The crews, the fans, the league and the hosts embraced the SailGP premiere in Sassnitz: 13,000 paying stadium and grandstand spectators experienced a race weekend the likes of which had never been seen before in Germany. First the Germany SailGP Team won the opening race, then the Danish team Rockwool Racing broke the speed record, reaching 103.93 kilometres per hour in the Baltic Sea arena against the backdrop of Rügen's chalk cliffs.
There was also breakage. And not too close. The first SailGP racer Martine Grael and her team Mubadal Brazil experienced the most dramatic setback on Friday before the German summit when first the beam and then the huge wing sail broke - the end for the South Americans. This was followed by the French team, whose rudder spectacularly flew off after breaking.
SailGP: creative solutions for the comeback
The breakage finale caught out the British and Americans when the US foiler crashed into the British catamaran on Saturday and drilled a massive hole in the hull. Dylan Fletcher and his crew were not amused. Overnight shifts by the tech teams and creative solutions meant that both the French and the British were able to get going again on the final Sunday.
Highly motivated, the French responded to their setback on race day two with 4th, 8th and 4th places, while the British countered much more successfully with two wins on the day and a second place. Both teams reached the final of the top three teams behind the Australian SailGP record winners, who had a commanding performance over seven fleet races.
Peter Burling's Black Foils and the Germany SailGP Team were tied on points. Only three points behind the French, the Kiwis and Germans missed out on a place in the final. It would have been the first final appearance for Team GER in its two-year team history.
Team Germany serves up strong starts
"Of course I have mixed feelings. It would have been an absolute highlight to make the final in front of this family backdrop," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil honestly. All the sailors agreed that the conditions out on the course on Sunday were more than challenging, with pressure between three and 20 knots and strong gusts.
"We were actually quite happy with the starts. I think we had the best starting average of the weekend," said the helmsman from Strande. This was also confirmed by Flensburg coach Lennart Briesenick, who said: "I'm quite happy with the starts. We showed in all races that we are completely competitive."
We have taken a huge step forwards. But we absolutely have to and want to go further." Lennart Briesenick
We would have liked to have driven that home, but you don't choose it on a day like that." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
Heavy spins and the almost lottery-like positioning poker ultimately decided the final in the last fleet race. According to Kosegarten-Heil, his team had one foot in the final before the last race, probably even before the last cross in race seven.
Heavy position poker in fluctuating winds
At the same time, the two-time Olympic bronze medallist was aware of the overall good performance he had given with strategist Anna Barth, wing trimmer Stuart Bithell, flight controller James Wierzbowski and the grinders Felix van den Hövel, Jonathan Knottnerus-Meyer and Will Tiller at this Sassnitz weekend. Their audience celebrated them for it.
It's our best result this season. The balance is absolutely positive. The fans loved it." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
According to the helmsman, the fact that the German team was granted four days of extra training by the league before the home match made for a positive start to the races off Sassnitz. The stop-and-go, which brought thrilling suspense for the spectators in the strongly fluctuating Sunday winds, caused a few headaches for the crews in contrast to the roaring first day of racing.
"It was one of the toughest days of the whole season. The teams will probably all say that. It was absolutely crazy, the gusts and spins we had and the angles we were travelling at. I don't even know if anyone in the stands can understand it. It was so intense what was happening all the time: Some people accelerate, here they slow down, here they are on the foils again...", Erik Kosegarten-Heil described the difficult Sunday mission.
Hats off to the commentators who should say something about it." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
On the final Sunday, four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel took the wheel of the German racing catamaran shortly before the start of the race and was greeted with cheers as he raced in the wet element. The 38-year-old from Heppenheim founded the GER racing team in 2023 with initiator Thomas Riedel and is a co-owner. Vettel describes the SailGP as "racing without brakes".
Hard work leads to success at SailGP
Team France won the first Sassnitz summit of the world's fastest sailing league ahead of Emirates GBR and Australia's Bonds Flying Roos. "I have many good memories from this German Sail Grand Prix," said France's helmsman Quentin Delapierre after his team's rollercoaster ride.
The low points included the repair of the French F50 foiler, while the highs included the narrow qualification for the final and the winning coup in the three-way battle with the Australians and the British. The "French SailGP fairytale", as the league called it, was perfect.
The Germany SailGP Team missed out on its first final appearance in its two-year team history in fifth place after seven races by just three points. "We are still very happy and have seen that our hard work is paying off in many areas," said Erik Kosegarten-Heil.
Our team gave everything for this event." Erik Kosegarten-Heil
The man at the wheel continued: "I think many people were very satisfied. The performance gives us confidence. The crowd was awesome!" Although the Germany SailGP Team has not yet been able to improve on its eleventh place in the current season's championship after eight of twelve events, it has finally added six valuable plus points to its team account after offsetting the many penalty points from Sydney. Australia is now top of the table ahead of New Zealand's Black Foils and Team Emirates GBR. Click here for the season table.
When Sassnitz became "Crashnitz
Several collisions and breakages on board the speeding F50 catamarans, as a result of which first Brazil and then the USA were eliminated, gave the dedicated premiere host city of Sassnitz the nickname "Crashnitz". Up until the three-way final, the best sailors in the world had to complete difficult tasks in front of a thunderous audience on the XL grandstands - for the spectators, this resulted in an exciting and spectacular sailing show.
The league organisers had already confirmed their Sassnitz comeback on Saturday for 22 and 23 August 2026 and at least one more Germany Sail Grand Prix in 2027. Five-time America's Cup winner and SailGP CEO Russell Coutts said: "This strong SailGP debut confirms our view that Germany is an important market for us."
Sebastian Vettel bid an enthusiastic farewell to Sassnitz, saying: "It was a special week here: not only was it the German premiere for the SailGP in Sassnitz, but it was also the first inclusive sailing regatta at a SailGP. With the team as my partner, I was able to sail with the winner Nomine yesterday, which was really great." The 38-year-old racing star took a lot of time for the inclusive regatta and also for getting to know the participants.
Vettel's favourite project: Inclusion in sailing
On Sunday, Seb Vettel sailed with a helmet labelled "All aboard" for the project close to his heart. He said: "With the helmet, we want to draw attention to the fact that people with disabilities can and should also participate in sailing, hence the slogan 'All aboard' and the design." The helmet, which is still to be auctioned, was designed by the German team with Sebastian Vettel to promote more inclusion in sailing. The proceeds will go to the Wir sind Wir - Inclusion in Sailing association.
Final thoughts - the debriefing from Sassnitz with the international commentators:
