SailGP: Curious final in Cádiz - USA win despite penalty, Team Germany struggles
Tatjana Pokorny
· 15.10.2023
Formula 1 sailing in light winds has its pitfalls. This was also the case in the Andalusian waters off Cádiz, where the SailGP elite met at the weekend for the fifth event of the fourth season. The strongest team up to the final were the Danes, who shone with compelling starts and were still on the foils when everyone else was struggling to crawl around the buoys. Nicolai Sehested, Olympic champion Anne-Marie Rindom and her team sailed impressively until the first section of the final.
"From penalty to victory": the US team wins off Cádiz
But then the triple final between the Danes, Tom Slingsby's record SailGP winners from Australia and the US team led by Jimmy Spithill took a strange turn. Firstly, the Americans were penalised for crossing a course boundary before the start. As a result, they were the last to cross the start line behind the Danes and their Australian pursuers, who were rushing away. But suddenly the two leading teams got caught in a tough lull. The Americans, who were behind, took advantage of this with a smart gybe and a successful counterattack on the other side of the course.
The US team pulled away on the short course by half a kilometre, almost a whole lap. Jimmy Spithill, Taylor Canfield and Co. could no longer be caught and secured their first regatta victory of the season. Meanwhile, the Danes and Australians fought a spectacular duel for second place. Despite Slingsby's attacks, the Danes did not let the salt butter be taken from their bread. However, the Australians also defended their lead in the season standings ahead of Denmark and the USA in third place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The game is becoming more open. We are getting better" (Erik Heil)
Sebastian Vettel's German sailing team was the latest addition to the professional league in Cádiz, Spain, finishing in ninth place. Helmsman Erik Heil and the Germany SailGP Team were able to outperform the Swiss team led by Sébastian Schneiter. "The game is becoming more open, we are getting better," said Erik Heil, whose team is still struggling to get to grips with the complex high-tech catamaran and its many possibilities in its debut season four months after the lightning start in June.
In fact, Team Germany was also among the front runners at times. In the end, the race results of 6, 9, 9, 8 and 8 were more sobering on paper than they felt on the water at times. The German team continues to pay the price. The starts in particular proved to be a challenge on another light wind weekend in Andalusia.
Sebastian Vettel visited his team in Cádiz
"The results were a bit painful. Our starts weren't good, but we also have a lot of other problems. Nevertheless, we had the feeling on Saturday that we had completed one of our best race days to date," said Erik Heil in Andalusia, summarising the results. According to Heil, his team is consciously taking risks in order to steeply bend the learning curve upwards. Co-owner of the racing team Sebastian Vettel was also in Cádiz this weekend.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion said: "It's great that I was able to experience the weekend so close to the team again. Of course, everyone in the team wants to achieve more, but it's only the fifth race. I saw again this weekend how motivated they are and how they analyse their performance immediately after the races and want to improve from race to race. Anna and Sophie also did a great job and I'm sure that things will continue to progress."
Promising debut for young German sailor
For the first time, young talents Anna Barth and Sophie Steinlein alternated in the Spanish SailGP, as strategist Kahena Kunze had to miss out due to her ongoing Olympic qualification alongside 49er FX helmswoman Martine Grael. The German duo had joined the team as part of the SailGP Women's Pathway programme. The young sailors had shown promising potential, according to Erik Heil.
As an additional challenge, all teams had to master the gradual reduction in crew strength this weekend. While the first of the five fleet races was still contested by crews of six, races two and three were contested by just five drivers. Races four and five on Sunday were even contested by quartets only.
You can imagine how much better experienced teams, who have been in the game since the first or second SailGP season, coped with the short crew. With the least experience in the fleet of ten F50 catamarans, the Germany SailGP team had their hands full. However, the results from the training day on Friday are encouraging. "We were equal fifth with fourth place," says Erik Heil.
The road to the top remains steep, but we're on it" (Erik Heil)
The 34-year-old knows that his team will have to be patient and show the qualities of a taker when it comes to promotion. "We're in this year's campaign with an open mind. All that matters is learning, learning and learning. That's why we are consciously taking risks in order to practise certain situations again and again," explains Erik Heil. He is also aware of the SailGP experience that all of his opponents have ahead of him: "The Australians have been sailing together for 15 years and are still a force in the SailGP in their fourth year. You can imagine it's like Thomas and me in the 49er."
Erik Heil and his 49er foresailor Thomas Plößel had sailed in the same boat for 20 years when they won their second Olympic bronze medal off Enoshima in 2021. Erik Heil explains: "In the SailGP, the Australians have mastered perhaps 70 per cent of what you can ideally do with the F50. We are at five or ten per cent. The road to the top remains steep, but we're on it."
