SailGP: Erik Heil on the German team's first SailGP season - "We are now setting the course"
Tatjana Pokorny
· 18.07.2024
From Erik Heil
It was a feast for international yacht racing last weekend! Truly spectacular! Days after the grand finale in San Francisco, we are still very impressed with what the league has delivered to its teams and fans, how far it has come at the end of its fourth season and the exciting plans it already has for the coming seasons. We are very happy to be part of this SailGP success model for the future.
A wow for our Spanish league friends. They were almost out of the race after day one of the final. But then the French shot themselves out with a manoeuvre that was far too dangerous for me. After that, Diego Botin and his Los Gallos looked for their chance - and grabbed it with both hands. The highly favoured Australians and New Zealanders underestimated these Spaniards.
In addition, the three-time record winners from Down Under had bad luck in the final, when the foil didn't lock up in the decisive final. Normally, and in almost 100 per cent of cases, it goes down and clicks into place behind a titanium bolt. It didn't do that in the final for 2 million US dollars. Then you have to stand in the wind until it sits again - which meant that the dreams of a fourth consecutive title for Tom Slingsby and the Australians were shattered, even though they came very close to the Spaniards in the all-important race at the end.
Scare for the Germany SailGP Team
For us, the last of the five fleet races up to the grand finale between Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge remains a huge challenge in our minds. During the race, we didn't understand why we suddenly couldn't get above 50 kilometres per hour in the wind, even though we had been travelling so fast before. We were relieved to see that it wasn't our fault when we craned the boat out: The foil was broken!
The Spanish victory not only shows the chances of promotion for hungry newcomers like us, but also ensures constant excitement in the races, because anything is always possible." Erik Heil
I was very happy for the Spaniards and enjoyed celebrating with them! Their triumph in San Francisco shows two things above all: promotion to the league is possible within a short space of time. The Spaniards finished last in the third SailGP season. Now they are sitting on the SailGP throne. And: The teams are increasingly close together in the SailGP. This not only shows the good chances of promotion for hungry newcomers like us, but also ensures constant excitement in the races, because anything is always possible.
With this attitude, we as the Germany SailGP Team are going into season five, which will only be our second, even stronger. With our performance and results in our debut year, we even slightly exceeded our own realistic expectations at the start. We achieved two fifth, two sixth and one seventh place in the 13 events of the 2024/2025 season. We overtook the Swiss, who had been sailing in the SailGP for some time, and often had the US crew, who had been replaced during the season, under control in the second half of the season. When I met the other drivers in the mixed zone in San Francisco after the last race, we were met with a lot of honest respect.
The other teams may not be unsettled, but they are very impressed by our development." Erik Heil
The new SailGP season has already begun
The feedback we get for our performance, our team dynamics and the team structure is impressive! The other teams may not be unsettled, but they are massively impressed by our development. We were already real opponents on the course. It's crystal clear to the others that we take our chances when we get them. Of course, we still have many challenges to overcome as a start-up, but we are on a very good course. That's why I see a strong future for the Germany SailGP Team in the growing league.
I see our up-and-coming team as strong and homogeneous. We are currently in the phase of finalising the contracts with the team members for the new season. I see a high probability that we will continue with the same team as in season one. We have made good progress. Crew consistency is a valuable asset in the SailGP. Everyone is 'on fire'. Monday this week, the day after the grand finale, marked the start of the new season for us. We got straight into the preparations.
In our first year, we fought for more training opportunities for the new teams so that they could catch up with the established teams. It is very good that we will be able to complete several weeks of intensive training on the F50 foils with the USA, Denmark and Brazil off Bermuda in August. Another training camp with all the SailGP teams is planned for the autumn in Dubai. These are valuable opportunities for us to catch up.
In conversation with SailGP CEO Russell Coutts
I had a long, good and promising conversation with SailGP CEO Russell Coutts in San Francisco. I can see further highly interesting developments in the sights of the SailGP makers. And I can also see that they are listening to us and taking our suggestions on board. I can't reveal everything that is planned yet. But this much: the boats will undergo massive refits and will become even better, even more equal, even faster and even more attractive over the coming years, including new foils.
I see a strong future for the SailGP." Erik Heil
I see a strong future for the SailGP. I believe in the development of the league as it is currently growing. It's a win-win-win model for the organisers, teams and fans. I was just asked what advice I would give to young German talents who dream of a professional career in the SailGP. From today's perspective, the Olympic Games are still the strongest and best stage for preparation.
The games teach you all about tactics, strategy and proving yourself against the best. Other skills that are important for the path to the top come with years of experience in the sport of sailing. Increasingly, talents from the non-Olympic, fast-growing foiling disciplines will also come to the Olympics. These disciplines will either become Olympic or form professional parallel series.
We are now setting the course for the coming years in the most spectacular league in our sport! We are looking forward to an exciting 2024/2025 season with you, with the first kick-off in Dubai on 23 November, before continuing in the new year in Auckland (18/19 January), Sydney (8/9 February) and Los Angeles (15/16 March). The new season offers a total of 14 events, one more than this year. We will tackle this new season with big hearts, growing experience and a lot of hunger.
Even better from our point of view: the SailGP will be visiting Germany on 16 and 17 August 2025. We will be able to announce the new venue soon. We're really looking forward to competing in our waters and in front of our fans, but more on that soon...
