for Erik Kosegarten-Heil, a native of Berlin, and his Strategist Anna Barth, wing trimmer Kevin Peponnet, flight controller James Wierzbowski and the two grinders, Linov Scheel and Will Tiller, experienced a rollercoaster ride. This wasn’t just down to the sudden downpours. Once again, the start went wrong: just like the Canadians, Team Germany committed a narrow false start. “We had a start penalty, had to drop back and were still last at the leeward mark,” said Anna Barth, describing the difficult starting position for the Germans’ fourth of five group races. They had to work their way up through the field from the back. But they did so in impressive fashion. “We were also a bit lucky that the rain shower had just passed and the course was clear again,” she explained Erik Kosegarten – the situation. With this unobstructed view, the team made a discovery in the distance. The driver later recounted with a laugh: “It was the only real opportunity we had that weekend: there was pressure coming from the top left, but nobody decided to switch over there quickly. That was a good decision. What was even cooler was that everyone else fell off their foils. Then we had it easy.” This clever manoeuvre was right up the street of the seasoned Berlin lake sailor with a penchant for ‘tricky’ conditions. Anna Barth, who was involved, said: “The strongest wind was on the right-hand side, but there was also something coming from the direction of the spectators’ boats, on the left-hand side. I mentioned it on board. Erik saw it too. So that’s where we headed. It worked out well for us.” This second race victory tasted particularly sweet for the Black-Red-Gold team, as it was achieved through a masterclass in classic sailing.

Once again, the crowd leapt to their feet, creating an electrifying atmosphere in the arena. Most of them were already soaked through. This was also because Umbrellas were not allowed in the stands, so as not to jeopardise the great view – the right decision for the sport. The spectators remained unfazed by this. The adrenaline worked wonders against the damp clothes clinging to their bodies. The stands remained packed right until the end. With the home team now just one point behind the second-placed spot in the group – the position needed to reach the final – the fans sensed a golden opportunity.

The crucial start goes wrong

But that hope was dashed almost as quickly as it had arisen: a technical error at the start cost the German sextet a strong start to the decisive race. This time, the team was unable to recover from it.

“To miss out on the final by such a narrow margin – that really hurts,” said coach Lennart Briesenick in Sassnitz. He knows what the team needs to work on: “If you look at the whole weekend, it’s relatively clear that we still need to focus on our starts.” Germany’s Achilles heel is a chronic problem. All the more so given that the team often performs strongly on the course. On the plus side, they secured two race wins. Only the Australians managed three, including the final, whilst Black Foils and Los Gallos also secured two each.

Four events remain in the race to catch up

Seventh place at the home race and eighth in the season championship after nine out of 13 events: this is not yet the position the Germany SailGP Team by Deutsche Bank had set its sights on at the start of the year. They had deliberately set themselves the ambitious target of sixth place. Four races remain: in Valencia, on Lake Geneva – where the team secured its historic first German event victory last year – in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi. That’s almost a third of the season, during which a lot can happen. Following ninth-place finishes in both 2024 and 2025, this gives the German team the chance to make further progress in its third year in the league – and to break the deadlock. The ongoing battle for this was watched by 750,000 people on ZDF on the Saturday in Sassnitz, and by just under a million on Sunday.

Following the Baltic Sea spectacle, the top four in the season’s standings are Australia’s Liga Lions (76 points), ahead of the 2024 champions Los Gallos (62 points) and the Swedish team Artemis, which has moved up the rankings (53 points).

Defending champions Great Britain are falling behind

The British defending champions have fallen behind. Emirates Team GBR, which was so strong at the start of the year, is struggling through the season following crew changes; at the last three events, featuring 49er Olympic champion and America’s Cup finalist Dylan Fletcher, double Olympic champion and strategist Hannah Mills, Team Germany’s former wing trimmer Stu Bithell and other top sailors, has failed to finish higher than 11th, 11th and 9th in the last three events. CEO Sir Ben Ainslie is likely to be “not amused”. The most successful Olympic sailor in sporting history, with four gold medals to his name, who will be chasing the America’s Cup again in 2027 with most of his SailGP crew, had to watch as his team fell two points short of reaching the final. A Facebook fan cheekily commented on a photo of Ainslie in lively conversation with Sebastian Vettel, directing his remark at British driver Dylan Fletcher: “Seb’s always got off to a good start. Maybe he should have a chat with Dylan.” In the battle on the water, Vettel’s team (7th) outperformed Ainslie’s crew (9th) this time – a small victory on the long and thorny road to the top in SailGP.

The biggest winner is the area

The winner of the German Grand Prix Above all, the venue – and therefore Sassnitz. Almost all the top professionals sang the praises of the record-breaking course with its calm currents and gentle waves. 49er Olympic champion Nathan Outteridge said: “If every weekend could be like this – racing in conditions where every heat is incredibly close – that would be brilliant!”

Book recommendation

Regatta sailing By Malte Philipp, this book explains strategy and tactics, from preparation through to the start and on to post-race analysis. The book is particularly relevant to the crucial moments of the German home race: false starts, tactical decisions in shifting winds and finding the fastest route around the course. Clear illustrations and a checklist ensure that the fundamentals described can be put into practice in your own regattas.

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